


Ever Gilbert and Sinbad Salvatore

by NoapologiesNoexcusesNoregrets



Series: Everlyna [3]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU, Brotherly Love, Declarations Of Love, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Friendship/Love, Gilbert twin, LGBTQ Character, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, M/M, Multi, Rough Sex, Sexual Content, Sibling Love, Third salvatore brother, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-10 06:43:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 98
Words: 480,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1156389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoapologiesNoexcusesNoregrets/pseuds/NoapologiesNoexcusesNoregrets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever: Hello ladies, gentlemen and unicorns, my name is Ever Gilbert and this is my message to you. I hope you will find it in your squidgy hearts to give me a chance. If I ever get a bit obnoxious then feel free to tell me off. Just don't threaten to steal my ice cream, because then I will be forced to cut you. Don't make me do that. I mean, I will do it, and I won't feel guilty about it either because ice cream thieves deserve what they get. I may even need to set my sidekick bat Kevin loose on your ass, but-<br/>Sinbad: How did this plea for recognition turn into you threatening our potential readers with bat violence?<br/>Ever: Shut your face, Sin, I'm talking here-<br/>Sinbad: We've been over this, Ev's, if you're a meanie bo beanie to the lovely readers then they will rise up and run you off of AO3 with comment torches and pitchforks.<br/>Ever: Yeah, well, forget them. I don't need their approval. I have you and our Creator for that nice fluffy stuff.<br/>Sinbad: Ev's, the whole point of this was to scout for new readers-<br/>Ever: Don't you sass me, boy! I will break you. In the FACE! Kevin get out here!<br/>Sinbad: And now all of our dreams are dead. Run potential readers! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pilot-part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some love stories exist to be told.
> 
> Ever Gilbert is trying her best to move forward after her parent's death when she meets three wayward brothers. One brother uses humour and his unapologetic sexual charm to protect himself, a man who's soul calls out to her own. Then there's the brother who is kind-hearted and determined to be a better man, someone she feels an instant and undeniable connection with. The last brother is a complete bastard. Honestly. But Ever's never done anything the easy way. Why should falling in love be any different?
> 
> Then again, who ever wanted to read a story about the girl who falls in love with her safe choice?
> 
> Keep in mind though, the safe choice might have ideas and desires of his own. Anyone can be a bad guy, the anti-hero. But what about the good guy who's willing and ready to fight for what he wants? Even the bad guy himself.
> 
> Sinbad Salvatore has a past full of secrets darker than anything his brothers could come up with combined. He's tried hard all his life to keep his brothers out of trouble, or at least defend them from the danger they somehow always manage to find. But then he meets HER. A girl who knows him. Maybe the only person who ever truly will. He falls in love with her brother though, which is bad news because there's a certain Original family that will drag him back into the legendary love triangle he ran from years ago.
> 
> Maybe this time it's Sin who will need saving.
> 
> Story will include violence, no holes barred swearing, insanity (hopefully in a funny way), sex (some graphic)-both gay and straight, so if you don't like that then you know where the metaphorical door is people.  
> I do not own any of these characters except the ones I have created myself. If I did own the other characters then my version of the show would have a lot more snark. I would also not have so much of this ridiculousness of gorgeous men wearing t-shirts all the time, what's the point in them having abs if we never get to see them. Anyway, give it a go and see if it's for you, that's all I ask.

CHAPTER ONE

Pilot-part 1

**Ever's P.O.V**

My name is Ever Gilbert. I have a twin sister and younger brother. I hate spiders with a vengeance. I am obsessed with books, I just am, it's simply a fact of life. I would rather be given Ben&Jerry's ice cream than jewellery, although if they are offering both then I'm not saying no.

My parents died four months ago.

Makes all that other stuff seem unimportant now doesn't it. That's why I don't want to go back to school. Because now when everyone looks at me they aren't seeing me, they are seeing the girl whose parents died. I can't really blame them, I'd probably be the same way. Maybe. No I wouldn't actually, but not everyone can be as cool as me, it just isn't possible.

My brother Jeremy is not handling our parent's death very well. I know he's acting like a drugged up emo hippie. It frustrates me and my sister. Our aunt too. I don't find it at all funny…

Alright, when he came home drunk the other night and fell down two steps and then screamed that cliff diving is no joking matter, I may have caught it on my camera phone. I may also have been tempted to put it on Youtube. But that was only a reflex.

Our aunt Jenna is trying hard to be a good parent to us, but she's always been more of a friend than a parental figure to me. She was the one who gave me my first beer and who I told when I lost my virginity to Tyler Lockwood. Not my most intelligent decision, but I stand by it. Obviously I would rather have lost it to Matt, my Matty, but Elena, that good looking bitch, stole him with her evil ways.

Elena would argue that I turned him down when he asked me out, but she's just making shit up because she is jealous of my bond with Matty. She's a sneaky one my twin. Makes everyone believe that she's 'nice' and 'noble' and stuff. But I know she's secretly the evil twin, they'll all see someday and then I'll be the one laughing from the safety of my danger box with my bat.  
Every girl needs a bat in her life, just in case an insane person breaks into their room. I said that to Jeremy once and he very snarkily replied 'the only insane person that's ever going to be in your room is you Ev's'.

If I had feelings I could have been really offended by that. I shoved him off of the kitchen counter to make my feelings of hypothetical hurt known. Children need to learn.  
First day back at school

 

**Ever's P.O.V**

 

I'm lying in my bed when I am very rudely awakened by Elena. I was having a strangely wonderful dream about being the leader of a spider revolution and the woman ruined it. I don't think I'll ever forgive her for this.

"Ever, get up, we're going to be late. Stop being lazy" Elena shouts from somewhere not too far away.

I make an attempt to get up, but halfway to sitting up I realise three things, I don't want to go to school, I don't care about being late, and I do not take orders from bossy pants a.k.a my twin. With all three of those things in mind I drop back down into bed.

"If you're not up in two minutes I'm going to come in there with a glass of water and tip it over your head" Elena shouts. See, evil. Evil twin.

I force myself to get up and get ready for school. Stupid school. Stupid good looking twin making me get up.

When I get downstairs Jenna, Elena and Jeremy are in the kitchen. I go about making myself some toast with Nutella on it.

"Why are you always the last to get up Ev's" my sister says with her trademark look of disapproval.

"I don't want to hear anything from you sleep ruiner twin, you lost the right to question my sleeping habits when you oh so rudely interrupted me just as I was about to marry Hugo" I reply.

"Who's Hugo?" Jenna asks, taking a sip of her coffee.  
I swallow a bite of my chocolate/nutty toast and answer,

"Hugo is my one true love"

"Where did you meet Hugo?" Jeremy asks, a smile forming despite his emoness.

"As a daddy long legs he was my enemy. But we fell in love through web design and we then teamed up to lead the spider revolution against the evil torantula's"

I look at Elena when I say the word 'evil'. She just stares back at me and rolls her eyes. Jeremy and Jenna laugh though. I don't know what they are laughing about, my name was going down in History rivalling the triumph of Rudolph the red nose reindeer.

Oh, shit, now I have that song stuck in my head.  
Rudolph the red nose reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.  
All of the other reindeer-

"Ever, why are you humming a Christmas song?" Aunt Jenna asks looking at me curiously.

"I'm preparing for Christmas obviously, I don't want to get rusty" I reply honestly. Sort of honestly.

"Ah, of course"

When we get to school in mine and Elena's shared car Jeremy gets out and walks away without a word. The emoness has taken over his teenage brain. I may need to stage an intervention of one. I won't invite Elena as she would only ruin it with her ridiculous sensibleness and sense of logic.

I am not afflicted with such ailments.

As we near the entrance I see Bonnie and Caroline, they beckon us over to them. I am engulfed in a hug by Caroline and then Bonnie, they then hug Elena and I call a silent win that they hugged me first.

Suck on that evil sleep ruiner twin.

"You two alright? Bonnie asks sincerely.

"Yes, we're alright" Elena says.

" Hey, I think you'll find that question was directed at both of us twin. I am not alright at all" I nudge Elena with my elbow and she just gives me a hard look.

"Why's that?" Bonnie asks as we walk inside.

"She" I point dramatically at Elena, "ruined my wedding to Hugo the handsome daddy long leg's. She must be punished. I'm thinking a Chinese burn from Caroline would just about do it"

"Stop being ridiculous Ever, let it go" Elena sighs and shakes her head at me.

"I WILL NOT! You ruined my chance to be happy with the spider I loved, I will not let it go until you are suitably dealt with"  
Bonnie and Caroline laugh, but Elena just opens her locker without saying anything in response.

Just then I see Matt, the All American boy of Mystic Falls. My ex future brother in law. I still have yet to punish Elena for ruining that as well. See, she just screws up everyone's chance at love.

Matt turns away awkwardly from us after catching Elena's eye. Poor Matty. I shall have to find him a new woman better than Elena. Well, I certainly won't find anyone better looking, but as for a better personality I'm sure I can find someone who is on the same level of awesome as Matt.

I say to Bonnie, Caroline and Elena that I'll meet them in class and I go over to Matt. His locker is right next to mine.

"MATTY!" I yell and throw myself at him.

He laughs and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug.

"You miss me Matty, wait, of course you did, your life was miserable without me, how could it not be"

Matt pulls away from our hug and leans against the lockers. He looks over my head and I know he's looking at Elena. Boy fell hard for my sister, why I have no idea, especially when it's obvious I am the fun twin.

I poke him hard in the chest and his eyes snap back down to mine,

"Missed you like a fish misses long walks" he says with a smile.

I poke him hard again for that comment,

"I know you missed me Matty, I already stated that two pokes and one long puppy dog stare at Elena ago"

Matt laughs and for the first time I see a spark of the old non-depressed over Elena Matty.

Matt pokes me and I poke him back. He then pokes me, so I poke him again. Oh, the poke war is on!

"Don't do this Matty, you always lose. I am the ninja poke master" I say as we continue to poke each other.

When the bell goes me and Matt make our way to History still in the middle of our poke war. That is until I poke him in the side and then run away. Matt tries to get at me, but I manage to evade him.

HA, I am the master of poking! YES!

"This isn't over Gilbert!" I hear Matt shout after me.

I take the long way round which means I pass the front office. I'm still partly running and not really paying attention to where I'm going so I hit a brick wall.

That brick wall reaches out its muscular arms to steady me so I don't fall over onto my arse.

"Are you alright?" the incredibly handsome brick wall asks me.

I step back, but only so I can get a good look at him. He's gorgeous, like really, seriously, gorgeous. I mean, this is front cover model material right here.

I realise he is waiting for an answer and I've just been checking him out. Excellent way to make a first impression, freak out the new hot guy.

"Well, I didn't fall over, so that's definitely something" I say.

Hot new guy smiles at me. Score!

"I'm Stefan Salvatore" he introduces himself.

I smile back at him,  
"Good to meet you Stefan, I'm Ever Gilbert. You're new right?"

"Just moved back. Been gone a long time" he replies mysteriously. Nice, a man of mystery. I may be making a new best friend right now.

Then I realise,  
"Oh, right, Salvatore, one of the original founding families. Guess Mystic Falls is in both our blood"

"Yes, I suppose so" he has a weird smile on his face, sort of like he's in on a joke I don't quite get. And I always get the weird joke. I usually say the weird joke. I am the weird joke king as well as being the master ninja poker. I have vair, vair busy life.

"Which class do you have?" I ask when I realise how late I already am. Damn it, Elena's going to get on her lecture cycle and run me over with it.  
Again.

"History" Stefan answers.

YES! Hot new guy is so sitting next to me, he is, after all, my new best friend.

I offer to show him where our History class is out of kindness of my heart. On our way I ask him about his family. Two brothers. I only just refrain from asking if they are as gorgeous as he is. Only. Just.

He asks about mine and I tell him about Elena and Jeremy. But I don't say outright about my parent's death. It's not something I want me and my new (hot) best friend to talk about.

When we get to History Elena gives me an angry look, but then blinks in surprise at Stefan. She practically stares at him as we apologise for being late and go to sit down. Through the whole of class Elena and my new best friend semi-creepily stare at each other. I can see that it upsets Matt. Occasionally Stefan will stare at me for a while too, but I meet his gaze and we have a stare off for a few moments before he smiles and then his will eyes go back to Elena again. This happens often enough that I'm beginning to think I might be able to add 'stare champion' to my list of titles.

Obviously, this year just got a little more interesting.


	2. Pilot-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet your new favourite Salvatore ;) x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself. Let me know what you think xxx

CHAPTER TWO

Pilot-part 2

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

_**Earlier that same day…** _

"Stef, they aren't Katherine" I say for about the hundredth time this morning.

I don't know why I'm bothering though, Stefan is set on going to this High school and seeing the girls who look like Katherine again. Idiot.

"I know they aren't Katherine" Stefan replies in that tone of voice that makes it seem like _**I'm**_ the one being unreasonable.

"Then why, Stefan?" I ask. This is a ridiculous idea. Coming back to Mystic Falls was bad enough, but now he's actually going to _**High school.**_

Not only that, but he's going so he can see the two girls we saved four months ago. They look just like Katherine, literally exactly like her. But they aren't. We've been watching them for the past few months.

I take that back. _Stefan_ has been watching them, I've just been there to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or reckless. Then again that is more our older brother's style. I'm so glad Damon isn't here for this, he'd enjoy it too much.

Anyway, from what we have seen so far it is pretty obvious that neither of these girl's are Katherine Pierce, and thank fuck for that. We had enough trouble from that bitch over a hundred years ago. We do not need a repeat.

"It's just something I have to do Sin" Stefan answers, he looks into my eyes and gives me his best 'trust me' look.

What is this, a daytime soap opera?

He continues to give me 'the look'. Damn him.

"Fine, just be careful brother, alright" I say finally. I swear my two older brothers are going to be the death of me.

Actually, they already were.

Well, _**that**_ was a depressing thought. Be gone negative thoughts about the past, stay in the past where you belong.

Stefan smiles slightly, he heads towards the front door,

"Come on then" he says to me and gestures towards the door.

I blink at him like he's lost his mind. He _**has**_ lost his mind if he thinks I'm going with him to _**school.**_

"Why do I have to go?" I ask incredulously.

Stefan raises an eye brow and replies,

"I thought you'd want to"

"Well, you thought wrong brother. Now shoo, off to school otherwise you'll be late"

Stefan just looks at me. It feels like minutes but it's probably only been seconds. That's what Stefan's 'Stefan stares' do to me. I hate them.

"Oh alright, just stop staring at me you weirdo" I throw my hands up and curse my weakness.

Stefan just smiles as we leave the boarding house. 'Uncle' Zach is just as uneasy about us being here as I am. Although for different reasons. If Damon was here Zach would probably shit himself with fear.

He'd be right to be afraid as well. My oldest brother takes the word reckless to a whole new level.

_**Present time…** _

I manage to sit through one class before my brain threatens to drop out of my head with boredom. I hope Stefan appreciates this. Although why anyone would choose to go to High school of their own free will is beyond me.

I practically throw myself out of that classroom. Right, I've experienced High school, and I have officially decided that I hate it. Hey look at me, I'm an ordinary teen.

One of the Gilbert twins goes into the boys toilets and I shake my head. Crazy teenagers. Stefan walks past just as the girl comes out of the toilets. She crashes into him and I watch as they stare at each other for a few moments.

I decide not to interrupt them and let Stefan get his broody flirt on.

A boy comes out a few minutes after Stefan and the Gilbert twin leave for their next class, they are still looking at each other like Disney characters. It would be amusing if it weren't so ridiculously sappy.

I know from observing the Gilbert twins that the boy is their younger brother. The boy, Jeremy, looks lost and angry at the world. I can relate to that.

I follow him as he leaves the school building, keeping my distance. I'm hungry and I've been wanting to taste this particular boy for weeks. He's very pretty, could be even more so if he gave up the druggie look.

I am not like Stefan, I drink human blood because I'm a vampire and that's what we do. But neither am I like Damon. I see no reason to kill the people I take blood from, there is no need for it. But then, I handle my cravings and my emotions better than both my brothers, to a certain extent at least.

Stefan has always been the 'good' one. Damon, the 'bad' one. And I've always been, just, well, _**me**_. Just because my brothers feel the need to make being a vampire so damn dramatic doesn't mean I do.

The boy goes all the way to the graveyard and I follow him there. I do feel sympathy for the boy having only recently lost his parents. I know Stefan feels guilty for not saving their parents in time.

Surprisingly he doesn't go to his parent's grave. He sits down by a tree and gets out his sketchpad. I watch him as he draws, my interest has been piqued with this kid. I definitely won't kill him, but I do still want to taste him.

I wait until he's finished his drawing and then when he's walking back along the path I step out to block his way.

The brown eyed boy stops up short and blinks at me for a moment. I take a step closer to him and hold out my hand,

"Hello, I'm Sinbad Salvatore, sorry if I startled you"

Jeremy swallows hard and frowns at me, but he takes my hand and we shakes it once. I hold on longer than necessary before letting his hand go. I ache to sink my teeth into his neck. The sadness in his eyes causes me to want to take it away somehow.

I did always have a weak spot for the pretty ones, that's what my brothers have said on more than one occasion.

I could compel him I suppose.

"Hi, I'm Jeremy Gilbert. Were you following me?" he asks suspiciously, looking into my blue eyes.

Oh, smart _and_ pretty, I could have fun with this one.

"Yes" I answer honestly.

Surprise sparks in the boy's eyes and starts to back up a bit. I can't have that.

I step forward and take hold of the boy's arm, he resists but his human strength is no match for my vampire strength.

I yank him flush against me so our bodies are pressed together.

"Get the fuck off me" he snaps. Ah, feisty too, this really is going to be fun.

"No" I reply simply.

He opens his mouth to say something, or more likely shout something, but I compel him to be quiet. I can still see the anger and fight in his eyes as he continues to struggle. I meet his gaze,

"Be careful, pretty, I don't want to hurt you"

I trail my lips over his neck as he shivers against me, despite his attempts to escape he is definitely affected by my touch. Good. I bite into his neck then and he freezes in my arms, I hold him tightly so he won't hurt himself as I take sweet, sweet blood from his body.

He tastes delicious, the best blood I've ever had. I was right about him. The sad boy with the big brown eyes who skips school to draw in a graveyard. I don't usually get attached this quickly, but I have to admit he intrigues me.

If Stefan insists on us staying here in Mystic Falls then I might as well have something to occupy my time.

When I pull away the boy is gasping and clinging to me. The fight is still there in his eyes and I'm impressed when he pushes away from me as soon as I loosen my grip. Kid's got a strong will, I'll give him that.

I grab him back though and compel him to forget me biting him, but not us meeting.

I leave him then, he seems dazed for a couple of minutes before he shakes it off and walks out of the graveyard. Part of me wants to follow him, but I don't.

I head back to the boarding house to wait for the return of my brother. But when I get there it isn't a nervous Zach I'm greeted with, but the sight of my oldest brother drinking some whiskey and leaning on the fireplace.

He looks up at me as I come in, that trademark smirk of his firmly in place as he drawls,

"Baby brother, you miss me?"

Oh, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think xxx


	3. Pilot-part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> See the three brothers in action x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the third chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then I'd be far too busy to be writing this fanfiction. So, lucky for you I don't ;) x  
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER THREE

Pilot-part 3

 

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"Damon, what are doing here?" Stefan asks through gritted teeth.

Yeah. That was my first question as well. But then I realised how pointless asking Damon something like that is. He's here because he wants to be, and there is nothing I can do about it short of killing him.

Maybe I could….

No, he'd probably find a way to haunt me.

I have thought on many occasions of killing my brothers. They frustrate me with their constant back and forth hatred of each other.

Granted Damon does go out of his way to make Stefan's life difficult, and Stefan antagonises Damon with his self righteous attitude at times. Even before Katherine, when we were all human, they knew how to push each others buttons like no one else.

They never actually hated each other though until Katherine. She fucked with both their heads. In different ways, but the result was pretty much the same.

I wish I'd picked up on it sooner. I mean, I knew she was trouble from the moment I met her. She just had that look about her. My brothers were to busy being stupid to notice. I only figured out how far she'd pushed them that night when our father found Katherine and Stefan together.

Would have been almost funny if our father hadn't over reacted the way he did. Now, taking out Katherine, I was in full support. The bitch got on my nerves, we would fight every time we were together.

But our father handled it badly and we all payed the price for that.

Damon blames Stefan for losing Katherine. Stefan, in true Stefan fashion, blames himself as per usual. I blame Katherine for ruining my brother's lives.

I don't know about you, but I think my blame makes the most sense.

But you try telling Damon that and he'll snap your neck like a twig. I don't expect anything less from my brother and I know he likes it that way.

So, here I am, stuck with my two brothers, Mr. Anger management and Sir crazy pants. I mean, both of them are insane, but when Stefan goes full on Ripper it really puts all other crazy vampires to shame.

Damon smirks at Stefan,

"Those Gilbert girls are dead ringers for Katherine" he says instead of answering Stefan's question.

I roll my eyes and lean back on the sofa. If they have one more fight to the death about that bitch then I might seriously consider making myself an only child.

Stefan clenches his fists tightly,

"Stay away from them Damon. They aren't Katherine"

Hey, bastard stole my line.

"I don't know, I might have to taste them, which one do you prefer?" Damon's smirk is dangerous and his tone is taunting.

Then again both of those things are basically constant with Damon. I don't know if he has the ability to even have a serious conversation anymore.

"Leave them alone Damon" Stefan snaps, I can see the barely restrained anger in my brother's eyes. He's holding back, but the tension between them is obvious and daunting.

For me. It's daunting for me. Because I have to live with them. Makes trying not to kill them a hell of a lot harder.

"You know I take that as an invitation brother" Damon drawls, unaffected by Stefan's frustration. He looks amused. Damon always looks slightly amused about everything. Drives Stefan insane. It would get to me too if I let it, but I don't.

"It's you that has been killing all those people around town isn't it" Stefan accuses, changing topic.

Of course it was Damon who's been killing people. It's always Damon.

"Well there's no need to make it sound so unbelievable Stefan. I'm a vampire, that's what we do" Damon looks Stefan up and down with distaste and then adds "Most of us anyway"

Stefan crosses his arms over his chest and sighs in the way he always does when Damon says something like that.

"You don't have to kill people Damon just because you're a vampire. I don't. Sin doesn't"

Woah, woah, don't be bringing me into this shit!

Damon quirks an amused eye brow and me, I shrug noncommittally. This is hardly the time to go over my hunting habits.

"I hear you're in High school now, how…sweet. Did you join the football team?" Damon mocks.

I shake my head and tune out their argument. I look between my two older brothers. Damon and I look very similar, it is obvious we are related. We both have the same pale blue eyes and black hair, although I usually keep it a bit shorter than Damon does. As for height and build I'd say I'm a lot more like Stefan, lean and broad shouldered.

Eventually Stefan storms away, presumably to his room and Damon doesn't follow. He has a self satisfied smirk on his face so I suppose he feels he won this round of Salvatore brother war one, battle 6,789.

Damon throws himself down next to me on the sofa with two glasses of bourbon. He hands one over to me and we sit for a while not saying anything.

Eventually I turn to Damon and ask,

"Did you really come here just to fuck with Stefan?"

Damon arches a dark eyebrow at me,

"Wait and see baby brother"

Damon gets back up then and finishes off his glass of bourbon. He walks out of the boarding house without another word.

Great. Now there's an 'evil' plan for Stefan to stress about. I honestly don't care what Damon does as long as he leaves me out of it.

But something tells me this time around I'm going to have no choice but to get involved and stop my brothers from ripping each others hearts out.

Again.

Oh goodie, and just when I was starting to think coming back to Mystic Falls wasn't a huge mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, I just wanted to add this bit for you to get a feel for the three brothers together. Please let me know what you think. The more comments or reivews I get the faster I'll update. Thanks xxx


	4. The Night of the Comet-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever and Elena meet Damon! x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fourth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Stefan would be my new best friend ;) x
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER FOUR

The Night the Comet part 1

 

**Ever's P.O.V**

The morning after the party Elena is practically bouncing around the kitchen. She seems happier than I've ever seen her since our parents died.

"Elena's in a good mood this morning" comments Aunt Jenna.

I nod in agreement and say,

"Obviously there are only two options. Option one, Elena was kidnapped by aliens last night and they messed with her brain"

"Sounds likely"

"Or option two she's still happy about my new best friend coming round last night"

"Your new best friend?" Jenna questions with a raised eyebrow.

What a stupid question, as if anyone else would be my new best friend.

"Stefan. You know, the handsome brick wall"

Jenna looks at me in confusion and then shakes her head with a smile,

"Right, the gorgeous young man who came to check on you two after what happened at the party"

Speaking of, Jeremy comes running downstairs and is out the door before we can say anything. His emoness has given way to outright rudeness. I may have to sit on him again. But he is upset about Vicki, so I might let him off.

Me, Elena and Jeremy found Vicki unconscious at the party last night in the woods. She'd been attacked. It was awful. Jeremy went all macho man and carried her out as Elena went off shouting for help like a crazy person.

Elena told me about finding Jeremy with drugs at school, so that's why we followed him into the woods last night. I say we, Elena dragged me with her. I was busy talking to Bonnie about the fact that she might be psychic.

But no, bossy pants just had to drag me into the woods where a potential girl attacker was lurking. I swear she's trying to kill me, last night was just her latest attempt. Back in the day it was me and Jer planning Elena's demise, but when he retreated into his emo shell I was left alone to fend for myself.

Still, I'll always have my bat.

I look back at Aunt Jenna and raise an eyebrow at her strangely conservative outfit,

"You going to church or something?"

Jenna looks down at herself and grimaces,

"I have a meeting today with Mr. Tanner. He wants to talk about Jeremy"

"Ah, so that's why you're dressed like a 50s housewife crossed with a lawyer, I getcha" I say with a nod.

"I just want to look like I can handle being the guardian of three teenagers" she sighs and brushes away some nonexistent fluff.

"Well, it's really just Jeremy. Elena is too good to do anything bad and I'm-"

"A weirdo"

"No, I'm-"

"Insane", Elena says with a grin on her face as she passes us,

"Stop calling me names! This is bullying! I am completely normal"

Elena and Jenna exchange looks and I add,

"Ish" with a shrug. I run a hand through my hair. I keep it heavily curled, it's one way people tell the difference between me and Elena.

"Whatever you say Ev's. I'm going to meet up with Caroline and Bonnie, you still coming to hand out fliers with us?" Elena asks.

I make a face,

"Ugh. I would rather stab myself. In the face. With a spork."

"Come on, you know Caroline will never let it go if you don't come" Elena reasons.

I sigh heavily,

"Oh, alright, but I need a lift to the Grill, I'm meeting Matt"

Aunt Jenna and Elena both raise their eyebrows and make the 'hhhmm, hhhmm' suggestive noise.

I roll my eyes,

"Shut up, he's stressing out after what happened to Vicki, I think he needs some cheering up"

Elena and Jenna exchange looks again but I ignore it, if they want to think something then they can.

As Elena is driving me to the Grill I ask,

"What do you think of the Mr. Mysterious then?"

Elena blushes, her grin widens,

"I don't know, he's…."

"Handsome, tall, broody"

Elena laughs,

"Yeah. I felt a connection between us though…it's strange"

I don't admit to her that I felt it too. The connection I mean. Elena's right, it is strange. I've never felt anything quite like it.

Elena drops me off at the Grill and I immediately see Matt at the bar. I rush up to him and slap his ass. Matt's reaction is priceless. He turns to me in surprise, but his surprise turns into an eye roll when he see's it's me.

"Stop touching me inappropriately Ev's, people will start to talk" Matt says with that boy-next-door smile of his aimed my way.

Matt really is a great guy. I didn't understand at first why Elena broke up with him. I know why I broke up with Tyler, he was a cheating asshole. Elena tried to explain to me not long ago when I asked her about it. She said that after our parents died she felt like a different person and that she wasn't the same girl who loved Matt anymore.

I guess I can understand that. In some ways I feel the same way, I have changed. I definitely don't feel like the same person I was before our parents died.

"How's Vicki?" I ask. Matt's expression darkens slightly.

"She's alright. I think."

"Has she said anything about what happened?"

Matt looks conflicted for a moment, as if he's not quite sure if he should tell me something or not. I place a hand over one of his and look into his eyes,

"You can tell me anything Matt, you know that right?"

Matt nods and smiles sadly at me,

"Vicki said that a vampire attacked her"

A what now?

I jerk in surprise,

"A vampire? What type, the Buffy kind or the Twilight kind?"

Matt snorts out a strained laugh at that,

"I don't know. She just said the word vampire, I didn't get any details yet. I'll make sure that 'what type of vampire was it', is my first question"

I pinch his arm

"Don't get snarky with me Matty. I think Jeremy's gone round to see her"

"Yeah, I saw him there earlier"

"Ah, my druggie brother and-"

"My pot head sister-"

"That's going to end well"

Me and Matt exchange a 'but what can you do' look.

I look up then and catch sight of Stefan, I smile at him, but in the next moment he's gone, like he vanished into thin air. Either that or I'm imagining hot guys. Well, there are worse things I could be hallucinating about I suppose.

Later on when Me, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline are handing out fliers for tonight's comet thing Caroline brings up Stefan. I almost mention how he vanished earlier, but stop myself. They'll think I'm even more mad than they already do.

I keep my mouth firmly shut as Bonnie and Caroline try and convince Elena to pursue Stefan with a bit more enthusiasm. If anyone deserves to find a nice guy then it's my sister. Elena reluctantly says she'll go over to his house and see him.

She asks me to come with her.

"Why?" I ask.

Elena tucks her hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture she's had since forever,

"To break the ice with your loud mouth if I freeze up in front of him"

I mock gasp,

"Bitch. Fine, I'll be your wingman. But if you two start doing that weird staring at each other thing, then I'm leaving. And by leaving, I mean snooping around the inside of my new best friend's house, because that's what new best friend's do"

Elena shakes her head but just laughs as we head towards our car to drive over to Stefan's.

When we get there the door is open. I shrug at Elena and walk inside. She follows after me.

"Stefan" Elena calls out.

After a pause I call out,

"New best friend!"

I turn around to face Elena when suddenly a crow comes flying fast in through the front door. I gasp and flinch back, Elena spins to see what I'm looking at and ducks down fast as the crow comes towards her.

I turn back around and come face to face with a man who is not Stefan. He is undeniably handsome though. The man has dark almost black hair and the palest blue eyes I've ever seen. He's gorgeous.

When did all these sexy guys come to Mystic Falls, did Santa get my letter and deliver late or something?

"Uh, hi, sup. We aren't here to steal from you, promise" I say.

Nice. Real smooth Ever.

From behind me Elena says

"Sorry for barging in. The door was-"

I hear her pause and I look around to see that the door is now closed. Huh. Weird.

"…..Open" I finish lamely.

Elena steps forward a bit and I turn back to sexy blue eyes, who is still only about a foot away from me.

He looks between both of us and says,

"You must be Elena and Ever. I'm Damon. Stefan's brother."

Ah, ha. So it's good genes I have to thank for this. Excellent. I wonder if there's a third gorgeous Salvatore hanging around as well.

"He didn't tell me he had a brother" Elena says, I look back at her as she tilts her head in confusion.

"Two actually" I say without thinking. I wince, maybe Elena's right, maybe I do have a big mouth.

Damon smiles, well, it's more of a casual smirk really.

"Stefan's not normally one to brag" Damon says as he looks directly into my eyes. It's actually sort of unsettling. He looks at me like he wants to eat me. I don't know where that thought is coming from.

It makes me stiffen slightly, preparing to run if I have to, which is a stupid reaction. But it's pure instinct so I don't question it all that much. My mother used to say that if in doubt we should listen to our gut, because sometimes our gut knows things our mind doesn't.

I think Damon notices my reaction and he smirks again.

"Please, come" Damon says and he gestures for us to follow him deeper into the house,

"I'm sure Stefan will be along any second"

Damon leads us into a big room at the end of the hall, it's seriously massive, and really fancy.

"Wow, this is your living room" I say in awe. Elena has a similar expression on her face and she looks around the room in interest.

"Living room, parlour, Sotheby's auction." I smile and nod as I take in the beautifully old fashioned room.

"I see why my brother's so smitten" he says and looks at both of us in turn. "It's about time. For a while there I thought he'd never get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

The last one? Destroyed him? Uh oh, that's not good.

I look at Elena, she asks,

"The last one?"

"Yeah, Katherine, his girlfriend" He looks between us again, taking in the surprise on both our faces.

"Oh, neither of you have had the awkward ex's conversation with him yet" he says

Wait, neither of us? What is he trying to say here?

"Nope" Me and Elena say in unison. Wow, we rarely do that.

"Oops, well I'm sure it'll come up now"

I get the feeling that Damon is messing with us a bit. His expression definitely doesn't suggest he is sorry about telling us about 'Katherine the Stefan destroyer'.

Damon continues,

"Or maybe he didn't say anything because he didn't want to seem like he is on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end"

Badly. Very badly.

I frown,

"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end"

Damon quirks a dark eyebrow at me,

"Convinced"

There's a pause where me and Elena make eye contact. My sister's eyes are definitely conflicted.

I blame the smirk master.

"Stefan" Damon says suddenly without moving or even turning around as Stefan himself comes into the room with a look of pure thunder aimed at his brother.

Stefan's eyes go to us,

"Elena, Ever, I didn't know you two were coming over"

His tone suggests we shouldn't have and suddenly I feel unwelcome in this house.

"I know we should have called-"

"We're sorry, we shouldn't have-"

Elena and I say at the same time.

"Oh don't be silly, you're welcome any time" Damon looks directly at me and my stomach flips over, "Aren't they Stefan?" Damon interjects.

I look between Damon and Stefan, their expressions saying completely different things. Stefan is giving Damon a 'shut the hell up' look.

"You know, I should break out the family photo albums. Or some home movies. Although I must warn you, Stefan wasn't always such a looker" Damon says casually, he's completely unaffected by Stefan's stare

I'm glad it's not aimed at me.

"Thank you for stopping by, it's nice to see you" Stefan says to us. His tone suggests that he wants us to leave though and I wonder if it's because of us, or because of his brother.

I exchange another look with Elena and say,

"Yeah, we better get going"

Elena turns to Damon and says,

"It was nice to meet you Damon"

He smiles charmingly, but there's an edge to it that makes me even more suspicious of this guy. His blue eyes flicker to mine as he says,

"It was great to meet you both too"

I narrow my eyes at him, and then as we pass by Stefan on our way out, I stop. He's still staring at his brother, so intensely in fact that I'm not even sure if he knows I'm right in front of him.

"Stefan" I say, trying to get him to look at me. It takes a few tries but eventually his eyes make contact with mine. I raise an eyebrow in question, although I'm not sure what exactly the question is. He nods in response though, and then moves aside to let me pass by him easier.

I shake my head and go to the door without looking back. Elena frowns at me, she looks upset, I get why. Stefan was acting weird just then, and I understand weird better than most.

Something is going on, and I don't think it's anything good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, it gives me inspiration. xxx


	5. The Night of the Comet-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever meets SINBAD! x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Damon would be MY drinking buddy ;) x
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER FIVE

The Night of the Comet part 2

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm at the Mystic Grill when I see the boy again. He really is very pretty. With those big brown eyes that are screaming out for some kind of connection. He's talking with the girl Damon attacked. Vicki?

Stefan was pretty pissed when I went home earlier. He said Damon had talked to Ever and Elena when they came round. I said what did he expect? Of course Damon is going to take full advantage of the fact that there are two girls who look exactly like Katherine. Of course he is going to taunt Stefan by talking to them.

It's just the way Damon is. He's a dick. A fun one. But still a dick.

He wasn't always, and I do not think my oldest brother is evil even now. I've known him for far too long to take all the bullshit he does seriously.

Stefan was fuming and making his 'I'm so broody right now that it's painful', face. So I decided to take Damon out to the Grill so they wouldn't get into another stupid fight.

After finding out about Vicki Stefan ended up throwing Damon through a window. It was a fucking mess. Zach literally hides in his own house, and having them fight isn't making it any more comfortable for any of us.

Apart from possibly Damon as he seems to not give a shit about anything. But I know that's not true. He loves Katherine, still, even after all this time. He wouldn't be so intent on screwing with Stefan if he didn't.

I watch as Jeremy hands Vicki some pills. They speak for a few more moments and then Jeremy leaves. A big part of me wants to go after him, to taste him again. I haven't stopped thinking about how delicious the youngest Gilbert was. There's something special about that kid.

"Ah, has little Sin got a crush, if you want to go after him, I'll be fine here baby brother?" Damon drawls as he hands me a new drink.

I take it and he sits down next to me. I roll my eyes and say,

"Don't even go there Day"

"He looks quite tasty, if you don't want him…" Damon trails of and gives me a suggestive look.

He would. Damon would suck that boy dry just to irritate me.

I turn on him sharply and narrow my ice blue eyes, eyes almost identical to my brother's,

"Don't fuck with me, big brother. I may not kill you, but you should know by now that there are far worse things in this world than death", my tone is harsh but also calm. I don't want him turning this into a fucking game.

I may not want to date a Gilbert the way Stefan wants does, but Jeremy is mine. I want to know more about him without my brother in the way. He interests me, and not many people do.

Damon smirks and leans on the bar, he takes a drink from his glass and then looks over at me. My face remains impassive,

"A threat baby brother?"

I smile then,

"No, a simple warning. Remember, I'm not as nice as Stef. You know that. I'm a vampire, I don't fight fair"

Damon smiles back at me and an unspoken understanding passes between us. He won't go after the Gilbert boy. That's the way me and Damon are. We understand each other in a way I know Stefan and Damon never have.

The same goes for me and Stefan. I understand why he cares about humanity. I understand why he acts human even though he very much isn't.

I don't have to agree with either of them just because I understand.

"So, are you going to tell me your 'evil' plan, or are you going to be a big drama queen about it?" I ask after a few minutes of us drinking together in companionable silence.

Damon arches an eyebrow at me. I already know he won't answer honestly, but I wait to hear his reply anyway.

"I'm taking over the world. One teeny tiny town at a time"

"Well that was far too much alliteration for one sentence. You sound like Stefan's diaries"

We both laugh and take another drink before Damon says,

"Hey, don't be disrespectful to our brother. It's called, a 'feelings journal'"

We laugh again, and for a while things are almost normal. Or as normal as me and Damon could ever be considering the fact that we are vampire brother's who are over 145 years old.

About an hour later Damon slips off somewhere. I can only hope he doesn't do anything stupid. I won't look for him though, I'm not his damn keeper.

I see one of the Gilbert twins walk in. She makes a beeline for the bar and stands next to me whilst waiting to be served.

Well, if Damon's already introduced himself then there's no point me not doing so. I turn my gaze directly on her and smile invitingly. She notices me looking and arches an eyebrow, before I can say a word she smiles back and says,

"Hello. You're the third Salvatore brother aren't you?"

I'm slightly surprised that she would know. Another Gilbert who has brains and beauty, I've been missing out. She really does look exactly like Katherine. Although at the same time there is something in her eyes that makes it so obvious that she isn't.

"Yes, I am. Sinbad, but you can call me Sin" I reply and I hold out my hand for her to take.

She does so but not without searching my eyes, as if trying to read me. I bring her hand to my lips and I kiss it softly. Once I let go of her hand she meets my gaze again,

"My name is Ever Gilbert"

"I know, my brother Stefan has mentioned you"

Her eyes widen slightly at that and I wonder if this is the Gilbert twin Stefan likes. I hope so, she has a core of strength inside of her, I can feel it. My brother needs someone like that, he needs someone who can get him to have fun and enjoy life.

The bar tender comes up to them and he groans at the sight of Ever.

"No. Not tonight, I'm busy, go away"

Ever's grin is one of pure devilish intent,

"Oh, Spenny, I love you so. Please don't be jealous, Sin is just a friend, he could never replace you in my life"

The bar tender, 'Spenny', although his name tag says Spencer, glares at her,

"I don't want to be in your life, leave me alone"

He starts to walk away and Ever calls after him, her hand over her heart,

"SPENNY! DON'T WALK AWAY FROM OUR LOVE! NNOOOOOOOO"

I bark out a laugh as she turns to me again and says,

"Spencer is the love of my life. He feels it too, he just pretends not to be in love with me, he is really"

Aaaaand, she's mental. Good. Never got on with sane people anyway.

"I think you're right. I could see it in his eyes. He obviously has deep feelings for you"

Ever grins at me and nods,

"I know. It's sad that he hides his love for me. He's lucky I'm so perceptive"

Then we're both laughing and I offer her my drink as it seems unlikely my new favourite bar tender will be coming back any time soon.

I look round for Damon and see him over by the pool tables. He catches my eye and smirks. I shake my head and hope like hell he doesn't come over here.

Ever turns in her seat to see who I'm looking at, when she catches sight of Damon her happy expression changes into one of suspicion.

Damon stares right at her and waves ironically with his fingers.

"Dick" Ever comments, seemingly without even thinking about it.

Ever snaps her gaze to me and winces,

"Shit, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry, he is. My older brother is a dick. Feel free to say it any time" I reassure Ever.

I find it endlessly amusing that Ever has already caught on about Damon. Hopefully this means she won't rule my other brother out because of whatever Damon has told her.

Later on that evening….

Ever and me talked for a while, but then she said she had to go and meet her sister. I asked for her number and Ever gave it to me. I think I've made my first Mystic Falls friend. I'm not normally one for making human friends, but this girl is different.

I notice Damon is gone. I saw him talking to that Vicki girl earlier. I had hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid. But now I'm thinking I underestimated Damon's reckless and vindictive abilities.

It doesn't take me long to find Damon. He's on the roof with Vicki. I jump up there fast to find Stefan trying to talk some sense into my stupid brothers thick head.

"Let her go. Let her go and tell everyone that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls. Let them chain me up and drive a stake through my heart. Because at least I'll be free of you" Stefan says.

It isn't hard to guess what's going on here. Damon has compelled Vicki into thinking Stefan attacked her and is trying to get Stefan to feed.

Stefan, being Stefan, is resisting.

My brothers are so fucking dramatic sometimes it's unreal.

"Wow, Stef" Damon says as he goes over to Vicki.

I clench my fists tightly,

"I know you two are having 'a moment'. But can I just interrupt for a minute to say, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO? Actually, I know the answer to that, you're both morons, obviously I was the only one born with a fucking brain in this family"

Damon looks up at me and smirks. I want to punch it off his face. Hard.

"Nice of you to join us baby brother" Damon drawls before whispering something into Vicki's ear.

Once Vicki walks off the roof, obviously now having no idea that vampires exist or even that Damon was just threatening to throw her off the roof, I look between my two older brothers in annoyance.

Damon walks back over to us and says,

"It's good to be home. Think I might stay awhile. This town could use a bit of wake up call don't you think"

"Fuck you Damon, seriously, fuck you" I shake my head at him and run a hand through my black hair.

Stefan narrows his eyes at Damon,

"What are you up to, Damon? He asks suspiciously.

Yeah, because Damon is really going to answer that this side of never.

I roll my eyes,

"Yes, please, tell us of your master plan" I say sarcastically.

Damon smirks at us and replies,

"That's for me to know and for you to…dot, dot, dot"

"You are hilarious big brother" I say. Much more of this and I'm going to start breaking records for the amount of sarcasm used in a five minute period.

Damon looks between us,

"Give Elena and Ever my best" He jumps off the roof after that. That's my brother, always got to have the last word.

Inside my head I hear Ever when she said the word 'Dick'. I agree so much right now.

I turn to Stefan, he looks apprehensive and confused. I can feel a brood session coming on big time.

That's it, I need a drink. A strong one. Damon is ruining comet night for me. Whatever that is.

Stefan and I share a look. He says,

"This is not going to end well Sin"

I shrug,

"Don't be a pessimist Stef. If worse comes to worse we can sell Damon to hunters"

Stefan snorts out a laugh at that, but his eyes still hold worry. I can't blame him this time. Damon is going to be trouble for both of us this time around.

Why did I have to have brothers?

I must have done something damn awful in a previous life to deserve this. Next time I want to come back as an only child far away from vampires and Mystic Falls.

Hey, I can dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think so far xxx The more reviews I get the faster I'll update


	6. Friday Night bites-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a joke I just had to put in here x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Jeremy would be eating ice cream with me right now! xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER SIX

Friday Night Bites-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

"What are you watching?" I ask as I fall down next to Elena on the sofa. Jeremy is still sulking because Aunt Jenna found his drugs stash.

Apparently her meeting with Mr. Tanner went really badly. She threatened to ground Jeremy if he skips school again. Jenna even took him to school early just to make sure he gets there. Elena was in full support, but I sort of get Jeremy's side of things. I understand that he's finding it hard to just get on with his life.

"It's called The Werewolf Diaries" she answers. I turn to my sister and notice that she still hasn't stopped smiling since she got together with Stefan. I'm happy for Elena, she deserves to have some fun, and I like Stefan a lot, he's one of the good ones I think.

I also like his brother, Sinbad, he's funny and very handsome, just like his brothers. Those Salvatore's got some good genes.

Elena tries to take my ice cream container from me and I slap her hand away.

She frowns at me and goes for the container again. I shift it out of her reach and hit her hand with my spoon.

"You ice cream thieving twin. Get your own damn ice cream woman!"

Elena snorts out a laugh and shakes her head. I smirk at her and ask,

"What's it about?" I point at the TV.

She shrugs,

"It's a show about werewolves"

"Do the werewolves have diaries?" I ask

"No…well Steven has a journal but-"

"Then why is it called 'The Werewolf Diaries' if none of the werewolves have diaries?"

"Helena has a diary"

"Who the fuck is Helena?"

"She's a human girl who-"

"So she isn't a werewolf?"

"No she isn't-"

"Then why isn't the show called, 'The Helena Diaries'?"

"Because the show has a lot of werewolves in it"

"So, 'True Blood' has a lot of idiots in it, that doesn't mean they should have called the show 'Moronsville'"

"Shhhh"

"Did you just 'ssshhh' me?"

"Shhhh"

"Stop sshhh-ing me"

"Shut up" Elena pinches my arm.

"Fine, you don't have to be so rude about it" I wait a good few minutes before asking "so who's that?"

"That's Kyler, he's a vampire"

"I thought you said this show was about werewolves"

"It is"

"How come there's a vampire in it then?"

"Because the show has vampires in it too"

"Then why isn't the show called 'The Werewolf and Vampire diaries'?"

"SHUT UP EV'S!" she yells into my ear. I crack up laughing and she starts hitting me with a pillow.

After a few minutes of five year old style pillows fighting I ask,

"So what's the show actually about?"

Elena sighs and gives me a hard look but answers,

"It's basically about a girl and two werewolf brothers who both fall in love with her"

I frown,

"Sounds stupid to me"

Elena laughs,

"Yeah, it kind of is"

"I like the dark haired sexy one though" I say.

Elena raises an eyebrow and looks at me,

"Damien? Yeah, I thought you'd like the bad boy"

Before I can ask her what she means by that, there's knock at the door. Elena gets up to answer it.

I smile as Elena lets Bonnie in. She smiles back at me, but I can tell there is something bothering her, I try to catch her eye but she is looking around nervously.

"Ready for school?" Bonnie asks, she's driving us today because our car is making a weird grinding noise that makes it seem even more like an animal. I used to pretend cars were creatures of darkness and that they al had their own personalities. Sometimes my mother would even play along and we'd give them names.

Funny the things you remember, things you never thought about before. I find myself thinking a lot about my childhood now that my parents are dead. It's like my mind wants desperately not to forget them so it keeps bombarding me with memories.

"Yeah we're ready" I say as I go to put my ice cream back in the freezer. Ice cream for breakfast is a great start to any day. I highly recommend it.

Once we're in the car I can't help but feel like Bonnie wants to say something. The tension is weird and I ask her what's wrong.

"Nothing is wrong…..it's just…" Bonnie bites her lip and her eyes flicker over to Elena, "I know you really like Stefan…..but…"

"But what?" Elena asks

Bonnie shrugs,

"I don't know…maybe you should just take it slow, ok"

Bonnie parks the car and the three of us get out.

"What do you mean take it slow?" I ask as we begin walking towards school.

"You don't think I should go out with him?" Elena asks, her face showing off some serious confusion, and I can't blame her.

"I'm not saying don't date the guy. I'm just saying take it slow"

"You were the one who said to go for it" Elena look back at me and I make an 'I don't know' face.

"And now I'm saying take it slow" Bonnie says as she speeds up a little.

"What are you not saying Bonnie?" I reach out and stop her. She turns to face both me and Elena.

"It's stupid" Bonnie sighs and shifts awkwardly.

"Bonnie, spit it out"

Bonnie looks between us and finally says,

"I accidentally touched Stefan, and I got a really bad feeling"

"That's it?" Elena asks in disbelief.

I can tell it means something to Bonnie though, even if it does sound a bit strange.

"Is this that whole witch mojo thing again?" I ask, only half joking.

Elena laughs, and Bonnie rolls her eyes,

"I'm just concerned. This is me expressing concern about my best friend's new boyfriend"

Elena smiles that 'I'm the nicest girl ever' smile and says,

"And I love you for it, I do, but I feel good. It's been a hard year" Elena looks back at me and we share a moment of grief before she turns back to Bonnie, "I'm starting to feel like things are getting back to normal again, and Stefan is a big part of that"

Bonnie nods as we start walking again. I see Stefan and call over,

"New best friend, come over here and give me a hug, or a fist bump, whichever you prefer"

Stefan smiles at all three of us,

"Morning, Elena, new best friend Ever, Bonnie"

"Hey, um, I've gotta find Caroline, she's not answering her phone so…see you guys" Bonnie makes a swift exit.

"Bonnie, wait…" Elena calls after her,

"I'll be back in a second ok" Elena says to Stefan and kisses him lightly before rushing off after Bonnie.

Eh, what about me? She won't be seeing me in a minute apparently, I'll be freakin' invisible by then.

Stefan frowns slightly, he looks over at Bonnie and Elena before back at me again,

"She doesn't…like me, very much" he says

I smile at him and hit his arm lightly,

"She doesn't know you. Bonnie's one of our best friend's, she's just looking out for Elena. But, when she does know get to know you" I poke him in the chest, "she will like you as much as I do"

I nudge him and start walking, he falls into step beside me.

Suddenly an idea hits me, I put a hand on his arm to stop him for a moment,

"Are you free tonight?" I ask.

"Ah, yes" he nods and smiles slightly.

I smile back,

"Ha, dinner, my house, 8 o' clock. You, me, Elena and Bonnie. You two spend some quality time together and she'll see what a great guy my new best friend is. Mission accomplished."

"Alright" he smiles wider this time and I bask in the light of my own genius plotting skills. Our gazes lock and that weird connection thing passes between us again. I push it away, this is no time to dig into strange feelings I have for my sister's new boyfriend. It's just Bonnie and all her witch talk making me over-think everything.

Suddenly Stefan spins around fast and catches the football that was obviously meant to hit him. Tyler is with Matt and looking over at us in disbelief. Oh, Tyler you asshole. Stefan throws the ball back so hard that Tyler almost falls over.

I wish he had fallen over. Stupid jealous twit.

"Nice one Stef, if ever I need something thrown I'm coming to you first buddy" I say with a laugh, it really was an impressive throw.

Stefan and I continue to walk into school,

"That throw was insane. I didn't know you played football"

Stefan and I spoke quite a bit at the comet night thing, he was a bit upset over Elena giving him the brush off. We went back to his and hung out for a while. I was the one who convinced Elena, via text rant, to come over and see him.

Just call me cupid 2.0 with a phone instead of an arrow.

"I used to…a long time ago" Stefan says with a little melancholy mixed in.

"You know, if Elena finds out about this, she's going to convince you to join the football team" I say, unable to hide the small grin at the idea of someone so mysteriously badass lonerish as Stefan Salvatore playing football funny as hell.

Stefan makes a face at me,

"Yeeeaahh, I don't think that's going to happen"

"Yeah I get it" I say.

He smiles at me and sends a questioning look my way,

"What do you mean?"

I open my locker and shrug,

"Just that when I look at you, I don't really think 'jock'"

He leans against the lockers as I shove some stuff in,

"What do you think when you look at me?" Stefan asks, he does the now famous 'Stefan head tilt', he does it a lot when he's interested an answer to a question.

I pause and think carefully before answering,

"The good guy at heart, with a bit of secret bad boy hidden somewhere inside that you're afraid people will see"

I didn't mean to answer so seriously, I should have just said 'mysterious hot brick wall'. Damn my big mouth and honest nature, damn them both to hell.

Stefan quirks an eyebrow in surprise, but it's gone after a few moments of intense staring. I'm beginning to think that it's a Salvatore thing.

"How about me, what do you see?" I ask jokingly, trying to make light of the conversation.

Stefan meets my eyes, his expression serious, my body tenses under his intense gaze, but before he can reply Elena comes up to us and he stops abruptly.

After that the tension is gone and I begin to wonder if I'd imagined it. I tell Elena about my plan for dinner tonight. She likes it and says she'll talk to Bonnie about it at cheerleading practice today.

Elena asks me if I'm coming to cheerleading.

"Nope" I say simply.

"Why not?" she asks.

"Uh, because I hate it, and so do you. I'm weird and twitchy, not peppy. There's a difference" I say honestly.

Elena and Stefan laugh as we walk into class. Hell has just begun and there is no escape for the bored and distracted. Land of day dream here I come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, it gives me inspiration. xxx


	7. Friday Night bites-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever invites another guest to dinner x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventh chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Alaric would be giving me a comforting hug every day. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Friday Night Bites-part 2

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm sitting with Damon when Stefan comes in. Damon looks up at him and asks,

"How were try outs? Did you make the team?" His tone is mocking and I reach over to smack him over the head. Damon glares at me and I shrug unapologetically.

Stefan's eyes are asking me what the hell going on, I roll my eyes and mouth 'Let it go'.

Damon smirks and holds up one of Stefan's journals,

"Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul, so many-" Stefan uses his vampire speed to snatch the journal out of Damon's hands "-adjectives" Damon finishes with an amused smile.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asks in a tired voice.

Again with the stupid questions that will only lead to even more stupid answers.

Damon leans forward and suddenly his expression is serious, a very rare sight,

"I've come to apologise. I've been doing some thinking, some…soul searching, and…I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us-"

Damon stands but I stay seated, barely managing to stop myself from outright laughing at both what Damon is saying and the fact that Stefan is letting him say it.

"You're my little brother" Damon continues "and if you wanna live a normal, happy, human life, then I want that for ya. Maybe I can do it too. I can learn to be a non-living person. Maybe there's hope for all three of us"

Oh for fucks sake, make it stop.

"Yeah, and maybe pigs will replace airplanes as the main source of flight travel" I add drolly.

I start laughing at the exact same moment Damon does. Stefan is making his 'I am not amused' face at both of us.

Damon slaps Stefan on the shoulder and walks over to me.

"You know it doesn't have to be this way" Stefan says

Damon and I exchange glances and Damon replies,

"Of course it doesn't. I saw Elena today. BTW, that means by the way, she was at cheerleading practice, she looked so perky in her little short shorts"

I kick Damon's ankle and Stefan takes a step towards him, Damon smirks again,

"Simmer down, I didn't even go near her. Got my own cheerleader now. Ohh, that reminds me, I have a date"

As he's backing out of the room Damon stops and an amused smile plays over his lips again,

"I saw Ever today too. I think she's my favourite, I like her hair, all curly and sexy."

Stefan practically growls out the words,

"If you even touch her, Damon, I will-"

Damon interrupts,

"Maybe now you've finally chosen one, I could have the other Gilbert twin. I was hoping you'd choose Elena. Ever has spunk. Bet she tastes amazing-"

I have Damon up against the wall before I even realise I'm moving. Inside my head I'm thinking, 'What the hell are you doing?', but I can't seem to stop myself.

When Elena came over to talk to Stefan, Ever decided to give them some privacy. She came to my room and we hung out, talked. I was right about her, she's different. It's not only because she's beautiful, although Ever very obviously is.

There's just something about Ever Gilbert….

Shock registers in both my brothers faces. Between the three of us I'm rarely the one to get into a fight with either of them. Not that this is a fight. Yet.

I look Damon right in the eye, my vampire teeth are showing and I still don't know why I'm reacting this way,

"I'm only going to say this once big brother. Stay. Away. From. Ever. Gilbert. Or I will lock you up downstairs and let you starve for a hundred years. And you know I would. Understand?"

The surprise is gone from Damon's face after only a few moments. An easy smile comes and he stares right back at me,

"You can't lay claim to two Gilberts baby brother. Be fair."

"No" I growl. Fuck being fair. I'm a vampire. Fair is for humans. Vampires don't do fair.

Damon sighs, still smirking slightly as he says,

"Calm down baby brother, I won't hurt Ever, how's that?"

I glare at him for another few moments before letting him go. I back away slowly, Damon squares his shoulders, and with another sardonic look our way he walks out.

I turn to face Stefan and he's watching me with raised eyebrows. Shut up, shut up, I tell him mentally.

"Don't look at me like that Stef. If you're about to get on my case about Ever, then you can be the one to keep Damon company in a cell downstairs" I say out loud.

The Stefan's look turns from slightly amused to thoughtful. Oh, no, that's not good.

"Just…be careful Sin. I trust you, don't make me regret that"

I nod once and then leave. I need a drink and I need to get away from here. To the Grill it is then.

At the Grill…

Watching Jeremy Gilbert has become my new favourite past time. I haven't fed off him since that day in the Graveyard. But I want to. So much. That within itself is worrying.

He interests me. Both him and his sister do. Not quite in the same way. But it's been a long time since anyone has interested me deeply. I've missed the feeling. Although I don't know if I've ever experienced it quite at this level before.

I have to stop myself from ripping that Tyler kid apart when he hits Jeremy on purpose and then taunts him. If we were in any less a private place Tyler would be screaming in agony on the floor. But, I promised Stefan I would behave, for now.

Jeremy seems to handle himself very well though anyway and walks out of the Grill with the ball thrust firmly into Tyler's court about Vicki. I don't quite see the appeal of the bar worker girl.

But, then, I'm picky like that. Bar maids are more Damon's style. I'm surprised she's still even alive. Damon doesn't usually let them live quite so easily.

About an hour later I walk out of the Grill only to bump into Ever.

She jumps back in surprise and almost trips. I catch her, my arms encircling her waist, she allows herself to be pulled closer to me. My grip on Ever is tight on instinct. She manages to get her footing again and then looks up at me laughing.

Ever Gilbert is on an entirely different level of beautiful when she laughs. I never understood why my brothers fell for Katherine, not really. But if they saw her the way I'm seeing Ever right now, then maybe I do kind of understand the attraction.

Ever slips her arms around my neck and I look down at her in surprise, she shrugs,

"Well, if you're going to hold me like this then I at least want to be comfortable when I ask you to come over to dinner at my house tonight"

I arch a dark eyebrow and laugh. But I don't let go. I don't want to, and she seems perfectly comfortable with it.

"Dinner?"

Ever smirks at me,

"Yeah, you know, that meal time where you eat, like food, and stuff"

"And stuff?"

"If you're very lucky" she jokes with that smile that has my world turned upsidown.

I pretend to think about it,

"Hmmmm, go on then, I'll come to your dinner party, just for you"

The smile is back,

"You can come over with Stefan. We're trying to convince our friend Bonnie that Stefan is a good choice of boyfriend for Elena. Feel like helping?"

"It's the opportunity I've been waiting for my entire life"

"Me too. We shall accomplish this great feat together"

"We will succeed at all costs"

"Mission not-quite-impossible is a go"

Finally I've found someone as insane as me. Excellent.

My desire to taste Ever's blood is getting stronger by the second. I can hear her heart pounding rapidly. Our gazes lock and for one wild moment I think she knows what I want, and that she will allow me to take it.

Then she blinks and her gaze darts to the side. I let go of her and move backwards. Ever runs a hand through her hair and looks up at me from underneath her eyelashes. It's sexy as hell and suddenly my craving for blood isn't the only thing I crave from Ever.

This is going to be one hell of a dinner party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, it gives me inspiration. x


	8. Friday Night bites-part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner gets a bit crowded x
> 
> A necklace is given and a relationship begins. x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Bonnie and me would be scaring some people shitless with her magic. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Friday Night Bites-part 3

 

Ever's P.O.V

Well, this dinner is probably one of the most awkward experiences of my life. I mean, I'm fine because I have Sinbad to entertain me. But by the looks of things Stefan and Bonnie aren't becoming besties any time soon.

Elena keeps looking between Bonnie and Stefan as if she expects one of them to burst into song.

Maybe I should burst into song.

Elena's eyes dart to me, like she knows exactly what I'm thinking. Damn her twin evil mind powers!

"So, big brother, you actually tried out for the football team" Sinbad says with this amused look on his face that appears to be teasing.

I told Elena about Stefan's impressive throw and she immediately went about trying to talk Stefan into joining the team. He seemed alright about it though, so maybe he's more of the jock type than I thought.

I saw him out on the field. Tyler was still acting like an asshat, but Matty sucked it up from the looks of things. Elena really does have better luck with men than me. I always go for the dick with charm.

Elena's eyes light up at the mention of Stefan joining the football team and she asks him,

"Did Tanner give you hard time today?"

Stefan tilts his head and replies,

"Well, he let me on the team, so…I must have done something right"

Elena laughs and the tension dissipates slightly.

I meet Stefan's gaze,

"Sorry about Tyler by the way"

"What do you mean?" Elena asks in confusion.

I share a look with Stefan and say,

"Nothing. He's just being weird about me talking to Stefan, I told him to cut it out, but you know what he's like sometimes"

"I thought he was with that Vicki girl from the bar" Sinbad turns to me. Stefan's gaze immediately catches his brother's and they share a moment of…something.

Salvatore's seriously have a staring at each other thing going on.

"He probably is" I roll my eyes, "But he came up to me today after school and said he wanted to get back together and going off about Stefan and….other stuff"

Stefan's gaze meets mine, a silent apology in his green eyes. I shrug noncommittally. It's not Stefan's fault my ex is prat of the highest order.

Sinbad nudges me under the table and the touch of his knee to mine is both reassuring and makes my heart skip a few beats. I think I have a crush on the third Salvatore brother. My mind strays back to Damon, he's different to Sinbad and Stefan, but I'm not exactly sure why.

I smile at Sinbad and he winks at me cheekily. Oh, and there goes the heart skip thing again.

There's a pause where the night seems about to slip back into painfully awkward territory, so I say,

"Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him and-"

"Yeah, I heard" Bonnie cuts me off.

Ah, shit, Bonnie's really acting weird tonight. She must not like Stefan a whole lot for whatever reason. Wait till she meets Damon, that'll make Stefan seem like a dream come true.

Although strangely, Bonnie is alright with Sinbad. Maybe it's because she hasn't 'touched' him yet.

Note to self: don't let Bonnie touch Sinbad in case it makes her hate him.

"Why don't you tell Stefan and Sinbad about your family" Elena says to Bonnie.

Bonnie seems to be visibly trying not to bolt out of her seat and run away, but she says,

"Divorced. No mom. Live with my dad"

Stefan and Sinbad nod politely.

I laugh and say,

"I think she means the witches Bon"

Stefan and Sinbad both automatically turn slightly surprised faces on me. I shrug and when Bonnie says nothing I continue,

"Bonnie's family have a lineage of witches"

"It's really cool" Elena adds with a pointed look at Bonnie.

Bonnie shakes her head slightly,

"Cool isn't the word I'd use"

Stefan clears his throat,

"Well, it's certainly interesting"

"Yeah it is" Sinbad adds, "I don't know much about it, but I do know that there is a history of Celtic druids who migrated here in the 1800's"

"My family came by way of Salem" Bonnie says.

"Really?" Stefan says interestedly, "Salem witches"

"Yeah" Bonnie ducks her head, slightly embarrassed.

"I'd say that's pretty cool" Stefan says with an easy smile and Sinbad nods in agreement.

Bonnie frowns slightly,

"Really? Why?"

Stefan says,

"Salem witches are heroic examples of non-conformity"

"They were strong willed people, and are great examples of true individualism as well" Sinbad adds honestly with a hear-melting smile aimed Bonnie's way.

"Yeah, they are" Bonnie says with a small smile.

YES, VICTORY!

Maybe tonight might end up a success after all.

Just then the door bell rings and I get a bad feeling before I even see who's there. "I wonder who that could be" Elena says. I shrug and get up to answer the door.

I open it up to see Caroline standing there holding some kind of desert.

"Surprise" Caroline says with one of her bright smiles.

Damon is standing behind her and suddenly that bad feeling makes a whole lot more sense.

"Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought desert" Caroline holds up the desert. I have no idea what to say, my eyes are on Damon.

Woah, that man is handsome. Like, hit you in the face every time you see him, handsome. Too bad I think he's trouble.

"Oh, right" I say.

"Hope you don't mind" Damon gives me a charming smile that should definitely not make my stomach flip excitedly.

No, bad body, this one is off limits for so many reasons I'd need a limitless amount of A4 paper to get all of them written down.

Caroline walks right on in and gives me the desert. Sinbad and Stefan come over to door and Stefan asks Damon,

"What are doing here?"

Sinbad has his arms crossed over his chest. I look between all three of them and have to mentally slap myself when I start trying to think of which one is the most gorgeous. It's an impossible choice anyway.

Stefan seems a bit pissed off for some reason. Sinbad doesn't seem that bothered, but his body language suggests he isn't too happy about the situation unfolding either. Elena comes up behind Stefan then, presumably wondering why we are all crowded near the door.

"Waiting for Ever to invite me in" Damon answers and takes a step towards us.

"Yeah sure-" Elena starts, but Stefan moves forward and says,

"No, no, no. Um, he can't stay…" Stefan looks desperately over at Sinbad and then back over at Damon, "...can you Damon"

Damon narrows his eyes slightly at Stefan but says nothing

"Get in here" Caroline says to Damon.

"We're just finishing up" Stefan tries with Elena.

I send Sinbad a questioning look and he just shrugs one shoulder. Things just keep getting weirder around here. I'm on Stefan's side with this one though. Do not let the insanely sexy Salvatore in, we already have two, I don't think my heart will survive that many heart skips or tummy flips.

"No, its fine, come on in" Elean says, seemingly oblivious to the three way Salvatore moment going on.

Damon smiles smugly and walks through the door past Stefan and Sinbad.

"You have a beautiful home Elena" he says, but his eyes land on me and I start to feel hot all over at the intensity of his gaze.

Suddenly there's a hand on my shoulder. It's Sinbad, he's looking at Damon and standing close to me almost protectively.

Yep, there's definitely something going on here. I lean up towards Sinbad to whisper in his ear,

"Should I get my bat?"

He snorts out a laugh and whispers back,

"I'll let you know"

"Right" I say and we look into each others eyes, amusement mixed with something else that I can't quite name passing between us.

Oh, shits going down tonight, I can just feel it.

Later on that night…

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team" Caroline says from her position next to Damon. She looks over at me when she says,

"Tyler must be seething" she looks back over at Stefan, "But, good for you, go for it"

Elena is sitting with Stefan, Bonnie is in the other sofa seat and I'm with Sinbad on the floor. Somehow I've ended up sitting between in his legs, although I'm not complaining.

Ever since Damon came inside the house he has been staying close to me and watching Damon carefully. It seems Stefan has been doing the same with Elena.

"That's what I always tell him. You have to engage, you can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you, you have to go get it" Damon says. But his tone again seems to be taunting I don't understand why.

Sinbad rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything, I can feel the tension in his body though. He's sprung tight like he's readying himself for a fight.

Caroline, being Caroline chooses that moment to say something insensitive,

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today, it's only because you missed summer camp, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines…"

"Ill work with her, she'll get it" Bonnie says.

Carline makes a thoughtful face,

"I guess we could put her in the back"

I love Caroline, I really do, but sometimes she says things that make me want to hit her over the head. Hard. With a rock. Or a pebble, whichever one I find first.

Caroline looks at me then and I can feel her scrutiny all the way down to my bones,

"You didn't even come to practice today Ever" she says accusingly, although the smile never leaves her face.

Everyone turns to me then, and I frantically try to think of something to say that will get me off the hook,

"Uh, I hate cheerleading because it's too peppy. I can't be that happy all the time. It hurts my face. Plus, I don't like our uniforms; they itch me in inappropriate places that should not itch. I am against the itching, therefore being a cheerleader is not the right path for me. Because of the itching….and the colour, I don't like the colour."

Riiiiight. Yeah, that'll work.

Sinbad lets his forehead fall against my shoulder as he tries to hide his obvious laughter. Even Stefan and Bonnie are smiling in amusement. Elena takes a drink from her mug to hide her grin.

Damon is smirking at me again but I ignore it, even though my body is finding that particular task very difficult.

"It's probably just because their parents died" Caroline says casually "Yeah, they're just totally going through a blah faze"

Elena seems to freeze instantly and I clench my hands tightly.

"They used to be way more fun" Caroline adds.

That's it, I am about five seconds away from getting my bat!

Bonnie gives Caroline a hard look and Caroline seems to realise what she just said because she adds,

"…and I say that with complete sensitivity"

"I'm sorry Ever" Damon says as he looks at me, "I know what it's like, to lose both your parents. In fact Stefan, Sinbad and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die"

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon" Stefan says pointedly.

"We really don't. Leave it Damon" Sinbad agrees with a his own slightly more threatening look aimed at Damon.

"You know what, you're right, the last thing I wanted to do was bring her up" Damon continues.

"Yeah, and I'm a fluffy blue bunny rabbit" Sinbad says quietly through gritted teeth.

…

I'm in the kitchen cleaning up and putting things into the dishwasher when Damon comes in.

"One more" he says and holds out a glass to me.

"Thank you" I say warily and go to take the glass from him. But the glass slips through my hands I gasp because I think it's going to smash. Damon catches it with the same lightening reflexes I saw Stefan exhibit earlier on today.

I laugh and take the glass from him, managing not to drop it this time,

"Nice save" I say and I smile at him despite everything.

Damon smiles back at me,

"I like you. You know how to laugh"

He moves over to the dishwasher and I follow him with my eyes,

Damon turns to me,

"And you make both my brothers laugh. I haven't seen Stefan smile like that in a very long time"

I try to tell myself that I can't trust a word he says, but somehow I still end up asking him,

"Earlier. Did you mean Katherine?"

I pick up a plate and he takes it from me and puts it in the dishwasher,

"Hhmm, hhm" he answers.

"How did she die?" I ask.

"In a fire. Tragic fire" he answers.

"Recently?"

He shrugs slightly,

"Seems like it was yesterday"

"What was she like?" I don't know why I'm asking. But the whole Katherine thing seems important for some reason.

Damon seems to think about it for a moment before answering,

"She was beautiful, a lot like you in that department-" I do not care that he thinks I'm beautiful. I do not. I. Do. Not.

"-She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind. But very sexy and seductive"

I frown and hand Damon another plate to put in the dishwasher,

"So which one of you dated her first?" I ask

"Nicely deduced" he says with a small smile, "You should ask Stefan, I'm sure his answer differs from mine. Don't ask Sin, he'd say it doesn't matter and that we were both morons"

I laugh, I haven't known Sin long, but that does sound like something he would say.

Damon closes the dishwasher and I move to fold up dinner mats. Damon follows me and starts doing the same. After a few moments he asks,

"What's the real reason you didn't go to cheerleading practice?"

I sigh, he's looking at me with that blue eyed intense Salvatore stare thing, I decide to be honest,

"I used to like it, it was fun. But things are different this year. Everything that used to matter doesn't anymore"

"Then just quit. Move on. Problem solved. Ta da" Damon smiles and I laugh at the bluntness of his words. He makes it sound so easy; and maybe it is. I don't know anymore.

I look at him and say,

"Some things could matter again"

"Maybe, but it seems a little unrealistic to me" Damon says. He's probably right. I never loved cheerleading, it was more Elena's thing, I just did it to be with my friends.

There's a pause and then I say,

"I'm sorry"

Damon looks up at me, his face a mixture of confusion and uncertainty. I realise he doesn't know what I'm sorry for, so I add,

"About Katherine. You lost her too"

I see real emotion for the first time on Damon's face, and for some reason that hits me right at my core. Our eyes meet and he looks like he's about to say something, but then Bonnie and Elena come in and we're jerked out of our…moment. Yeah, it was definitely a moment.

"Need some help?" Bonnie asks.

I smile at her, ha, screw bell's, I was just saved by a potential witch. Damon says,

"Sure, why not"

Sinbad's P.O.V

Stefan and I are sitting in the living room with Caroline. Stefan has asked her to take her scarf off, but she can't because Damon has compelled her not to.

Damon comes in then and compels Caroline to go into the kitchen. Obviously we're about to have a brotherly chat. Oh goodie.

"They are people Damon. She's not a puppet, she doesn't exist for your amusement or to feed on whenever you want to" Stefan says. Oh, no, here comes the human rights speech. Like that's ever worked on Damon.

"Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking" Damon replies simply.

I clear my throat and sit forward,

"Alright, lets try this another way. What Stefan really means, Damon, is stop being an asshole and leave the Gilbert twins alone"

Damon laughs at that. If we were at the boarding house and not here, my oldest brother would have had my fist in his face by now.

"Now, you used Caroline. You got to me and Stefan, good for you big brother. Now it's time for you to go" I say.

"That's not a problem" Damon replies easily, "Because I've been invited in. And I'll come back tomorrow, and the following night and I'll do with your twins whatever I want to do. Because that is what is normal to me"

…

I'm at the pre-game pep rally with Ever. She's not wearing her cheerleading outfit. When I ask her why she says,

"I quit. I'm a big quitter I know"

I move round so that we're completely facing each other, I take each of her hands in mine and say,

"You're not a quitter. You lost a lot, you're not the same person anymore. I get that. You should be looking ahead, starting over, ok"

Ever looks down at my hands holding hers and smiles, then looks back up into my eyes. I don't let go.

"Hey, I know this is weird-"

"I like weird" she says still smiling. God, she is so beautiful that it hits me harder every time.

"I know you do, which is why I hope you don't mind if I give you this", I let go of her hands to reach into my pocket and take out a pretty little metal box.

I open it and show Ever the necklace inside. She smiles and makes a gasping noise. Ever reaches into the box and takes out the necklace,

"Oh my god it's beautiful"

I push some of her hair behind her ear gently and say,

"It's something I've had forever. I've never wanted to give it to anyone. Till now, obviously. So, will you wear it?"

The necklace really is something I have had for a very long time. It's also laced with vervain, so it'll provide some protection from Damon. And….I want Ever to wear it. I don't know why, or actually I do, I want her to be mine, and this is my way of asking.

Ever meets my gaze again, I think she does understand what I'm trying to say. For a moment I worry that she'll say no, but then Ever grins at me and holds out the necklace for me to take. She turns around and moves her hair out of the way.

I slide it around her neck and ceil the clasp. Once I'm done I pull her around to face me. Ever steps closer and I place a hand on her waist. She tilts her head up, I take it as an invitation and kiss her, gently at first. But when she presses her lips harder against mine I kiss her more deeply.

I haven't felt like this when kissing someone since…well, never actually. There's something about Ever Gilbert that makes her irresistible to me.

Oh, fuck, I'm turning into Stefan. I may need to trip someone up for no reason just to make myself feel less nice. Damon would never let me live it down if I started behaving all humany.

I'm not going to high school. Or joining the football team.

But that doesn't mean I can't get to know Ever. That doesn't mean I can't be her boyfriend. Wow, I've never been anyone's boyfriend before. I'll have to ask Stefan for pointers.

When we pull apart Ever is grinning up at me, and I find myself grinning back in a way I haven't done since before I was turned into a vampire.

Later on that night I'm standing with Elena and Ever as we cheer on Stefan who is introduced as the new star of the team. I see Tyler look over at Ever and on pure instinct I put my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me.

Tyler narrows his eyes at us and then stalks off. Ever and Elena don't notice. But then Stefan goes to move off the pitch and I can tell something is wrong. I move to follow after Stefan and Elena and Ever come with me.

When I get to Stefan I see Jeremy and Tyler fighting. Again I have to hold in the urge to snap Tyler's neck for touching Jeremy. I may be with his sister now, but I still care about the brown eyed boy.

I'm very protective of the people I care about. That's one thing me and my brother's have always had in common.

I pull Tyler away from Jeremy.

"He's down. Enough." Stefan shouts. Tyler punches me in the stomach, which obviously has no affect. I stare at him, if he punches me again, I'm ripping out his spleen.

Ever and Elena are helping up Jeremy. Tyler pulls back and goes to hit me in the face, I knock his hand away, but at the same time Jeremy comes at Tyler with a broken bottle and gets me in the hand.

Shit!

There's a deep cut on my hand from the bottle. Both Elena and Ever gasp. Stefan grabs hold of Tyler and holds him back.

Ever pushes Jeremy and slaps his chest,

"What the hell Jeremy?" Elena snaps.

Jeremy pushes away both their help and storms off in the way only a pissed off teenager can. Elena goes over to Stefan and Ever turns around, when she see's my hand she gasps out,

"Oh shit, you're bleeding!"

Ever rushes over to me and grabs hold of my hand to get a better look at it,

"Is it deep? How bad is it?" she asks worriedly.

She looks down at my healed hand in confusion, her eyes dart back up to mine,

"But I saw it, the glass cut your hand-"

"He missed. It's not my blood"

"No, I saw it, the glass cut your hand, it was-"

"It's ok" I reassure her, "I'm ok"

Ever still looks unsure. I twin my fingers with hers and pull Ever into a tight embrace,

"I'm alright, I promise" I whisper into her hair.

The tension in her body dissipates and she buries her face in my chest, her arms going around me tightly. I kiss the top of her head. I just hope to hell she lets it go.

Ever's P.O.V

After what happened during the fight I go off to find Bonnie. I need to ask her something. I find her eventually, when Bonnie see's me she smiles and asks,

"Hey, where you been?"

I decide to go right for it and ask,

"Can I ask you a completely serious question and get a no joke response?"

Her expression becomes concerned,

"Yeah, of course, what is it?"

"The bad mojo, when you touched Stefan, and you had that reaction-"

"You know what, forget I said that. Your little dinner party plot totally won me over-"

I shake my head,

"No Bonnie, seriously, what was it? Did you see something or…"

Bonnie sighs,

"It wasn't clear like a picture, like today I keep seeing those same numbers that I told you about, 8-14-22"

"Yeah"

"When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling, and it vibrated through me, it was cold and…"

"What?"

"It was death. It's what imagine death to be like"

I frown and run a hand through my hair,

"Did you feel the same vibe coming off Sinbad?"

Bonnie looks down and then back up at me nervously,

"Yes. When he brushed by me I felt it. The same feeling as with Stefan. I'm sorry."

I nod, unsure of what to think. Should I take this seriously or not? Am I just being paranoid?

Later on as I'm walking to my car I feel like someone is watching me. When I turn around I come face to face with Damon. Again. I jump back this time.

I shake my head,

"What the hell Damon? What are you even doing here?"

Damon leans in close to me and whispers,

"I'm hiding from Caroline"

I laugh and whisper back,

"And why is that?"

"I need a break, she, talks more than I can listen" he says

"That, could be a sign" I reply

Damon shrugs,

"Well, she's awfully young"

I frown,

"She's not much younger than you are"

He huffs out a laugh,

"I don't see it going anywhere in the bigger picture"

Alright, now I'm a bit pissed off.

"Caroline may have some really annoying traits, but we've been friends since the first grade and that means something to me"

"Duly noted. I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable, it's not my intention-"

"Actually, yes it is. Otherwise you wouldn't put an alternate meaning behind everything you say" I interrupt.

Damon smirks lightly,

"You're right, but so do you"

"I do?"

"Yes. I see it, you want me" he looks deeply into my eyes, "You want me to kiss you" with that he actually leans in to kiss me.

Arrogant son of a bitch!

I slap him hard and he jerks away from me in surprise.

"Right" I say angrily, "I don't know what's happened in the past with you and your brothers. But let's get one thing straight, I. Am. Not. Katherine." I move around him and walk away without looking back.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm waiting for Stefan to come out of the changing rooms so I can talk to him about what happened earlier and what Ever might be thinking, when Damon comes up to me in full on smirk mode.

"Nice trick with Ever, baby brother. Let me guess, vervain in the necklace" he says "I admit, I was a bit surprised. It's been a while since anyone could resist my…compulsion" he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I nod and resist the urge to kill him for the millionth time.

"Where did you get it?" he asks.

"Does it matter?" I reply with a shrug. I shake my head and go to move past him.

"I could always seduce her the old fashioned way. Or I could just….eat her"

I stop and turn back around,

"No. You won't hurt her, Damon"

Damon takes a few steps towards me,

"No?"

"Because deep down inside there's apart of you that feels for her. I know it. I can see it, you aren't that good at hiding your emotions brother. Not from me." I say certainly, "Stefan was worried that you had no humanity left inside of you, that you may have actually become the monster you pretend to be-"

"Who's pretending?"

I shake my head, Stefan comes out of the changing rooms then and I look between them,

"Then kill me. Kill Stefan. Now."

"Well, I'm tempted-"

"No, you're not. You've had life times to do it, and yet here we all are. The three of us. And there you are, you're still haunting us. After one hundred and forty five years. Katherine is dead Damon. And you hate Stefan because you loved her. And you torture both of us, because you still do. And that, big brother, is your humanity"

Stefan, having obviously heard everything, walks over to us, but before he can say anything Mr. Tanner comes out calling for Stefan.

Damon smirks at us both then and says,

"If that's my humanity...then what's this?"

He runs at Mr. Tanner and bites into his neck,

"No!" Stefan shouts, but it's too late for us to do anything.

Damon pushes the dead man away from him and looks back at us, his face full on vampire,

"Anyone. Anytime. Anyplace."

Stefan and I look at each other, both of us thinking the same thing. We're going to have to do something about our brother. Fast, before he kills everyone in town out of spite.

A few hours later I'm with Ever by my motorbike. Matt found Mr. Tanner. Elena is taking her car home with Stefan. I offered to take Ever home on my bike and she agreed despite how confused I know she is right now about everything that's been happening.

"What kind of monster would do that? I mean, why would an animal kill someone right in the middle of town?" Ever says as I help her into my leather jacket.

I pull her around and cup her face,

"I don't know" I smooth my thumb over her cheek.

Ever sighs and takes hold of my hand,

"I was so sure that you cut your hand, I saw the blood-"

"I'm fine. We're fine. That's what matters" I rest my forehead against hers for a few moments and she leans into me.

I kiss her again and it's even better than before. I could get addicted to Ever Gilbert. I think I already am.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	9. Family ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun at the founders party! x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Damon would be my date every friday night. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER NINE

Family ties

 

Ever's P.O.V

Sinbad runs his hand up over my thigh and kisses the hollow of my neck. I arch up against him and his cool lips brush up my throat teasingly. Sinbad's hand slips down over my stomach and traces the seam of my panties. 

I gasp into his mouth as he kisses me hard, his tongue invading my mouth and tasting every part of it, claiming me in the most primal way possible. My fingernails drag down over his back, cutting into the skin.

As his fingers begin to enter in under the material of my panties I open my eyes, Sinbad looks into my face and smiles. I blink up at him and suddenly he isn't Sinbad anymore, instead Damon is above me, that casual smirk on his face. I scream and bolt upwards…

I wake up alone in my bed and feeling like an idiot for screaming because of a dream. That's the third one since the dinner that got a bit overcrowded.

I don't understand why I'm having these dreams. I mean, I get why I'm dreaming about Sinbad, he's my hot new boyfriend. But why Damon? The oldest Salvatore brother is gorgeous, but he's also a dick.

It just doesn't make sense. I shake it off and get up, hopefully the dreams will just piss off by themselves. If not then I may need to see a shrink. Yeah, I'll say, 'please doc, I'm having sexual dreams about two incredibly attractive men, help me before all hope is lost'.

That isn't stupid or insane at all.

When I'm showered, dressed and hungry I go downstairs. I'm greeted by the sight of Aunt Jenna glaring at the TV and mumbling to herself,

"Scum ball. Scum bucket."

I frown and ask,

"Who are you talking to?"

Jenna looks round at me and gestures towards the TV,

"Him" she says.

She's watching the news. They're talking about the attacks, apparently they caught the animal that was killing people and put it down. I'm glad about that, at least there won't be any more people dying all over town.

"The news guy? You know he can't hear you, right? What'd he do to deserve being called a scum…bucket?"

"The news guy. Also known as Logan scum Fell. Did your mom ever tell you why I moved away from Mystic falls?" Jenna replies, irritation clear as day on her face.

"Wait, no way, seriously? You and him?" I say with a laugh. I take another look at the man on screen and add, "He's pretty cute"

"He is not cute. There is nothing cute about him" she argues with a look of disgust on her face, she switches off the TV angrily.

I laugh again and Jenna hits me playfully on the arm.

Elena comes in then holding an old fashioned box. She sits down at the table and opens it. Jenna goes over to her and asks,

"What are doing with that?"

Elena takes an old watch out of the box and starts to clean it. I recognise it as our dad's.

"I went to the safe deposit box and got it. Mom promised Mrs Lockwood that she would loan it to the Founders council for their heritage display"

Jeremy comes in and looks over at all our old family heirlooms. I stay in the kitchen with my ice cream. It's my happy place. Sitting anywhere with ice cream is my happy place.

Jeremy picks something up and asks,

"How much do you think some of this stuff's worth, like on ebay?"

Elena snatches it back. She's wearing her disapproving face when she says,

"You're not gonna find out"

"That stuff is mom and dad's, you can't just give it away" Jeremy says. He comes over to stand by me and tries to take my ice cream. I nudge him with my hip and mouth 'hands off'. He rolls his eyes at me, but he's smiling, which is better than his usual avoidance techniques and displays of what I like to call 'extreme emoness'.

"I'm not giving it away" Elena says, "It's called a loan Jeremy". I make a mock serious face at Jeremy and then flick him on the nose for good measure. Jeremy flicks me back and pretty soon it turns into a full on flick fight.

Suddenly the door bell rings and Elena gets up to answer it. I push Jeremy away and then shove the ice cream into his hands so he can't retaliate before I go quickly after Elena. She opens the door to reveal two handsome Salvatore brothers.

I waste no time in practically yanking Sinbad in through the door and reaching up to press a kiss to his lips. I pull away and he says,

"Hi"

I smile at him and wave at Stefan before taking Sinbad's hand and leading him upstairs to my room.

A few minutes later we're kissing on my bed. Sinbad ends up on top of me and our kissing gets hot and heavy fast. I'm gasping for breath by the time Sinbad pulls away slightly and looks down into my face, he's grinning though and I can see the desire in his eyes.

"So, I suppose you want me to go to this Founders day thingy with you" he says.

"Well, that depends. How do you look in a suit?" I ask teasingly.

He kisses me again and then replies,

"I can pull it off"

"Alright then, will you be my date to the Founder's party…thingy mijigy?"

"Thingy…mijigy?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Just roll with it. I can't be expected to use real words all the time, that would take a lot of effort on my part"

"You're right, I apologise. And yes, I would very much like to be your date. I didn't even know they still did the Founder's party" he replies before kissing me on the nose.

I smile up at him,

"My mother was really involved in the council. Have you been before?"

Sinbad looks away from my face suddenly and for a moment I think he might not answer, but then he says,

"No, the Salvatore's don't get invited anymore"

I cup one side of his face and get him to look at me again so that our eyes meet,

"I know it sounds dead boring, and I'd really rather not go. But it did mean a lot to my mom and….Elena will bug me for the rest of my life if I don't go. At least if we're together we can have some fun…"

"I would be honoured to escort you Miss Gilbert" Sinbad says, smiling again, the earlier moment of weirdness forgotten.

I smile back at him,

"The pleasure is all yours, Mr. Salvatore"

We laugh and he leans down to kiss me again.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I walk in on Damon holding Zack by the throat. Stefan follows in after me,

"What's going on?" he says.

"More like, Damon, let Zach the fuck go you maniac" I add in irritation at my brother's lack of impulse control.

Damon rolls his eyes, but lets go of Zach's neck.

"I'm having a family moment Stefan" Damon replies. He looks at me, "Spending some quality time".

I growl under my breath and Damon smirks at me. I go to attack Damon but Stefan grabs hold of my arm. I could shove him off if I wanted to, but he's right, attacking Damon wouldn't do any good right now.

Damon walks off still smirking. Asshole.

Stefan and I go over to Zach and Stefan tries to help him,

"You alright?" I ask.

Zach jerks away from Stefan's touch,

"No. I'm not. And neither are you. How many more people have to die before you both see that?"

"We see it alright, Zach, we see it"

"Then why aren't you doing anything about it?" Zach asks in frustration.

"You're right, we are. Tonight, we just need to find the right moment. We're using that vervain you showed us." Stefan says.

"Or, I could just snap his neck" I argue with a hopeful smile.

Now, that sounds fun to me.

Stefan shakes his head,

"No. He's strong Sin, I don't want to risk him getting away and taking his anger out on anyone. We need to weaken him with the vervain first"

I roll my eyes,

"Fine, Stef, we'll play it your way. Once. If it doesn't work, then I'm taking him out my way"

No more Mr. Nice vampire brother. Either Damon calms the fuck down, or I'll put him down myself.

...

Damon stands in front of the mirror and asks,

"Do they still wear ties to this thing?"

I'm sitting in a chair with my feet up on the desk,

"Should I even bother asking why you're going?"

"Well, it's only fitting, we were at the very first one" Damon answers as he takes out a tie from the wardrobe.

"Stefan thinks it would be better if we don't draw attention to ourselves" I say.

Damon looks over at me using the mirror,

"Then he should stay home. You and me could have some fun with the twins"

I take a drink from my glass and say nothing, Damon hates that the most, it annoys him when I don't react. Stefan comes in then with a drink of his own.

"My goodness, I've driven him to drink" Damon exclaims in amusement. I snort out a laugh, but Stefan remains as stoic as ever.

I love my brother, I really do, but he does need to lighten up. Hopefully when we've dealt with Damon he'll lose that stick up his ass for a while.

"Well, I can't seem to rid myself of you" Stefan says, "What else am I supposed to do besides go about living my life"

Oh, here we go.

"'Go about living my life'" Damon mimics, "See, therein lies your eternal struggle" He turns round to face Stefan, "You're dead dude. Get over it. Tell him" he says to me.

"Well, he's not wrong. We are dead. Sort of. Technically" I say with a shrug. Stefan gives me a look that clearly says 'please don't encourage him'. It's the same expression our father wore on many occasions during our childhood.

Damon does up his black shirt and says,

"It's cool not growing old. I like being the eternal stud"

"Yes, being a one hundred and fifty year old teenager has been the height of my happiness" Stefan replies before taking another drink of bourbon.

Damon chuckles and shrugs on his jacket. I raise my eyebrows at Damon and say,

"Ha! Stef cracked a funny"

"We should have a drink to celebrate" Damon adds.

Damon heads over to the where the bottle of bourbon sits on a side table. He picks up a picture Stefan has of 'The Bitch', otherwise known as Katherine to those of us with too few brain cells to realise she was a bitch and a half.

I don't know what my brothers saw in her. It must have been physical, that's the only explanation. I refuse to believe my brothers were stupid enough as to go for a woman they knew was just messing with their head's.

What can I say, I'm a frickin' dreamer.

"Hm, 1864, you and Katherine were the perfect couple. It was hell watching you dance with her" Damon says still looking down at the picture.

"My happiness was short lived, as you well know" Stefan replies.

"I remember. I left the party early. I was waiting for her, the night you dropped her off I was waiting inside. You were such a gentleman, you gave her a kiss on the cheek, when what she really wanted was…" Damon pours himself a drink and smirks suggestively at Stefan.

I turn in my seat and sigh loudly,

"Yes, yes, the bitch liked to be fucked, goodie for her. Would you two stop antagonising each other for five fucking minutes?"

I swear if I have to hear much more of this then I might have to rip my own ears off, or I'll be sick on the fucking floor.

Katherine Pierce. Oh, how I loathe that woman.

Damon looks between me and Stefan, he holds out his drink and says,

"Fine baby brother. Here's to history repeating itself"

Damon goes to take a drink, but then at the last second he tips the glass and spills the liquid all over the floor instead.

"I admire the effort Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink, then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick, you can't roofie me." Damon drawls, he looks over at me then and adds, "I expected this from him Sinbad, but I thought better of you baby brother"

"I wanted to snap your neck" I say happily with a smile, I tip my glass towards him and finish off my drink.

Damon chuckles darkly,

"I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a moment" he huffs in mock annoyance, "Now I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do"

Damon walks out of the room and I glance over at Stefan. We share a mutual look of understanding. We both know what has to be done tonight, the real plan is set.

Ever's P.O.V

Elena and I are ready to go to the dance. Stefan and Sinbad are picking us up together, it just made sense to go as a four.

My twin is a little antsy after talking with Bonnie today. I'm not, I think it's rubbish. Bonnie said that Stefan broke up Damon and Katherine, that he lied and did manipulative awful things. I don't believe any of that for a second.

I asked Bonnie what ridiculous stuff she's heard about Sinbad from Damon via Caroline, and she said not much, that Damon and Sinbad have a pretty complicated relationship apparently, but not a bad one like him and Stefan.

I think she actually likes Sin. Although why Bonnie would trust Sinbad over Stefan, I really don't know. Not that I think there's anything wrong with Sinbad either; it's just that if anyone is the bad boy of the two of them, then it's obviously Sin.

As for Damon, he's just on a whole other level of trouble.

Before we leave I go into Jeremy's room. Earlier him and Elena had a fight over the pocket watch that he took. It was dad's. I know it is meant to be passed down through son's, I was there when dad told Jeremy that he'd give it to him one day.

Now, that's never going to happen.

I managed to steal it back from Elena, she'll get over it once I explain to her the reason why.

Jeremy's room is dark and…emoish. He's wearing his headphones but takes them off when I come in. Neither of us says anything and I place the watch on his desk. Our eyes meet and he nods in thanks. I leave without another word, knowing that Jeremy isn't in the mood to talk about it.

I wonder sometimes if he ever will be.

…

Me and Sinbad are looking at all the old Founder's stuff with Elena and Stefan at the party when Elena suddenly says,

"Wow, it's the original guest registry"

I go over to have a look. The names are all listed out,

"There are loads of familiar names on this" I say and Elena nods in agreement.

"Sherriff William Forbes. Mayor Benjamin Lockwood" Elena reads out.

I pause when I see a familiar name,

"Is that Damon Salvatore….and Sinbad Salvatore"

"And Stefan Salvatore" Elena adds with a frown.

"The original Salvatore brother's. Our ancestors." Damon's voice comes from behind us and we turn around.

Damon is with Caroline and wearing his usual amused smirk. Damn him for being so sexy. I look over at Sinbad who has moved closer to me, his arm going around my waist and pulling me closer, again it seems like a protective gesture.

"We don't need to bore them with stories of the past" Stefan says.

Elena turns a confused expression on Stefan,

"It's not boring. We'd love to hear more about your family"

"Uh, speak for yourself twin. I didn't come here for a history lesson" I wouldn't actually mind knowing more about their family, but the fact that Damon is the one bringing it up unsettles me, and also the fact that it makes Stefan so uncomfortable bothers me as well.

Sinbad, as usual, seems silently accepting of everything. I like that about him, there's no bullshit with Sinbad. He says what he thinks and does what he wants. There's no drama, and I really appreciate that after everything that has been going on for the last four months since my parents died.

"Well, I'm bored" Caroline says, "I wanna dance" she looks over at Damon,

"But, Damon, won't dance with me. Can I borrow one of your dates?" she asks me and Elena.

Her eyes land on Sinbad and I move closer to him. I'm not jealous. I'm not.

Oh alright, maybe a little, sue me.

Stefan ends up having to dance with Caroline with a little encouragement from Damon.

After a weirdly awkward pause Elena turns to me and Sinbad and says,

"If Caroline gets to borrow my date, then can I borrow yours Ev's"

I can tell she just wants to go and find Stefan, but she needs a reason to be on the dance floor. I can also tell that Sinbad is reluctant to leave me with Damon, but I look up at him and say,

"Yeah, go on then, but hands to yourself sis, you have your own Salvatore"

I squeeze Sinbad's arm and kiss him lightly. Sinbad nods once at me in understanding moves off towards the dance floor with Elena. He gives Damon and warning glance as he passes him though. Damon seems unbothered, but his eyes do follow after Sin until his brother is out of sight.

Damon turns to me and says,

"I want to apologise to you, for, being such a world class jerk the other night when I tried to kiss you."

"Good, you should be" I say with a mock glare. I'm not that angry really, but it was still a dick move.

"There's no excuse, I know. My therapist says I'm acting out, trying to punish my brothers"

I tilt my head in interest,

"Why? For what?"

Damon shrugs one shoulder,

"It's all in the past. I don't even want to bring it up. Let's just the say the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry" Damon gestures over at the original registry, "And it all started with the original Salvatore brothers"

"The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town" Damon continues "Until the war. There was a battle here-"

"The battle of Willow Creek"

"Right" Damon nods.

"I know, we talked about it in class" I say, proud that I actually know this, as I rarely pay any attention in class, like, ever, but this story grabbed me for some reason.

"Confederate soldiers fired on a church with civilians inside"

"What the history books left out, was that the people that were killed, they weren't there by accident" Damon moves around me over to a model of the church, I turn around and walk over to him as he continues, "They were believed to be union sympathisers, so some of the Founders on the confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive….Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church. And when they went to rescue them they were, shot. Murdered in cold blood"

I move forward without even realising, closer to Damon, and ask,

"Who was in the church that they wanted to save so badly?"

"A woman, I guess" Damon answers, "Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman"

Damon is staring into my face with that Salvatore intensity thing again, and I can't seem to make myself look away. Damon's eyes are so similar to Sinbad's, but up close like this I see that Damon's seem to have a hint of grey mixed in with the pale blue.

I bite my lip and then say,

"Look, I'm sorry that you, Stefan and Sin have this thing between you. But I can't get in the middle of it Damon, and neither can my sister", Damon looks down and then back up at me, "I just…hope you three can work it out. I think Sinbad wants that"

"I hope so too" Damon says.

I nod, but I can't tell if Damon is being sincere or not.

"Did Sinbad ever…have feelings for Katherine?" I ask curiously.

Damon barks out a laugh at that,

"No. Never. He...Sin hated Katherine for tearing me and Stefan apart. They never got on very well right from the start"

I think over that for a minute and then ask something I haven't got around to asking Sinbad,

"Is Sinbad the middle child then? He doesn't go to High school, so he must be older than Stefan"

Damon pauses at that,

"I guess you could say Sinbad is the great equaliser between me and Stefan. He's a mixture of both of us in a lot of ways. Although he'd say he's the smart one"

We both laugh at that,

"Sounds like Sin" I say.

"He's very fond of you, my brother, they both are actually" Damon says, his eyes completely unreadable.

"Well, I should hope so considering one of them is my boyfriend and the other one is my friend" I reply warily. I don't know where he's going with this, but it's Damon, so probably not anywhere good.

Damon blinks in surprise suddenly,

"Boyfriend? Is that official now then?"

I nod,

"Yeah, I guess so, why?"

Damon shrugs casually, but there's something in his eyes that suggests he isn't quite as calm about it as he's letting on.

"It's just my brother has never been someone's boyfriend. He's more the friends with benefits type. The last guy he was having it off with-"

"Guy?" I ask, surprised and wondering if I heard him wrong.

Damon smirks slightly then, he looks smug as if he's just won a prize,

"Ah, so my brother didn't tell you he swings both ways then"

I'm about to reply when Sinbad and Caroline come back. I look over at the dance floor to see Stefan and Elena dancing together, they look so perfect that I smile despite my strangely disconcerting conversation with Damon.

Sinbad looks between Damon and me questioningly and I ask him,

"Have you got another dance in you Salvatore boy?"

Sinbad winks at me and replies,

"Only for you Gilbert girl"

Sinbad offers me his arm and I take it. He leads me out onto the dance floor and I try my best not to look back at Damon.

It's a slow song and I soon find out that Sinbad Salvatore can dance. He holds me close as we sway and move together, it feels like we're completely in sync. I've never felt like that before when dancing with someone.

I can't help but notice Damon watching us with Caroline. She smiles at me and says something to Damon, he rolls his eyes at her. His eyes meet mine and I almost jerk in surprise at the emotion I see…..jealousy. Damon is jealous of me dancing with Sinbad. That can't be good.

I shake my head and look up into Sin's face, he's smiling down at me contentedly.

"I hope Damon didn't drive you too crazy" Sinbad says to me.

I laugh,

"No, actually he wasn't too bad this time. Still think he's a dick though"

"Good, because he is" Sinbad pulls me even closer and smoothes his thumb over my hip, I have to suppress a shiver.

"Damon even said why everything is so bad between him and Stefan. Because of Katherine. You know, I'm starting to dislike this woman. I know she's dead, but still…"

Sinbad smiles and then makes a face,

"Trust me, you're right to dislike her. She was a pain in the ass"

I pause before I ask my next question. I don't know if I should believe Damon or not, it's confusing. Sinbad seems to sense something is wrong and says,

"You're thinking really hard. What's my brother gone and said this time?"

I decide to just bite the bullet,

"He said that you have been in…I mean that you've been with men as well as women. Is that true?"

Sinbad doesn't even blink,

"Yes it is. Does that bother you?"

I think about it for a moment and then say,

"Nope. Not really, as long as you're honest with me Sin, that's all I ask alright"

Sinbad smiles and nods, her spins me then and I laugh as he pulls me back against his chest. He dips his head to kiss me and I let him. I don't care that everyone will see and that gossip will spread like wildfire. Kissing Sin feels good, and after months of pure hell, I'm glad that it's even possible for me to feel good again.

…

Elena and I go to bathroom together and Caroline is already in there. I smile at her and she smiles back. All three of us are by the mirror, Caroline says,

"So, how are you two and the younger Salvatore brothers?"

I can't help but grin,

"Great, I've never met anyone like Sin"

Elena seems less enthusiastic but she says,

"Good, really good"

Caroline raises an eyebrow,

"Really, well my radar must be off because I was getting a different vibe"

I look over at Caroline and I frown when I see something on her neck. I nudge Elena and suddenly she clocks it too.

"What is that?" Elena asks.

I reach out to have a look and Caroline jerks away.

"Nothing" she snaps.

I go for her scarf and pull it away from her neck to reveal an awful looking bite mark,

"Oh shit, Caroline, what happened?"

"Nothing, ok" Caroline says in irritation, she hides the bite mark again.

"Bullshit!"

"That's, not nothing. Did somebody hurt you?" Elena asks.

"No, it's fine. He would kill me" But Elena pulls back Caroline's shawl, which reveals another horrid bite mark.

"Did Damon hurt you?" I ask angrily. Son of a bitch! That man is so getting a bat in the face!

"No, of course not"

Elena goes to touch her again and Caroline slaps her hands away,

"Just leave me alone" she snaps at both of us and then storms out of the bathroom.

"I'm going to talk to Stefan" Elena says to me. I nod and she heads out.

I go to find Sinbad, but I can't see him anywhere.

After about twenty minutes I run back into Elena and she seems really upset.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

She shakes her head angrily,

"Stefan is hiding something, I know it"

I nod in agreement,

"I think the Salvatore's are all hiding something"

Just when I was starting to think things could be alright again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	10. You're Undead To Me-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone finds out the truth about the Salvatore's. But who? And how? x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the tenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Stefan would be there to put on all my necklaces ;) xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER TEN

You're Undead To Me-part 1

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

It was a lot easier than I thought. Damon drank from Caroline and the vervain in her blood took him down. Stefan was right to use vervain, it made things safer for everyone. Not that I'm ever going to say that out loud. I have enough of the Salvatore pride in me that I'll probably never admit to being wrong about anything.

I've still seen Ever everyday, I sneak in at night sometimes too, just to talk, but I enjoy our time together. Stefan has been moody for the past three days because he hasn't even talked to Elena.

We've been busy handling things with Damon. Or at least that's the excuse Stefan uses. The real problem is that Stefan hates lying to Elena. I hate lying to Ever too, she's not stupid, she knows something is going on.

Ever keeps asking again and again what me and my brothers are hiding. I've managed to get away with it so far by saying I'll tell her when things calm down at home. I don't think that's going to work for much longer.

If it were up to me then I'd just tell her the truth and hope she could handle it. But Stefan and I agreed the night we took out Damon that if we want to have a life here then we have to make decisions together. Stefan refuses to tell Elena the truth, he's afraid of losing her.

But we can't lie forever, he has to see that eventually. Until then we're all stuck in this state of relationship limbo.

Stefan and I look in on our brother. We have put him in the cell filled with vervain. The vervain weakens him considerably.

"Where's my ring" Damon croaks out as he struggles to move on the floor of the cell.

Stefan replies darkly,

"You won't be needing it anymore"

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days" I answer unemotionally.

The thing is, I really don't like this. Keeping my brother locked up and weak. It's not that he isn't a dick, because he is, and it's not that I trust him not to hurt Ever, because I don't, but he's still my big brother.

Family is fucked up like that sometimes.

"What are you doing?" Damon forces out the question.

"We're making sure you don't hurt anyone Damon" Stefan replies stoically.

"So what? You just going to leave me in the basement forever?"

"No Damon, you dramatic idiot. We're going to let you desiccate, and then in around fifty years we'll talk about how much of a dick you've been and see if we can trust you to not kill everyone in town" I reply coldly.

"Baby brother, since when have you cared about who lives and dies in this town?" Damon asks.

I snort out a laugh,

"I have a very short list; and before you ask, yes you are on it. But if you keep acting this way then I might have to make some drastic reductions."

"I'm stronger than you think" Damon chokes.

"You always have been brother" I say.

"But you're not stronger than the vervain, and you know it" Stefan adds and he walks away.

I sigh and shake my head,

"It didn't have to be like this Day, this is all you, remember that"

...

"You're going to school?" Zack asks Stefan. I look up to see Stefan hefting a school bag over his shoulder.

Stefan shrugs,

"I came here to have a life. It's about time I get back to that. And Elena, if she's even still talking to me."

I smile at him,

"Good, go talk to Elena, finally, so Ever will stop worrying about it"

"Why haven't you called her?" Zach asks.

"Because he doesn't like lying, which is something he doesn't actually have to do if he would just agree to-"

"What, Sin, tell her the truth? No, it's not safe" Stefan argues. I can tell there's no way I'm getting through to him, not today, his mind is made up. If there's one thing the Salvatore's are all born with then it's our unshakable stubbornness.

Ever's P.O.V

Elena has been going silently crazy over the fact that Stefan hasn't contacted her in three days. In turn she's been driving me not-so silently crazy since Sinbad has been coming over every day. I keep telling her that there's something going on at home, and that three days of no contact doesn't mean anything. Not really.

Sinbad won't tell me anything either, at least not anything I actually believe is the truth. But I can't force him, in the end either Stefan and Sinbad will trust me and Elena with what's going on with them or they won't.

Elena, Bonnie and me are standing by the lockers at school when Caroline comes strolling in, with her usual mean girls walk and bright smile, as if nothing happened.

"Unbelievable. She's acting like nothing happened" Elena says in disbelief.

Bonnie bites her lip,

"She's in denial"

I shrug,

"Maybe she-oh hey, best friend! You're back!"

Stefan comes up to us and Bonnie makes a swift and still slightly awkward exit. I go to leave but Elena grabs my hand and gives me a look that clearly says she wants me to stay. So I do.

"I'm sorry I haven't called" Stefan says guiltily.

Elena sighs,

"No worries. I'll live"

"I was…dealing with Damon" Stefan explains.

"Yeah, Sinbad said" I say.

Stefan looks over at me for a brief moment and our gazes lock, in that moment I understand how badly he wants Elena to give him another chance.

"You have every right to be upset with me, but can you give me chance to explain it. I have to be at home after school, but, four o' clock at the Grill, maybe?"

Elena looks conflicted and I give her hand a 'go on' squeeze. I still think Stefan is the good guy here, despite everything.

"Yeah, sure", Elena eventually answers

Caroline comes over then and asks Stefan,

"Where's Damon, he has some serious apologising to do"

Stefan stands up a little straighter and I can see the tension in his body,

"Damon's gone"

"When's he coming back?" I ask. I don't even know why I care, the guys a bastard. A sexy bastard, but still a bastard.

"He's not coming back. I'm sorry" Stefan says, he looks at both me and Elena before walking away.

I turn to Caroline and say,

"It's for the best Care"

She nods unconvincingly and says,

"I know"

…

Later on I'm at the Grill with Matt playing pool. Elena is sitting by the bar looking eternally frustrated.

Matt glances over at her and asks,

"Is Elena alright?"

I shrug,

"She's waiting for Stefan, they're meant to 'talk'"'

"Ah, right" he says casually, but I know he still cares about Elena, that he still has feelings for her. "How about you and the other Salvatore brother?"

I smile at that,

"It's all good. I like him a lot, but…I mean, I know he has secrets…"

"Doesn't everyone" Matt says as he takes a shot.

I laugh,

"Yeah, I guess. What are your secrets Matty?"

Matt grins up at me,

"You tortured them out of me a long time ago Ever Gilbert, I don't have anything more to hide"

"Damn right, that's because you love me, you know you do" I say in a sing song voice, he rolls his eyes at me.

"I saw your sister in my bathroom this morning. It was…disturbing for me to witness the evidence of my brother and your sister…..yeah" I say with a shudder.

So disturbing in fact that I screamed and shouted 'MY EYES!' then dropped to floor. Elena told me to stop being so dramatic, that is until she saw what I'd screamed at, we both awkwardly walked out of the bathroom. It was a mutual twin cringe moment if ever there was one.

Matt nods in agreement,

"I'm not gonna to lie, your brother and my sister hooking up is…weird"

Suddenly Stefan comes in and goes over to Elena, I give him a small smile which he returns. I really hope they can work it out.

A few minutes later Elena storms out. So, they didn't work it out. Obviously.

Stefan looks upset. Or as upset as the ever stoic Stefan has ever looked before. I go up to him and put my hand on his arm. He turns to me and I say,

"You know, if you want her to trust you then you've gotta give her a reason to. How about you come over tonight and cook her dinner, I'll let you in, it can be a surprise. Then you two can talk, and I mean properly talk ok, one last shot"

Stefan raises an eyebrow at me,

"Why would you do that for me?"

I roll my eyes,

"One, because I like you. Two, because you make Elena happy. Three, because Elena is all moody and it really harshes on my ice cream/The Werewolf Diaries time"

Stefan smiles down at me and nods,

"Alright, thank you…what's The Werewolf Diaries?"

I shake my head,

"Don't ask, trust me, you don't wanna know"

…...

Later on that night as Elena and Stefan are busy in the kitchen, I hear a knock at the door. I go and open it to see Sinbad standing there, he grins at me and asks,

"You feel like coming over to mine for dinner?"

I grin right back,

"Yeah, sounds good Salvatore"

I grab my jacket and head out with Sinbad. I don't bother telling Elena where I'm going, she's too busy with Stefan, and I don't want to interrupt them as it sounds like they just might be getting somewhere.

I stop and frown when Sinbad leads me to a car instead of his bike,

"No bike today? What happened, you get your badass licence revoked or something?"

Sinbad pokes his tongue out at me before a dark look passes over his face. He has me up against the car before I can even blink, his mouth claims mine as he kisses me fast and fierce. Sinbad pulls away when I'm panting for breath and whispers,

"I promise you that me being badass has nothing to do with the bike"

He lets me slide down the door and moves back a few steps. Sinbad winks at me and says,

"Get in then" he gestures at the car.

I put my hands on my hips and say sarcastically,

"What, you too badass to open a car door for a lady?"

He smirks at me, and for a moment I get a flash of Damon's face inside my head, I quickly push it away, but I can't ignore the startling similarity between the two men.

"If I see any ladies I'll be glad to open any door they need me to open…but until then…"

I hit him in the chest, it's like hitting a stone table and I frown up at him,

"You got some serious muscles going on there Sin"

"I eat bran. Now get in the car crazy pants", he opens my car door and I climb in.

Sinbad quickly gets in on the other side and starts driving.

…

We're cutting up some stuff for the salad that we're making to go with the pasta when Sinbad says,

"My brother said you set up that cooking date for him and Elena"

"Yeah, I thought it would give them a chance to talk about stuff" I reply with a shrug.

"Stuff?" Sinbad asks.

I give Sinbad a sardonic look,

"Come off it Sin. We know there's a big secret neither of you are telling us, we're not morons"

There is a long pause, and then suddenly Sinbad looks down at me intensely and asks,

"Do you believe in the supernatural?"

I arch an eyebrow at him,

"You mean, the show, because yes, I believe in Sam and Dean Winchester-"

"No, Ever" he says with a bark of laughter, "I mean the supernatural, as in Werewolves, Witches…Vampires"

I don't know what to say to that…oh wait, yes I do,

"Is this a joke Sin?"

Sinbad's face is deadly serious though and I start to feel a little freaked out. Suddenly I'm remembering how Sinbad's hand was mysteriously healed, and how quick his reflexes are and a load of other small stuff that seemed like nothing at the time, but now I'm thinking it was something, that my instincts were right,

"Sin, if you have something to say, then say it now. Don't lie to me"

Sinbad's eyes soften and he cups my face gently,

"I don't want to lie to you anymore" he whispers.

"Then don't" , I kiss him gently. When I pull back I have to hold in my gasp at the sight of Sinbad's eyes turning red. His whole face has changed, there are veins coming away from his eyes and I can see the slight exposure of his…fangs?

It's the face of a monster.

Holy son of a biscuit tin on a shelf in bloody hell!

I yank myself away from him and stumble back a few steps, he lets me go instantly. My mind is screaming at me to leave, to run, to escape, and if it had been anyone else, I would have. But this was Sin. There is some part of me, some primal part, that trusted him from the moment we met, and it isn't like he's attacked me.

Sinbad just stands there, he's let his handsome face go back to normal, but I don't think I'll ever forget that other face. That completely non-human face.

"Show and tell over now is it? Want to tell me the truth using words this time?" I snap, the fear is still there, and it's warring with the feeling of trust I had towards him only minutes before.

Sinbad tilts his head and says,

"I'm a vampire"

I take in a deep breathe and reply,

"Ok"

He frowns at me in disbelief,

"Ok? That's all. You just found out your boyfriend is a vampire and your first reaction is…'ok'?"

I glare at him,

"Well, what do you want me to do, scream and run away? Cry like a little girl? Find a weapon and stab you with it? Give me some direction here Sin"

Sinbad shakes his head,

"No, no, no stabbing necessary. I just…yeah, I kind of expected some screaming…"

"Too bad, I'm not going to" I say with another glare.

"Fine"

"Fine"

"Do you have any other questions? I mean, do you want to talk about the fact that I'm a vampire?" Sinbad asks.

I think about it for a moment. Part of me is internally freaking the fuck out, but on the whole I'm actually alright, which really says more about my mental health than I'd like.

"Yeah, tell me about it…over dinner" I gesture at the half prepared meal.

Maybe mixing some normality in with the fucking weirdness will make things a little less…insane.

Yeah, my boyfriend is a vampire. Nothing will ever be not insane again.

We cook and he explains everything to me, about vampires I mean, obviously. It's not like we were suddenly going to start having a conversation about Snoopy.

When we finally sit down to eat Sinbad has gotten to the part about Damon and Stefan being vampires. For a moment I freak out that Elena might be in danger, but Sinbad says Stefan is the least likely to hurt her out of the three of them.

"Damon calls him Saint Stefan, for a reason" Sinbad says.

We are sitting together eating dinner in Sinbad's kitchen. It's nice. Comfortable, despite everything.

Elena and Jenna were right, I am so weird.

"So, I'm guessing this whole Katherine thing has something to do with you all being vampires, right?" I ask.

Sinbad nods and takes my hand in his, our fingers twine together as he explains the story of how one hundred and forty five years ago Damon and Stefan both fell in love with a vampire named Katherine, and that they all paid the ultimate price because of it.

…

(sexual content)

Later we're in his room still talking about things on his bed. I know I should be rushing home to tell Elena, but Sinbad asks me not to, that he knows Stefan would rather do it. I agree on the terms that if he doesn't tell her by tomorrow night, then I will.

Talking morphs into kissing pretty damn fast and soon both our shirts are on the floor. Sinbad runs hot hands all over my body, my heart is pounding and I realise just how much I've wanted him.

Sinbad practically rips off my shorts and my underwear. I'm just as eager to get him out of his jeans. He kisses my neck, licking and biting lightly as he travels up my throat and back to my swollen lips.

The only thing I'm wearing as he pushes himself inside of me is the necklace he gave me, which I now know is laced with vervain. It feels so good to be this connected him, he groans out my name as he kisses my neck again.

We move against each other in perfect sync, just like when we dance and I must be half out of my mind on lust, because I actually gasp out the words,

"Bite me"

Sinbad's blue eyes flicker to mine in surprise, he looks uncertain so I nod to confirm what I just said,

"Are you sure?" he asks breathlessly as he moves hard and fast inside of me.

I nod again and manage to get out a breathless,

"Yes"

Sinbad growls deep in his throat and it vibrates through his entire body which feels amazing. It hurts like a motherfucker when he first bites into my neck, his fangs piercing my skin, but I holds onto him tightly and after a few moments it begins to feel so deliriously good that I scream.

He feeds from neck as he fucks me, and it's the most intimate thing I've ever felt.

Afterwards when we lie in his bed together, I'm wrapped up in his arms and my head is resting on his chest. Sinbad kisses the top of my head and I sigh contentedly.

Sinbad chuckles suddenly and says,

"Thought you weren't going to scream because of my fangs"

I flick him in the nose for that and reply,

"Shut it vamp boy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	11. You're Undead To Me-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon and Ever spend some time together x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the eleventh chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Damon would still have his sexy bad boy messy hair. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

You're Undead To Me-part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

I wake up in bed next to Sinbad and everything about yesterday comes rushing back to me. I texted Elena last night to let her know I was staying at Sinbad's place. She texted back saying everything went really well with Stefan, but it's obvious she still doesn't know that her boyfriend and his two brothers are vampires.

I'm pretty sure Elena would have something to say about that. Elena isn't mentally unstable, she'd probably do something logical, like run away from the vampire, not have sex with the vampire. Lots of sex.

Lots of really good mind blowing sex. One hundred and forty five years worth of experience sex. Just saying.

I slide out of bed as carefully as I can, not because I want to get up, but something to drink would be good. I put on my underwear and one of Sinbad's t-shirts. Before I can open the door Sinbad as me spun round and pinned up against it.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to that vamp speed thing.

Sinbad crushes his mouth to mine and kisses me good morning. He pulls away to ask,

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Downstairs to get a drink vamp boy, now get off" I make a half hearted attempt to free myself.

Sinbad kisses me again and I melt into it.

"Alright, I'll go grab a shower then, help yourself to breakfast if you want…human girl"

"Fuck you"

"Say please"

"Go away"

He laughs and kisses me one more time before pulling away and heading towards his bathroom.

I have to force myself not to sigh like an idiot. I am happy though. Stupidly happy. I'm flying on a high right now and I hope it lasts.

I'm in the kitchen drinking some orange juice that I found in the fridge when Stefan walks in. He halts at the sight of me. Stefan looks me up and down, he seems surprised to see me standing in his kitchen practically naked. Fair enough. I wonder for a moment if he even knew I stayed over, if Elena told him, or if he just heard me and Sinbad…...yeah, uh, shut up brain.

I smile at him and Stefan smiles back almost warily.

"Hi best friend, I heard last night went well" I try.

Stefan tilts his head slightly but the happiness is evident in his eyes,

"Yes, I think so, thank you for that by the way"

"You're welcome" I reply with another smile.

It's weird to think that Stefan is a vampire. I always knew there was something…different about him. But to me he still looks like Stefan, my new friend, not a monster.

I run a hand through my hair, pushing it back from my face, revealing my neck. Stefan opens his mouth to say something else when suddenly his eyes zero in on something on my throat.

Shit, the bite marks!

In that instant Stefan's whole face changes from stoic to seriously pissed off. He strides over to me and reaches out to brush his fingers over the bite marks.

"Did Sinbad do this to you Ever?" he asks, there is a edge to his voice that makes me shiver. Oh yeah, he's pissed off alright.

I don't know what to say for a moment, but then the words come tumbling out,

"Yes. But its ok I swear-"

"Are you alright Ever, what else did he do to you? Where is he?" Stefan asks, that sharp edge to his voice even more prominent as it rises in volume.

Woah, woah, one question at a time there vampire boy number two.

I try to explain again,

"Stefan, seriously it's alright-"

"Did you sleep with him Ever? Did he compel you?" Stefan demands, his eyes flashing with anger.

"What? No, I mean, yeah, we had sex, but he didn't make-", I cut myself off because Stefan looks about ready to kill someone, and I'm guessing his target will most likely be Sinbad.

Stefan's entire body is still, inhumanly still, and it's yet one more reminder that Stefan is not human, that he is a vampire. Even though Stefan's anger worries me, I lift my hands to cup his face gently,

"Look at me Stefan" I say quietly. He clenches his jaw tightly, but he does meet my gaze, there is anger and…something else that I refuse to see is in his eyes, I continue calmly,

"I know. I know that you and Sinbad are…vampires. He told me everything and I'm…ok about it, for the most part"

Stefan's jaw loosens slightly and some of the tension is released from his body, but he still doesn't look very happy about it. Stefan closes his eyes for a moment and places his hands over mine.

When he finally opens his eyes he seems much calmer and more like the stoic Stefan I'm used to seeing. He lets his forehead fall against mine lightly. We both jerk away from each other when we hear the words,

"Wrong twin brother"

Sinbad's P.O.V 

I watch Stefan and Ever take a good few steps away from each other. An anger I can't quite describe burns in my gut. Whatever the feeling is, I don't fucking like it.

Stefan looks guilty for a moment before anger takes over,

"You told her! I thought we said we would agree on things like this together Sinbad"

I clench my fists tightly, ready to snap back something, or maybe just his neck, but then I catch Ever's gaze and her eyes are pleading with me to let it go. I sigh heavily and lean against the door frame,

"I didn't want to lie anymore Stefan, and neither do you. Stop whinging, everything's fine, Ever's cool with it"

Ever nods in agreement and moves over to me,

"I understand why you didn't want to tell me and Elena, it's insane. But I promise I won't tell anyone…accept Elena, she has to know"

Stefan visibly stiffens at that, he shakes his head,

"She'll hate me. I just got Elena to forgive me"

Ever frowns,

"No she won't. Not if you explain everything the way Sinbad did with me"

Stefan narrows his eyes slightly at Ever and asks,

"And you're really ok with all this?"

Ever nods,

"Yep, for now I'm just going with it, no worries"

"And you're sure Elena won't run away from me screaming because of what I am?" Stefan asks.

Ever makes an exasperated sound and crosses her arms over her chest,

"What is it with you Salvatore's and girl's screaming?"

I smirk and pull on the t-shirt of mine that Ever is wearing until her back is pressed firmly against my chest, she turns her head to look at me.

"Shut up Sin, don't even say what you're thinking in that dirty mind of yours"

My arms encircle Ever's waist and my lips brush her exposed neck,

"I'm not thinking anything, I'm remembering" I whisper, but I make sure Stefan hears it.

I'm not normally…territorial, especially not about sexual partners. But Ever is more than that to me, she's special. I made Ever mine last night and I want her to stay that way, even though I know what I saw between them a few minutes ago was most likely nothing, it still hit on something deep inside of me that I didn't like.

Jealousy. I haven't been jealous because of a woman, or a man, since…well, never. Jealousy was always both my brothers thing, not mine. But apparently that's changed, and all because of one girl who has the same face as the woman I once hated more than anything else in the world.

Life is bizarre as fuck sometimes, it really is.

…

Ever's P.O.V

Elena, me, Sinbad and Stefan are at this stupid 'sexy' car wash thing that Caroline organised and I hate it. I dislike any kind of manual labour, because I am lazy. Lazy and proud thank you very much. But this is worse because I have to go around being ogled in my bikini.

Sinbad is standing close by though and giving anyone who stares at me too long the most frightening glare I've ever seen. I'm so glad it isn't being aimed at me.

Stefan, Sinbad and I decided we would tell Elena together, tonight, about the whole vampire thing.

I honestly don't know how Elena will take it, I'd like to think she could handle it though. Maybe not as quickly as me, because as I said, she is the sane twin, but after they explain it she'll come round. Eventually.

Sinbad and me end up getting into a ridiculously childish water fight with Matt, Bonnie and Stefan. Who I found out today does know how to have fun when he loosens up a bit. I see Elena talking to Jenna and her ex, the Fell news guy who she so obviously still has a thing for even though she pretends to hate him.

It's funny to watch her deny it with all the acting skill of a seven year old in a school play.

I've gone to get some more sponges since we lost most of them during water war one, when I see Caroline wandering off seemingly in a daze. I call after her bit she doesn't even blink. Caroline gets into her car and on instinct I go after her in mine and Elena's, and I thank all the stars in the universe that I kept hold of our car keys.

I follow her all the way to the boarding house. When she gets out and heads inside I decide to call Sinbad only to realise that I don't actually have my phone with me. Damn. It's too late to go back now.

I follow Caroline into the house, wondering what the hell is going on. She heads down into some sort of basement and I get a really bad feeling. I stop her on the staircase, she turns to me in shock as if coming out of a day dream.

"Caroline, are you alright?" I ask.

Caroline looks at me, her face full of confusion,

"I don't know, why I am I here?"

I shake my head and answer,

"I'm not sure…how about you go home alright. Go, now"

Caroline nods absently and heads back up the stairs. I know I should leave with her, to make sure she's alright if nothing else. But she was here for a reason and I want to know why.

A few minutes of silently debating with myself later I walk down into the basement. There is a line of cells. I look into each one slowly until I reach the end one. I gasp at the sight of Damon inside sitting down on the floor with his back against the wall.

He looks ill, still more handsome than is fair, but he definitely needs some sleep, or some…blood?

Sinbad said he wanted to talk to me about something to do with Damon later on when they explain everything to Elena. I guess this is what he wanted to talk about. I already figured out that Damon has been feeding from Caroline, it doesn't take a genius to work that one out.

But why would they put Damon in a cell? I mean, he's a dick, sure, but that's not exactly a reason to lock someone up. He hurt Caroline, but he didn't kill her….gah, vampire ethics.

Damon looks up at me and I ask,

"What's going on Damon? Why are you in there?"

Damon struggles to his feet and comes to talk to me through the bars on the cell door,

"Help me Ever. Open the door" he croaks out.

I frown at him, part of me wanting to help him, but at the same time being wary of the one Salvatore brother who throws me off the most,

"Why should I?"

Damon smiles then and chokes out a strained laugh,

"Because I'm dying in here. Let me out before I desiccate"

Sinbad told me about that, if vampires don't drink blood regularly then their bodies pretty much shut down and they become living corpses. I shiver at the very thought. Spurred on by the horrible image of Damon desiccating I pull back the latch on the door.

The moment the door becomes unlocked Zach comes up from behind me shouting,

"No!"

He pushes against the door to keep Damon inside and shouts at me to run, I hear Damon snarl as he pushes against the door on his side. Realising I've just let my emotions and impulsive nature make me do something really stupid, I don't hesitate.

This time, I do run.

I'm pounding up the stairs when I hear something that sounds suspiciously like a neck being snapped. I don't stop though.

I feel someone grab my foot and on instinct I kick back, managing to get Damon in the face, he falls backwards and I keep on running.

I can hear Damon coming after me and I make a beeline for the closest way out of the boarding house.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit and a half!

My hand is on the door handle and I'm about pull the door open when Damon grabs me from behind. His arm is around my waist and he pulls me back against him. I try to fight him off, but even though he is weak, he still has enough vampire strength to yank my head to the side, exposing my neck, and bite into my throat.

The pierce of his fangs is pure agony, nothing like when Sinbad bit me last night. I struggle and try to rip myself away from him, but the more blood he takes from me the stronger he begins to feel.

Only moments later though Damon stops feeding from me. I'm a little dizzy, but apart from that I'm alright, strong enough to try again to get away from him.

Damon lets me go only to immediately grab hold of me again and spin me to face him. He looks into my eyes, his own still red and filled with a strange kind of pleasure. After days without blood I'm guessing it must have been hard for him to not actually drink me dry, which makes me question why he didn't.

Obviously he has no problem killing, as it has become ridiculously evident to me now that Damon was the one killing people around town. I'd been too swept up in Sinbad to even think about it.

A few moments later Damon's face goes back to normal, but the blood, my blood, around his mouth is still very disconcerting right now.

At least I'm wearing my necklace so he can't compel me. As if he can read my mind Damon's eyes dart to my necklace. Quicker than I can even blink Damon has ripped off my necklace and shoved it into his pocket. Well, that isn't good.

If I survive this-mental note: Wear extra vervain at all times.

"Now, that was rude" I snap, "I let you out and then you bite me"

I'm nervous as hell, and when I get nervous I get mouthy, it's not something I can control I swear.

Damon blinks in confusion for a moment but then smirks easily,

"You know about vampires. Naughty little Sinbad telling family secrets, bet Saint Stefan wasn't so pleased about that"

I glare at him,

"I knew you were a dick. I called it. Granted I didn't think you were a psychotic murdering dick, but it's still counts as a win"

What am I talking about? I DON'T KNOW! Is the answer to that particular question.

Damon laughs darkly and lets me go, immediately I make a run for the door, Damon is in front of me in the next instant. I freeze and he smirks at me before locking the door.

Fuck fuckity fuck! FUCK!

"Let me go Damon" I say with more certainty and confidence in my voice than I feel.

"Nope" he says simply, "Not yet. We're waiting here until the sun goes down"

"Uh why?" I ask.

Damon smiles darkly at me,

"Because my brothers took my daylight ring. So now I'm going to have to wait until dark to go out and find someone to drink. Or…someones"

"Fine…but go have shower then, and wipe your face you bastard" I snap angrily, feeling slightly more bold now that I'm almost certain he isn't going to kill me.

Damon looks me up and down suggestively and says,

"Want to join me?"

Oh, if I had my bat!

"Fuck you vamp boy" I reply with a sweet smile.

Then I just stand there, glaring at him. Damon finally rolls his eyes and steps forward until he is only inches away from me. His blue eyes lock with mine, and only then do I remember I am no longer wearing my necklace.

His eyes pull me in and I can't seem to force myself to look away. Damon smirks again and says,

"Go into the living room and stay there until I tell you that you can leave, no using phones to contact my brothers, I'm going to take that shower. We can have some fun until sundown Ever"

I feel it, the compulsion, wash over me. It's strange, like I know I should leave, but there's something holding me back and I can't do a damn thing about it.

Damon caresses my cheek with the back of his hand, and for a moment I see a flicker of emotion in those icy blue eyes, but it's gone just as quick as it came. Damon's smirk is still firmly in place as he walks around me and off down the hall.

As I'm going into the living room without being able to control my body I shout after him,

"How about pigeons? Can I use one of them to send a message to Sinbad and Stefan? Your compulsion wasn't specific enough Damon! You're letting psycho vampires everywhere down!"

I hear Damon's laughter echo through the big house.

…

When Damon comes back downstairs I'm sitting on a sofa in the living room. I've tried twenty times to leave, but the compulsion always holds me back. I have decided I do not like compulsion. It sucks. Big time.

I glare at him as he comes over and throws himself down next to me on the sofa. Damon turns to me, his eyes look over my neck, he then bites into his own wrist, drawing blood. He offers the wrist out to me and says,

"Drink, it'll heal you"

I really don't want to drink his blood, but my fucking neck hurts, so I lean forward and he presses his wrist to my lips. I gulp down a few mouth fulls and then stop. The blood itself isn't so bad, and I can feel my neck healing because of it. I bite my tongue from saying thank you, he's the fucker who bit me in the first place after all.

There is a pause where Damon simply watches me. He asks suddenly,

"So, what did my baby brother tell you about vampires?" he gestures at himself.

I roll my eyes at him but answer,

"Everything. He told me about the vervain, the sunlight, the compulsion and….Katherine"

Damon's eyes darken at the mention of Katherine,

"Sounds like he's been a busy bee then. Bet you took it in your stride, didn't even run, right?"

I blink at him in surprise,

"Yeah, I took it alright, and no I didn't run"

Damon nods,

"Didn't think you would. You're stronger than that"

I bark out a laugh,

"I think you mean insane-er than that"

Damon laughs too and smiles gamely at me,

"I didn't"

I frown at him and ask,

"Didn't what?"

He looks right at me then and answers,

"Katherine. When I found out she was a vampire, I didn't run"

"Are you comparing me to you?" I ask incredulously.

Damon shrugs,

"Maybe"

I hit him on the shoulder,

"Well, now I'm seriously offended"

He arches a dark eyebrow at me,

"You remind me of her" he says

I frown again,

"Of Katherine?"

Damon gets up then without answering and pours himself a drink of bourbon. He pours two and offers the other one to me, I take it tentatively.

He sits on the table in front of me and downs the drink in one, he then looks at me and says,

"Yes. Katherine was fierce and beautiful, like you"

"Don't compare me to her Damon. She screwed up your life. Sinbad told me all about it" I take a drink from my glass and stare right back at Damon, unflinchingly.

Damon smirks at me and asks,

"What else has my baby brother said about Katherine and me?"

I sit forward then and reply,

"That you're still in love with her"

Damon's face shows no other emotion than slight amusement, but there is something his eyes, a flicker of something that tells me Sinbad was right. Damon is still in love with Katherine. But it isn't just the love I see that he has for her in his eyes, I also see…hope? But why? She's dead…isn't she?

Before I can say anything more to Damon, he gets up and goes over to the window. The sun is setting. I didn't even notice it had gotten so late.

Damon turns around and grins at me evilly,

"Come on Ever, it's time to go out and have some fun"

I balk at what his idea of 'fun' is. Most likely people ending up dead will be involved. Not something I ever thought I'd be involved in, but by the look on his face he isn't going to make it a choice.

Reading my mind once again he says,

"Either you come willingly or I compel you Ever, pick one"

I glare at him again and down the rest of the bourbon in my glass. I stomp angrily over to him and he takes hold of my arm,

"Good choice Ever"

"Shut up" I snap.

The sun is completely set now, Damon says,

"You can leave now" the compulsion wears off and I feel ten pounds lighter because of it. I really don't like compulsion.

Damon pulls me from the room and to the front door, he unlocks it and steps outside into the night air. I hope for a moment that this will be when Stefan and Sinbad show up. I get no warning when Damon suddenly sweeps me up into his arms and vamp speeds off.

It's strangely disconcerting, and when Damon finally stops somewhere inside the woods I feel like I might fall over. It's a rush though.

Damon takes my arm again to steady me, and then heads off through forest still holding onto my arm. I don't know where we're going, but Damon seems to have a destination in mind.

The smell of weed hits my nose first and I panic, what if Jeremy is out there? Could I convince Damon not to kill him?

We stop in a clearing, I see Vicki, but not Jeremy and for a moment I actually feel relieved. They're all too stoned to even realise what the hells going on. Damon turns around and looks into my eyes, and again I feel the weight of compulsion come over me as he says,

"Stay right here and don't move"

"What's going on? Are you alright Ever?" I hear Vicki's spaced out voice.

Oh shit, she's so stoned right now.

It's not like she'd stand any chance against Damon even if she wasn't.

Damon is biting into Vicki's neck within seconds. Vicki shouts out in pain and my neck twinges at the memory of how much that hurts. I watch as he lets Vicki's body fall to the ground when he's done. Every fibre of my being wants to go to Vicki and check to see if she'd still alive, but I can't move. I just can't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	12. Lost Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon and Ever dance x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twelfth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Stefan would be my ultimate wing man. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lost Girls

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Where is my sister?" Elena demands, her gaze darts between me and my brother accusingly. She's pissed off and rightly so, we've told her everything. After finding Zach dead and Ever missing Elena showed up at the house, she'd figured it out for herself and basically just needed confirmation.

When Stefan said what she was already thinking, that we are vampires, Elena ran. Stefan went after her as I frantically tried to find Ever. I knew that Damon took her, I could only hope that he saw enough of Katherine in Ever not to kill her out of spite.

I got a call a few hours later from Damon demanding his ring back. I said I'd get it, not wanting to risk what he might do to Ever. I told him that if he hurt Ever I would rip him apart, and I meant it.

I went to Elena's house, Stefan was outside saying he'd got Elena to agree to meet them at a café so they could talk. She didn't know about Ever, we thought it better that she not know yet since there isn't anything she could do.

It was agony waiting for the next day so we could talk to Elena and explain everything. By the end of it, all she seems to be worried about is her sister. Elena just wants her sister back safe, which was good because that's all I care about as well.

"Damon threatened to hurt her if we come back to house without his ring" I answer and Stefan gives me a hard stare. I ignore it and continue, "So we're going to give it back to him now. Stefan went to get it from our old home"

Elena nods, her eyes full of confusion and fear, but she also seems determined. The Gilbert twins are different in many ways, but their inner strength is the same. Stefan tries to convince Elena not to come with them, but she's not having any of it. She doesn't trust us, and that's fair enough, I wouldn't trust us either.

All I want is my girlfriend back. If Damon has hurt Ever, I'll stake him through the heart myself.

Ever's P.O.V

"You should try some of his blood Ever, it's really good" Vicki says mid dance spin.

I lean back in my seat and roll my eyes,

"Yeah, been there, done that, got the bite mark scars to prove it"

Damon flops down next to me and takes another swig from his bottle of what I think is scotch.

"Don't be a buzzkill Ev's"

I poke my tongue out at him and snatch the bottle of scotch away from him again, I take another big gulp of it, the burning sensation making my eyes water.

What, if I'm going to have to put up with these two dancing around me then I need more alcohol, or I'll kill somebody.

Watching Damon kill those druggies….there really aren't any words to describe how nightmare inducing it was. Afterwards Damon did his version of 'cleaning up' by setting the bodies on fire. When he found out Vicki was alive I'd hoped he would just leave her there.

Instead he decided to take her back to the boarding house with us. I have no idea why. Just another question that adds to the complete conundrum that is Damon Salvatore. I don't think there's anyone in this world quite like him, I'll say that much.

Damon stares at me for a long moment, then gets to his feet and pulls me up with him. He takes the bottle from my hand and puts it down onto the table. Damon holds me against him and dances with me.

At first I try to pull away from Damon, but his grip is so strong that eventually I can't help but dance along with him. Turns out the Salvatore's have another thing in common; their dance skills.

Damon twirls me around the room quite professionally. I get swept up in it for a moment and I laugh when Damon jumps with me up to the rafters.

Yeah, I've definitely had too much to drink if I can already laugh about all this.

He jumps back down with me in his arms. Our gazes lock for a moment, and I get lost in those pale eyes the way I always seem to do with Damon. It's worrying.

I come back to myself when he touches my face gently.

"Let go of me Damon" I say quietly as I push away from him.

He actually does this time and I take a good few steps back, wanting to get as far away from him and that moment we just shared as possible right now.

Damon looks away from me and goes over to get another drink. I fall back down onto the sofa as Damon dances with Vicki. I try to block them out and hope to hell that Sinbad and Stefan get here with that damn ring soon.

If Damon kills me because of some stupid ring then I'm going to be one pissed off ghost.

And I want my bat!

I allow my mind to drift, tuning out both Vicki and Damon. But I'm brought back to reality by the sound of a neck being broken. I bolt up from my led down position on the sofa.

Vick is on the floor, her hair covering her face. I look at Damon in disbelief,

"Did you just kill her?"

Damon makes a mock innocent face and shrugs,

"No. I just snapped her neck….wait, that kills humans…damn, I forgot. Oh well…."

I get up from the sofa and rush over to Vicki's lifeless body. I check for a pulse, not actually expecting to find one. I glare up at Damon,

"I've said it once, in fact I've said it many times, and I'll say it again, you're a dick"

Damon sighs and leans against a wall,

"Language Ev's, language"

"Sinbad is going to kick your ass when he finds out that you bit me Damon" I fire back angrily, because it's true, Sinbad will tear Damon apart if he finds out what his brother did to me.

Damon laughs at that,

"You think I'm afraid of my brother, my baby brother?"

I huff out a laugh of my own,

"You should be. He'll hurt you for hurting me. Sinbad isn't like Stefan. You said so yourself"

Damon arches an eyebrow at me,

"And that's why you like him. You like that he'd rather tear someone apart than talk things out like Saint Stefan would"

I bristle noticeably,

"No. That isn't true"

I don't even see him move but suddenly Damon is kneeling on the other side of Vicki's body, his face close to mine,

"Then why do you like him, Ever? Why choose him over my other little brother?"

I shake my head,

"I didn't choose Sinbad over Stefan. It wasn't like that. Stefan is with my sister, and I always wanted Sin from the beginning"

Damon smirks and leans back on his heels,

"Oh, liar, liar, pants on fire"

"It isn't a lie. You can believe what you want though, I don't care" I grit out.

Damon tilts his head, watching me, then he says,

"It's alright, you weren't the first Gilbert sibling Sinbad wanted either"

I ignore him, he's just trying to get a rise out of me. All the same those words stick in my head to be analysed at a later date, like when I'm not being held hostage by a crazed vampire with the girl who's screwing around with my brother. Who is now dead. Great.

Just when I think Damon is about to say something else, Vick suddenly jolts back into life.

Oh crap.

I try to help her up but she flinches away from me. Vick rubs her neck she climbs unsteadily to her feet,

"What the hell happened?" she asks.

Damon is leaning against the wall again as he replies,

"You drank my blood and I killed you. Now you need to feed in order to complete the transformation"

Vicki shakes her head, her eyes are still all fogged up and unfocused,

"Whatever. I'm going home"

I try to help her again but she just pushes me away as she goes to leave. I try to follow after her but Damon wraps his arms around my waist,

"No, no, if she wants to leave then let her. You're not going anywhere until my brothers get here with my ring"

I try desperately to struggle out of his hold, but it's useless, he's too strong now with all that blood in his system.

Once Vick is gone, Damon allows me to move again and I rip myself away from him. I glare at Damon and practically shout,

"What is wrong with you? You had no right to do that!"

Damon smiles darkly,

"I'm a vampire, I had every right"

"You're insane Damon!"

Suddenly Damon is right in front of me, he cups my face and leans in close to whisper,

"You love it"

I shove him away from me and go to take another drink from the bottle of scotch because I'm still. Not. Drunk. Enough. For. This. Shit.

About ten minutes later Damon's phone rings, it's Sinbad and Stefan, they have the ring and they're outside the house. Thank fuck for that.

Damon tells them that they can come in, then he yanks me up from the sofa, AGAIN, and holds me close to him.

I am to play the role of hostage then. Goodie, because that never gets old.

Stefan and Sinbad come into the room. My eyes widen when Elena follows in behind them. She gasps when she see's me and goes to rush over, but Stefan stops her. My twin shrugs him off and says,

"Ever, are you alright? Has he hurt you?"

Uhhhhh, now how to answer that particular question.

Turns out I don't have to because Damon answers for me,

"Hand over the ring and she'll be perfectly fine"

Sinbad is glaring at Damon like he wants to beat the shit out of him. Twice. But he throws over the ring. Damon catches it and then releases me. I go straight to Elena and we embrace.

"I'm alright Elena" I say at the same time as Elena says, "They told me everything"

We pull away from each other and I look over at Sinbad, he nods once, the relief at seeing me safe is clear on his face. I let him pull me into a tight hug, he holds me like he never wants to let go again. I hug him back with the same fierceness.

"Oh, how touching, you don't see each other for one night….that's clingy brother" Damon drawls from somewhere behind me.

Sinbad jerks away from me, he does his super vamp speed thing and slams Damon up against the wall, hard.

"If you ever touch her again I will end you" Sinbad snarls into Damon's face.

I make eye contact with Stefan who looks about as stoic as ever. Damon huffs out a chuckle until Sinbad puts pressure on his throat,

"Oh, look at you baby brother, the protective boyfriend, so romantic" Damon chokes out, still managing to look smug even though Sinbad is basically crushing his windpipe right now.

Sinbad growls and suddenly he slams his hand inside of Damon's stomach. Damon groans and Elena gasps. Stefan steps forward,

"Sin" he warns.

Sinbad smirks and twists his hand slightly, Damon groans again. He looks like he's in a lot of pain. Good.

"Stop Sin, I'm fine, he didn't hurt me" Much. But if I tell Sin what Damon did I think Sinbad might actually kill his older brother.

Not that it would be any great loss to society, but Sinbad would never be able to forgive himself once he calmed down a bit. The Salvatore's may be dysfunctional, but I can tell they still care deeply for each other despite everything.

Sin looks over at me and I silently plead with him to stop. Sinbad's jaw tightens, but he loosens his grip on Damon and takes his hand out of his brother's stomach, only to reach behind him to pull a stake out of his waistband and stab Damon with it.

I gasp right along with Elena that time.

Sinbad steps away from his brother and lets Damon fall to his knees. Damon looks up at Sinbad and grinds out,

"Good to know you haven't completely lost your edge brother, I approve"

Oh for fucks sake.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I could have killed Damon. I wanted to so badly. The thought of him hurting Ever makes me see red.

It's just as well the moment Damon pulled that stake out of himself he left the room, because I was still feeling pretty kill-Damon-y.

Ever helps me get all of Damon's blood off my hand and then I wrap my arms around her once again, just needing to feel her close and unharmed.

Elena is standing with her arms crossed and looking very uncomfortable, although I'm not actually sure what she's feeling uncomfortable about specifically considering everything she's found out today.

Stefan asks,

"Are you sure you're alright Ever?"

He seems genuinely concerned and even a little upset, he was almost as frantic as me when he thought Damon might hurt her. I didn't think about it then, but now I am. Maybe it's just because Ever looks so much like Elena….

"I'm alright, really. But, Vicki isn't" Ever answers tentatively as if afraid of our reaction.

"What's wrong with Vicki?" Elena asks, she looks immediately concerned.

Ever runs a hand through her hair, a clear sign that she is nervous,

"Damon fed her his blood and then snapped her neck" she says in a rush.

Damon turned Vick, ooofff course he did. I should have just killed him when I had enough rage inside of me to actually go through with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. So please tell me, I'd really like to know what you think xxx
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not.


	13. Haunted-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Salvatore's get protective x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirteenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then I'd be hanging out with Elena and Stefan in a cemetery right now :) x
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Haunted-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

Ok, so the bad new is, Vicki's a vampire. The good news….yeah, I got nothin'.

Wait, wait, yes I do, I have my necklace back! I feel much more comfortable with it around my neck.

Not that I think Vicki being a vampire is on the same level as me getting my necklace back…..ish.

Elena is having a pony about it though. She's worried as half the town is out looking for Vicki. The only person I'm worried about is Matt, he doesn't deserve this shit. Matt is such a good brother, he'd be distraught if he let something happen to Vicki.

Damon, Stefan and Sinbad went out to find Vicki, she was about to snack on Tyler when they found her apparently. Can't say the image doesn't make me smile just a little, he can be such an ass sometimes, not that I want him dead or anything. He could stand to be brought down a peg or two though, being munched on by his fuck buddy would probably do it.

I stayed over at the boarding house that night. Elena tried to get me to go with her, but I wanted to be here just in case Vicki needs a familiar face. Stefan took her home and came back looking pretty upset, apparently Elena broke up with him.

I knew there was a chance she might. Elena probably expects me to do the same with Sinbad. I don't think I will though, if I can handle all of this then I can most likely handle anything that gets thrown my way. Besides, it's not Stefan and Sinbad's fault that their older brother is a cold hearted bastard with zero remorse.

"I'm hungry, do you have anything to eat?" Vicki asks. She's sitting on a sofa in one of boarding house rooms. Stefan hands her a mug of what I assume is blood. Animal blood if it's Stefan giving it to her.

I wonder what it must be like to drink animal blood instead of human blood if you're a vampire. I imagine a T-Rex being forced to eat tofu.

Vicki takes a few sips and makes a face, but she keeps drinking it. Damon is sitting with his feet up on the desk, whilst I'm on a chair next to Vicki.

"What is this?" she asks.

"Yeah, what is it Stefan, a skunk, bunny rabbit, bambi? She's new, she needs people blood" Damon drawls with an easy smirk.

Vicki's eyes brighten in a way that worries me a bit,

"Yeah. Why can't I have people blood?"

Stefan sighs and answers,

"Because it's wrong to feed on innocent people Vicki"

Damon rolls his eyes,

"You don't have to kill people to feed, just pick someone tasty and then erase their memory"

"No, no, there's no guarantee you can control yourself. It takes years to learn that, you could easily kill somebody, and then you'd have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which if I haven't made clear is eternity" Stefan argues.

"Don't listen to him, he walks on a moral plain waaayy out of our eyeline. I say snatch, eat, erase"

"Shut it you" I snap at Damon, "You're not helping"

Damon smirks at me,

"I'm just giving the girl options"

I ignore him and turn back to Vicki. Damon's way does make some sense though, not that I'd ever tell him I think that.

"Maybe we could test her limits" I suggest.

Stefan looks at me in shock as Damon huffs out a laugh,

"You want to test her out on someone?" Stefan asks in disbelief.

I raise an eyebrow and reply,

"Not just anyone obviously. I meant me"

Stefan is shaking his head before I've even finished the sentence,

"No. That would be far too dangerous"

I frown,

"Not with three other vampires here to stop her if she goes too far" I argue.

Damon makes a tutting sound,

"I'm with Steffy on this one, she could kill you. Better not chance it"

I turn to glare openly at him,

"What happened to 'she needs human blood'?"

Damon shrugs, he meets my gaze but doesn't answer the question. Before I can say anything else Sinbad walks in, he casts a look around at us and asks,

"What are we talking about?"

"Letting Vicki feed on your girlfriend" Damon answers innocently.

Sinbad's jaw clenches and he snaps,

"No way in fucking hell"

"But-"

"No!" all three of the Salvatore brothers say at once.

"Alright, alright, keep your vampire panties on" I slump down in my seat, annoyed at having my suggestion swept away like that.

Sinbad comes up to me, and in one smooth motion he lifts me out of the chair and sits down with me on his lap. His arms wrap around me and he whispers into my ear,

"Don't sulk baby, I just feel a little more protective than usual after yesterday"

I settle back against him and sigh in acceptance. Stefan looks away from us, either embarrassed or just feeling weird seeing me with Sinbad when I look so much like Elena, especially as she dumped him.

Damon is looking over at us with a strange expression on his face that I don't quite understand. But a moment later he's schooled his expression into one of contented amusment.

"There is nothing about that Logan Fell guy that I killed in here" Damon complains as he looks through the local paper.

Last night Logan almost killed Stefan, but Damon killed him and then Vicki fed on him. Poor Jenna, her long time love is dead, she'll probably call him every name under the sun thinking he's ditched her again.

Damon is fiddling with my dad's old watch, apparently it helped them find Stefan and Vicki in the first place, like some sort of vampire tracker. Weird, why would my family have a tracking device for vampires?

There's a ring at the door and Damon goes to answer it. Not long after Elena walks in looking nervous and even more uncomfortable than she did yesterday. I'm guessing the added drama of her split with Stefan must make things a little worse.

I catch her eye and smile reassuringly, she smiles back and the tension in her body eases slightly.

Elena asks Vicki,

"How are you?"

Vicki makes a face at her and says,

"How are you? You're kidding right?

Elena winces slightly and turns away from Vicki,

"Stefan, can I talk to you in private" she says looking over my shoulder at him.

Stefan stands up,

"Yes, of course" he walks out of the room gesturing for Elena to follow him.

I look over at Vicki, she is still sipping from the mug of blood. When she finishes it off she asks Sinbad,

"Can I have some more?"

Why do I get the overwhelming feeling that this is not going to end well?

Oh right, because it won't.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Hours after Ever leaves with Elena I hear a lot of noise coming from downstairs. It sounds like Stefan and Damon are arguing over something. Like that's new. But I decide to go downstairs and sort it out this time.

We already have Vicki the baby vamp bouncing around the house, the last thing we need is my brothers to start fighting again. Everything has been relatively calm today despite everything and I want to damn well keep it that way for as long as possible.

When I get downstairs Damon, Stefan and Vicki are by the door. It seems like Damon wants to let his new toy out to play in the garden. Brilliant, because that couldn't possibly go very badly wrong.

"If we're going to teach her then let's teacher her, show her what it's all about" Damon says to Stefan.

"She could hurt someone" Stefan argues, he looks over at me silently asking for support.

I shrug, Vicki looks about ready to cut and run. If we keep an eye on her then surely between the three of us we can keep her out of trouble.

"Just keep it to the front yard"

Damon rolls his eyes,

"It's not like I was planning to take her to Disney land"

"Well, now I have the image of you at Disney land Damon, so thank you for that. Screw Disney anyway, Sea world is where it's at" I smirk at Damon who gives me a dry look of amusement in return.

I've only just about forgiven Damon for what he did to Ever. I'll never trust him with her though. He's too impulsive.

Damon opens the door and heads out with Vicki, Stefan follows them saying,

"This is a bad idea"

No shit, it's a bad idea, but what can you do?

I'm about to follow after them when my phone rings, it's Ever so I pick up right away, worried that something might be wrong. After Elena broke things off with my brother I was half afraid Ever might do the same and decide I wasn't worth all the drama. She hasn't even suggested at it yet, so I think we'll be alright.

"Hey, Ev's, what's up?" I ask her down the phone.

"Jeremy. He wants to see Vicki. He even got into an argument with Elena about it. But it's not like we can tell him why it's not safe for him to see Vicki" she replies sounding frustrated.

My heart twists slightly at the thought of Jeremy getting hurt. I still care about him, he was my main worry when Vicki turned. I know her and Jeremy have a thing going on and that he's quite attached to her. Vicki seems to care for him too, but that won't stop her from tearing into his neck and draining him.

Being a vampire is like nothing else in this world. Everything is heightened to an almost impossible level, especially at first. No matter how much you care about someone you could still hurt them because of the hunger. The insatiable hunger for blood that is always there no matter how many years pass.

"Jeremy won't stay mad forever Ev's, he'll get over it eventually" I say, trying my best to sound like I know what I'm talking about.

I can practically hear Ever's smile down the phone when she replies,

"Thank you for trying to bullshit me into thinking everything will be alright, I appreciate it"

I can't help but laugh, Ever knows me too well even though we haven't known each other for very long,

"I mean it though Ev's, things will get better"

Ever sighs loudly,

"I freakin' hope so otherwise Elena is going to have a panic attack"

After a pause she says,

"I'm on my way back over alright. There's this party tonight, but I don't think anyone is in the mood to go"

"Ok, you can help me stop Damon and Stefan from having a fight over what's best for Vicki" I reply dryly.

Ever snorts out a laugh,

"Oh goodie, I can barely contain my excitement"

We both laugh and shortly after we hang up.

I look over at where Stefan, Damon and Vicki are standing just in time to see Vicki run off using vampire speed.

Shit on a stick in hell!

I go over to them and Damon looks over at me, I give him a 'what the fuck' look and he says,

"Uhhh, my bad"

Ever's P.O.V

"She probably went home…shit Matt", the moment I got to the boarding house Sinbad explained the situation.

I immediately thought of Jeremy and Elena, but she said they were staying in, and since Vicki hasn't been invited inside our house as a vampire I'm sure they'll be safe. I contemplate calling Elena, but then I remember how exhausted she looked when I left, I don't want to put more strain on her than she's already been through.

"Good, hopefully she'll eat blond boy wonder" Damon drawls from his position on the sofa. He looks relaxed and unconcerned with what's going on; especially considering it's all his damn fault.

"Shut up Damon" I snap irritably. That man drives me crazy. I really should have brought my bat this time. Shame on me for thinking tonight would actually be drama-free.

Just then I get a text from Elena saying her and Jeremy are actually going to the party. I try to text her back, telling her not to go because of Vicki but I have no credit. When I try ringing her on Stefan's phone she doesn't pick up.

Damn, damn, damn.

Stefan and Sinbad rush out to find Vicki then and I'm left with Damon. Sinbad didn't want to leave me, he doesn't trust Damon, but I said I'd meet them at the party, he finally agreed to leave after sending a very threatening look at Damon.

After they're gone Damon comes up to me and says,

"Feel like going to the Grill with me Ev's"

I give him a cold look but ask,

"Why?"

He smirks and wiggles his eyebrows at me,

"You'll have to come to find out"

I sigh, but part of me is definitely intrigued. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't part of me that wants to understand the ball of secrets and mystery that is Damon Salvatore. Sinbad, I get, Stefan, I get. But Damon…he's confusing.

I sigh heavily,

"Oh, alright, beats waiting here I guess"

Damon chuckles,

"That's the spirit Ev's"

"Stop calling me 'Ev's', that's a privilege for friends and family only, you are neither"

"Whatever you say, Ev's"

"Asshole" I mutter under my breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	14. Haunted part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character death x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirteenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Damon would be my plus one always ;) xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Haunted part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

Damon leads me over to the bar, he orders us both a drink, which by this point I need. We sit there for a while not saying anything until I finally break and ask,

"Why are we here Damon?"

Without looking at me Damon presses his finger to his lips,

"Shhhhh, Ever, I'm listening out for my cue"

His cue?

What is this, freakin' 'Vampire's in Mystic Falls the musical'?

I look around for who it is he's listening in on. There a few people I recognise, but no one that would be on any use to Damon. That is until I spot Tyler's parents sitting at a table, in costume. Damn it, do I need to make the Vampire's in Mystic Falls the musical joke again?

I don't know why Damon would want to listen in on Carol's conversation with her ass of a husband. If there's one thing me and Tyler agreed on when we were together, it's that his dad is a dick. Not quite on the same level as Damon, but close enough.

Suddenly Mr. Lockwood gets up and stalks out of the Grill, but Carol stays behind. Damon smirks and I lean in close to him to whisper,

"I take it that's your cue"

Damon picks up his drink and wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at me. He turns around slightly to make eye contact with Carol. I see her give him the 'look over' and an irrational part of me dislikes that very much.

I don't say anything though as Damon goes over to Carol, most likely to get his flirt on knowing him.

I hold my hand up to order another drink when I see a different bar tender come out of the storage room. My face breaks out into a grin. With all the madness of the last few days I haven't had much of a chance to go to the Grill so I haven't seen him.

"SPENNY!" I shout over at him excitedly, waving my arms around to get his attention. Simon, the other bar tender, smiles in amusement and makes a show of leaving me for Spencer to deal with.

Spencer catches sight of me and glares openly. He marches over and snaps,

"I am not in the mood for you tonight. Leave woman"

I bat my eyelashes at him,

"No way hoesay. I've missed you Spenny. My loins ache for you"

Spencer smacks his forehead with his palm as his face reddens,

"Why me?" he mutters behind his hand.

"Because you're so gorgeous. We have something special Spenny and I don't want to lose it. Our connection is so real" I wink at him.

"Please go away" Spencer groans.

"I'll fight for this love Spenny. Till the bitter end" I reply with a mock two finger salute.

Spencer throws up his arms dramatically and walks away muttering something about 'stupid girls' and a bit more of the 'why me' stuff.

Silly boy. One day he will accept what is clearly meant to be.

But until then…..I get a text from Sinbad, telling me that they've found Vicki at the party.

I get up to leave. When I pass by Damon and Carol, I whisper under my breath that I'm going to the party. Damon looks up and I catch his eye, he nods to let me know he heard.

Vamp hearing. Finally something vampy that's useful to me.

…

Sinbad texts me just as I arrive to say that they've lost Vicki and Jeremy. My stomach flips over at the thought of what might happen to Jeremy. I rush through the car park, my mind whirring with possibilities of where they might be when I suddenly hear Jeremy's voice shouting, "Vicki, no, stop!"

I run in the direction of where his voice is coming from. On the way I pick up an old plank of wood to use as a makeshift weapon. I find Vicki holding Jeremy up against a bus about to bite into his neck.

"Vicki, stop!" I yell.

Vicki pushes Jeremy away from her and comes at me. I waste no time in swinging the plank of wood into her face.

The plank breaks in half having had less than zero affect, if that's even possible.

Vicki grips my arm tight enough to hurt like fuck and then pretty much throws me across the car park.

She comes at me again but Stefan appears out of nowhere and slams her up against the bus. Sinbad is instantly at my side and helping me up. Elena comes up on my other side looking shocked and upset.

But then Vicki manages to shove Stefan away and goes all vamp speed out on us. We all look around frantically trying to catch sight of Vicki.

"Get inside" Stefan tells us.

"Now" Sinbad adds and gives me and Elena a little push towards Jeremy. I take Elena's hand in mine and we grab Jeremy on our way towards a door I hope is open. Elena fiddles with the lock, just as she gets the door open Jeremy is suddenly shoved to the ground by Vicki.

She yanks on my hair to expose my neck and for the third time in the same amount of days a vampire bites into my throat. It's painful, even more so than when Damon did it because Vicki has had little to no practical experience in doing it.

I scream in pain, but when Vicki pulls her fangs out of me she suddenly freezes and I fall to the ground.

I look up to see a pointed piece of wood coming out of Vicki's chest. Stefan is behind her, he pulls the piece of wood out. Vicki is gasping desperately. Just like that I know she's dying. Stefan just killed her to save me.

Jeremy starts shouting Vicki's name as she crumples to the ground. I get to my feet again just as Jeremy tries to rush over to Vicki. Sinbad is there to hold him back, he holds Jeremy firmly.

Jeremy clings onto Sinbad once he's stopped trying to break free of him. The strange intimacy of the moment does not escape my notice. But I push it away for now as there are far more important things to think about.

Elena is breathing hard and staring down at Vicki with a distraught look on her face. I remember that technically this is the first person she's seen die. Yet another death I've had to witness because of Damon Salvatore.

Life just keeps on swinging.

"Take him inside" Elena says to Sinbad.

Sinbad looks over at me with worry in his eyes and I nod to let him know that I'm alright. He still looks unsure but he takes Jeremy away from Vicki as Elena said.

Elena moves forward, tears and a mixture of emotion in her eyes. Stefan calls Damon so that he can deal with Vicki's body.

Not long after Damon shows up. Elena has her face against Stefan's chest, his arm around her. I'm back on the floor on my knees next to Vicki, staring down into her lifeless face.

He comes to stand next to me and says far to casually considering the situation,

"You should all leave, I'll deal with this"

Elena pulls away from Stefan slightly, her eyes sparking with anger,

"You did this." she accuses.

Well, she's not wrong.

"Take her away Stefan, I'll be there in a minute" Stefan glances at me strangely and I plead with him to get my sister out of here before she does or says something that will piss Damon off. After a moment he nods and Elena reluctantly goes with him, leaving me with Damon the vampire smirk master.

I look up at him and as I stand I say,

"This is your fault Damon"

Damon raises an eyebrow, his gaze flickering between me and Vicki's body.

"You confuse me with someone who feels remorse" he replies.

I glare at him,

"This isn't a fucking game Damon. Vicki was a person. Matt's sister. Jeremy's friend. There must be a part of you that feels something"

Damon takes a step forward, his eyes connecting with mine,

"None of this matters to me. None of it"

In that moment I want to drive a stake through his heart myself,

"People die around you. Because of you. How can that not matter? It matters and you know it"

I can barely contain my rage and I take the chance to slap him, hard. It has little to no effect on him but I don't care.

Damon slowly meets my gaze again, his eyes full of something else now that I've hit him. Instinctively I try to take a step back, but Damon takes hold of my arm and pulls me roughly up against him. He holds me tightly and I don't do anything as waiting for his next move.

He brushes some hair away from my face and I suddenly become acutely aware that my wound from Vicki is still bleeding quite badly. For a moment I think he'll bite me and my whole body tenses.

But he doesn't, instead Damon whispers into my ear,

"I could tear you apart, right now. And I would feel nothing. Your life is nothing to me. Remember that"

I find my voice then and whisper back,

"I don't believe you"

Damon's grip on me loosens slightly and I jerk away from him. He's staring at me intensely and our gazes lock once more as I back slowly away from him. Damon doesn't make any move to come after me as I eventually force myself to turn away and then leave to find Elena and Jeremy.

Sinbad texts me to say that they've headed over to the Gilbert household.

On my way to my car I hear Matt call after me,

"Ever!"

I stop, using my hair to cover up my neck wound as best I can. Matt comes rushing up to me, he stops and then asks,

"Have you seen Vi-" but then he spots the blood all over me and changes his question to, "Whoah, what happened?" the concern is obvious on his face and suddenly my heart clenches.

I fiddle with my hair trying to cover the wound even more as I answer,

"I'm fine. Some idiotic dipshit got me with some fake blood. I'm going home to have a long shower"

I turn to leave, but Matt hold out a hand to stops me,

"I cant find Vicki. She totally bailed on me"

There's an obvious question in his voice, and my heart clenches again because I know I'm going to have to lie. Lie to Matt. The most honest guy in the whole fucking world and I'm about to lie to him.

"I don't know where she is" I answer hesitantly.

Matt sighs and runs a hand through his hair,

"Is this what I'm in for? A lifetime of worrying about her?"

I swallow the huge lump in my throat, and only one things spring to mind for me to say,

"You're a good brother Matt. Better than I am a sister."

Matt huffs out a breath and rolls his eyes skyward for a moment,

"Yeah" his eyes flicker back to mine, "Maybe she went home"

I barely manage to nod and get out the word,

"Maybe"

"Ok" Matt pretty much whispers. He goes to walk away, but I grab onto his wrist, he looks back at me in confusion. I meet his eyes and say,

"Whatever happens to Vicki, Matt, it isn't your fault. Please remember that."

Matt nods, still looking a bit confused as I let go of his arm and he walks away from me.

I rush to my car because I can feel that I'm about to burst with emotion. Once I'm in the drivers seat I allow myself to feel it all. My frustration hits breaking point, and I slam my fists against the car steering wheel as the tears come streaming silently down my face.

…

When I get home both Sinbad and Stefan are waiting on the porch. I ask simply,

"Where are they?"

Sinbad shifts away from the his leaning position and answers,

"Upstairs"

I nod absently and go upstairs to find them. Jeremy and Elena are sitting on Jeremy's bed. I join them silently. Jeremy is grasping a pillow tightly against his chest and Elena looks about ready to drop from exhaustion.

It seems neither of them have spoken much. I sit down in front of Jeremy and place my hands over his as I ask,

"Do you understand what happened tonight?"

Jeremy looks up at me, his face wet and red from crying,

"No, I don't understand. I mean, I know what I saw, but I don't understand"

I take in a deep breath and say,

"She was going to kill me"

"Now she's dead, Vicki's dead" Jeremy says, the anguish obvious on his face.

Elena and I exchange glances,

"I am so sorry, Jer, so-"

"Make it stop. It hurts" Jeremy chokes out.

Elena leans in closer and starts to rub Jeremy's back whilst saying "Shhhhh" quietly.

"It's ok" I grip his hands tighter.

He looks into my face and asks,

"Why does everyone have to die on me?"

My heart breaks for my little brother. For Matt. For Elena. For Vicki. Everyone.

"Oh god" I whisper and pull both Elena and Jeremy into my arms. We hug each other tightly as Jeremy sobs. Suddenly it's like we're all children again and the world feels as big and scary as it did then. Unfathomable. Completely unfathomable.

Sinbad's P.O.V

When Elena comes outside to talk with Stefan I go upstairs. Ever is just coming out of Jeremy's room when she see's me. Ever closes her brother's door and then walks slowly over to me. I look for permission in her eyes before pulling her into my embrace.

We both hug hard for a good few minutes before we pull apart.

"How is he?" I ask. I still can't get the look of complete anguish and pain that was on Jeremy's face when Vicki died in front of him out of my head. I see it so clearly and it kills me, more than I ever thought it possible.

These Gilberts are making me feels things I'd forgotten I was capable of feeling since I became a vampire. I now remember why I hated them so much.

Ever shakes her head,

"He's a fucking mess. I don't want this for him Sinbad. He's my kid brother."

I cup Ever's face gently in my hands and ask honestly,

"What can I do Ever? I'll do anything"

Ever swallows hard,

"I just want…I want Jeremy to move on from this. But I don't think that'll be possible for him, not this time."

An idea come into my mind and I almost don't suggest it as I'm afraid Ever might hate me for it.

"What if I make him forget?"

Ever blinks up at me for a few moments and then says,

"Forget? Like compulsion?" she bites her lip, "Maybe…..Yes….make him forget. Please. I want you to make him forget"

I nod, secretly glad that she's letting me do something to help, and ask,

"What d you want him to know?"

Ever thinks for a moment and then says,

"I want you to tell him that Vicki left town. And she's not coming back, ever. That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. That he'll miss her, but that this is for the best"

When Ever is finished telling me what she wants me to say, she moves away from me and allows me past her to Jeremy's room. I expect her to come with me, but she hangs back so I go ahead.

Jeremy is curled up on the bed when I enter. He jerks upright when I sit down next to him on the bed. The hurt on his face cuts through me like a knife and I have to fight all my protective instincts. From the moment I saw Jeremy I knew I'd end up caring about him. I just never expected it to be this much.

Jeremy frowns at me as our gazes meet. I compel him carefully, telling him exactly what Ever told me to. The whole time I think about how brown his eyes are, how beautiful they could be if I ever saw him smiling. I think about how this is all mine and brother's fault. We caused them this pain. We hurt Jeremy and Ever and Elena.

I never wanted to hurt them. Never. But now we have and there's no way to take it back or erase what has already been done.

I also compel Jeremy to sleep and I get him into bed, pulling the covers over him and brushing some of his hair away of his face softly. I have a weak spot for the pretty ones. Two pretty ones in particular now. Ever and Jeremy Gilbert. My two ultimate weaknesses.

Caring for them might just kill me, but there's nothing I can do about it, and some part of me wouldn't want to even if I could.

All our lives have changed, and I have no idea what's going to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me about it.
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	15. 162 Candles part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LEXI! x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifteenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Jeremy would draw me a picture for my birthday every year ;) xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

162 Candles part 1

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEFFY!" I yell at him.

Stefan rolls his eyes at me, but he can't hide the smile that's slowly forming. We're in his room, Lexi is sprawled out next to me. She showed up last night and jumped Stefan in the library. I found it funny as hell, she always does that and yet my brother automatically shits himself every single time.

"He's old now" Lexi quirks a blond eyebrow at me and I wink back at her. I've missed Lexi, technically she's Stefan's best friend, but Lexi and I have our own special relationship. Especially considering she was the one who turned me.

I didn't become a vampire at the same time my brothers did. I was sixteen when my brothers died because of that vamp bitch. My decision to become a vampire wasn't until four years after that.

Asking Lexi to turn me into a vampire was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I didn't want to be a vampire, in fact for a while the idea disgusted me to my very core. But I didn't do it for me, I did it for my brothers. They needed me, sometimes they still do, to stop them from killing each other.

Lexi was hard to persuade, but eventually she understood why I wanted to do it. Lexi and I have always had an understanding of sorts, mainly that my brothers were both idiots for fucking up their lives because of a girl. Alright, a vampire woman, but still, a girl, really?

I'd honestly rather they'd gotten themselves killed over a rock. At least then I could have hit them over the head with it afterwards.

We also agree on quite a few things. For example, we both think Stefan needs to loosen up, like, right now. It is his birthday after all.

I reach out to ruffle Stefan's precious hair, he jerks away and glares at me.

"He is old, very, very, very, old. And broody. Old and broody"

"Not a good mix" Lexi adds with a playful smirk aimed my way. I send one right back.

"Nope."

Stefan shakes his head in exasperation,

"You two are more annoying together than you are apart, you know that right?"

"Of course"

"And don't you forget it"

Lexi and I say at the same time.

…

"So, when do I get to meet this girlfriend of yours Sin?" Lexi asks, her eyes still sparkling with dry amusement.

Last night after speaking with Stefan alone for some one on one best fwend forever time, Lexi came to my room seemingly intent on reviving another facet of our past relationship.

It was very tempting, but I've never cheated on anyone, mostly because I've never been with anyone, and I didn't want to start now. Lexi doesn't see it as cheating, not with us, but then she is over three hundred years old, that colours your opinions on everything eventually.

My feelings for Ever seem to grow stronger every time I see her. Although there is this part of me that feels strangely connected to Jeremy, I can ignore it for the most part, and I hope it is something that will eventually fade.

I lean back on the bed to meet Lexi's gaze,

"It depends what you're planning to say to her if you do. I know you Larry, you'll tell her all sorts of tales about me"

Lexi snorts out a laugh,

"I won't say anything that isn't true Sally"

"That's what I'm afraid of…enough about me, what about your boy-man-significant other type person?"

Lexi sighs, but her grin shines through,

"I do love him"

"More than me?"

"Never"

We both laugh even though it isn't all that funny. Before Lexi turned me I was just Stefan's kid brother to her. But after that things changed between us in ways that I didn't expect. It might have been because we shared a common goal in terms of helping Stefan get to grips with his blood lust.

Or maybe it was because I became a different person after being turned, not dramatically different, but noticeably so at least.

Lexi and I were more than friends or simply lovers back then, and over the years we have slipped in and out of our unique relationship.

Stefan is at the police station along with Elena, Ever and Jeremy going over with the sheriff what happened to Vicki. Not the truth of course. We've all tried to stick with the same story; that Vicki has left town and we don't know where she is or why she left.

I groan and let my head fall back against the pillow,

"Oh alright then. You can meet her"

Lexi claps her hands like an excited child,

"Excellent. And how about this Elena girl Stefan is so broody over?"

"Weeelllll, actually Ever and Elena are sisters"

Lexi's mouth opens wide,

"Seriously?"

"Yep. Twins"

"You two dirty boys. I approve" Lex I winks at me.

"Shut it you" I poke Lexi hard near her hip as I know that is her ticklish spot. Predictably she jerks and instinctively curls into a ball to escape further pokes.

Lexi tries to get me back and soon a full on tickle war is taking place on Stefan's bed. It's ridiculous and childish, but neither of us gives up easily. We probably could have gone on for hours if Stefan hadn't suddenly knocked on the door to get our attention.

"I can't leave you two alone for even a few hours can I?" He says with an amused smile.

Lexi climbs back off me and puts on an innocent face as she replies,

"Stefan, I have no idea what you mean"

"Oh, you can leave us alone, just don't expect us to behave" I add more honestly.

Stefan comes over to the bed and sits down. Lexi goes to her duffel and takes out a blood bag. She offers one to me and I take it. I've been doing the good old bite, drink, erase since I got here, something Ever is aware of, I'd never lie to her about that.

In fact she's offered her own blood more than once even when we aren't having sex. I enjoy drinking her blood, it tastes better than anyone else's, as her brother's did. I'm not sure if it's a Gilbert thing, or if my feelings for them both make the blood taste better somehow. I try not to dwell on it too much.

Lexi arches an eyebrow at Stefan,

"Don't be judgy Stefan"

He smiles warmly at her,

"I would never judge either of you"

I take a straw and stick it into the blood bag,

"Good, because I'm still drinking it even if you are judging me, my self restraint is limited"

Stefan sighs quietly,

"It's better than you drinking from Ever anyway"

My hackles rise at that a bit and Lexi notices.

"Ever offers Stefan, I've never taken it from her by force"

Stefan blinks at me and shifts uncomfortably, again Lexi notices and give me a questioning look. I don't answer, mostly because I don't know what I'd answer with. Most of the time we can ignore that Stefan cares for my girlfriend, not in quite the same way he does Elena, but still enough that we actively don't talk about it.

Changing the subject Lexi asks,

"So what are we doing tonight?"

"Funny you should ask" Damon voice comes from the doorway right before he walks right on in.

"We didn't ask you" Lexi snipes in irritation. Lexi and Damon mutually dislike each other, they didn't always, rather it is something that has grown over time.

Damon ignores her and continues,

"There's a party at the grill. You'll love it, tacky waiters, cheap alcohol, all of Stefan's friends"

Stefan frowns at Damon suspiciously,

"Yeah, I don't want a birthday party"

"Well it's not for you. It's a party party, no one's going to known it's your birthday" Damon drawls.

We are all giving him suspicious looks now.

"Whose party is it?" I ask.

"Caroline's throwing it" he answers with a shrug.

"Damon stay away from Caroline" Stefan says at the same time I say,

"If you kill her Damon I will stab you with a butter knife"

Damon rolls his eyes,

"We're friends, it's cool. It's good for the town to see us out and about like normal folk. We need to blend"

"Or, alternatively, you could stop killing everyone and then they wouldn't think there was a vampire in town at all" I suggest snarkily.

"Ugh, what have you done to our baby brother?" Damon looks over at Stefan with a mock disgusted look on his face.

"What?" Stefan asks.

"He's all caring and humany…I don't like it. What did you do Stefan? You've infected him"

"I support the development of his humanity if that's what you mean Damon"

"You've ruined him" he gestures at me and the blood bags then strides out of the room.

"Dick" I say and Lexi nods in agreement.

"Let's go. Sin says I get to meet your twins" Lexi says after a short pause.

Stefan looks unsure for a moment.

"Please" Lexi adds even though both me and Stefan know that she'll force him anyway.

Ever's P.O.V

"Come on Elena, get up, Bonnie wants to show us something extra specially cool, or so she says" I wiggle my eyebrows at Bonnie and she rolls her eyes at me.

Elena tries to hide under the duvet, but me and Bonnie yank back the covers. My twin moans and slams a pillow down over her head.

"I really do want to show you both something. It's important. And sercret" Bonnie whispers encouragingly.

Oh fuck, more secrets, I don't know if I can remember them all by this point.

Elena just makes a garbled sound from beneath the pillow in response.

"If you don't come out and play we'll just keep annoying you"

With a frustrated sigh Elena sits up and sits crossed legged with the pillow in her lap,

"What is it?" she asks.

Phew, I was about five seconds away from going to get my bat.

I settle into a seating position next to Elena and wait for Bonnie to show us whatever it is she wants to show us.

Bonnie smiles like a child who just stole the last cookie from the biscuit tin unnoticed. She grabs one of the pillows on Elena's bed and takes out a knife. Before either me or Elena can react Bonnie slites open the pillow and empties a load of feathers out onto the bed.

I arch an eyebrow,

"Is your secret that you're going to kill us with that knife and then dress us up as chickens?"

Elena snorts out a laugh, but Bonnie just smiles at me again. She says,

"My grams just showed me this"

Bonnie holds her hand out over the feathers for a moment, and then suddenly one of the feathers begins to rise on it's own.

I bite back a gasp, Elena doesn't even conceal hers. A moment later Bonnie seems to concentrate harder and suddenly half of the feathers are floating around them. I sit up on my knees and look around at the feathers, I reach out to touch one gently.

It's freakin' amazing.

"Everything my grams said is true. It's impossible, and it's true" Bonnie says.

I grin back at her, me and Elena exchange glances before I reply for the both of us,

"We believe you"

Bonnie let's the feathers fall,

"I really am a witch" she shrugs slightly, "You don't think I'm a freak now do you?"

Elena shakes her head,

"No way Bonnie"

"This is so cool" I add excitedly, I frown then, "But if it's a secret then why did you tell us?"

Bonnie laughs,

"Because you two are my best friends, I don't want to keep secrets from you"

Oh, well now I feel like a crappy friend. Damn. I'll have to make her cake of some sort. Cake in exchange for honesty, that's fair right?

…

Later on Elena, Jenna and I are sitting on the sofa watching something arguably even more impossible and amazing than what Bonnie showed us.

Jeremy. Jeremy studying. Holy son of a sea biscuit!

"What do you think is going on?" Jenna asks us mock quietly.

Elena shrugs,

"Aliens?

"Body snatchers" I suggest.

"He's obviously not actually Jeremy"

"He's lost it"

Jeremy suddenly stops and looks right at us,

"He can hear you"

All three of us laugh.

But then Elena slumps back into the sofa and sighs heavily. Jenna raises an eyebrow at me and I mouth 'Stefan'. Our aunt nods and says,

"You're wallowing"

Elena sighs again,

"So are you"

Jenna nods,

"My wallowing is legitimate. I got dumped."

I rest my head on her shoulder,

"Yeah, well, Logan's an assface"

"Very true" Elena agrees.

I feel bad about Logan, I wish we could tell Jenna the truth, but that wouldn't do anyone any good right now. Lying to everyone leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I don't want to risk Sinbad's safety, or Stefan's, by getting too many people involved. Bonnie and Jenna are better off out of it.

….

I manage to convince Elena to go to the boarding house even though she told Stefan to stay away from her. I really don't get her sometimes. Stefan is so obviously in love with her, and for the most part I stand by my original assessment that Stefan is a good guy. Vampire stuff aside, I think he and Elena could really work as a couple.

We ring the bell and Sinbad answers. He immediately pulls me against him and kisses me firmly on the lips.

Elena looks around, seeming unsure if she's welcome here. I roll my eyes and take her hand so I can pull her with me further into the house. Sinbad follows behind us. Just then though a woman wrapped only in a towel comes walking down the corridor.

Elena freezes up like a bunny in the headlights. Sinbad called me last night and told me about Stefan's friend, Lexi, paying them a visit for Stefan's birthday.

"Oh my God" Lexi looks genuinely shocked at the sight of us, "How-? What-? Who-"

"I'm Ever, and this is my sister Elena, you must be Lexi, right" I say, trying to keep my tone open and friendly despite the fact that Lexi is staring at us like we're ghosts or something.

"Yeah, I'm Stefan and Sinbad's friend" Lexi replies, still looking confused as hell.

"Not Damon's?" I question with a smirk, already anticipating the answer.

Lexi looks both amused and affronted now,

"Not even if everyone else in the universe died. I'd rather be friends with a tree"

I grin and wink at her,

"Then you've got good taste" I turn to Sinbad, "I like her" I look back at Lexi, "Although I am jealous as I wanted Stefan to be my best friend, I'll fight you for him, and by fight I mean a fair game of snakes and ladders."

I boss at snakes and ladders.

Lexi laughs,

"I can see why Sinbad likes you"

I shrug,

"Where is my new best friend anyway, he's missing out on my wit?"

Elena is still frozen beside me and looking pretty damn uncomfortable, although I'm not sure why.

Lexi gestures behind her,

"He's in the shower" she looks at Elena as she continues "If you'd like to wait in-"

Elena smiles suddenly and says,

"It was nice to meet you, but I've got to go-"

Before I can say anything Elena is rushing towards the door and practically throwing herself outside. Woah, woman, what was that? Did I miss something?

Sinbad frowns,

"Is she alright?" he asks me.

I shrug,

"I don't know, I'd better go after her and find out"

Sinbad nods in agreement,

"Alright, I'll meet you at the party later then"

"Yep. Good to meet you Lexi, I'll bring my snakes and ladders board to the party ready for battle" I say quickly and then rush after Elena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, so please, please, please tell me about it.
> 
> I have four seasons all planned out, but I need to know if you like it or not. xxx


	16. 162 Candles part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexi gives Ever some advice and Damon goes one step too far x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixteenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Damon and I would be sharing a bottle of bourbon tonight. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

162 Candles part 2

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You have some serious emotional damage?" Lexi talks into her mirror, but her words are obviously meant for Stefan.

"It's not what you think" Stefan tries to explain, "She isn't Katherine"

"Then they're related because she could be her twin"

I bark out a laugh,

"Nah, she's already got one"

Lexi rolls her eyes at me,

"And you! How could you allow this to happen, let alone encourage it"

I flop down next to her on the bed whilst Stefan paces back and forth like an endangered caged gorilla. I would say tiger or lion, but they just can't pull off the brood face the way a gorilla can.

"Ever is different. She's nothing like Katherine. Ever is honest, and funny, she would never betray me. I love everything about her, she's special" Just the thought of Ever makes me smile like an idiot.

I realise that Lexi is staring at me intensely, suddenly she full on grins,

"Oh my God. You're in love with her"

Some part of me wants to tell her no, that it's not possible for me to be in love with Ever already. But that would be a lie. I am in love with her, and denying it would serve no one,

"Yeah, I am. Love is a lot more complicated than I thought"

Lexi laughs,

"Don't I know it sweet heart"

Lexi and I share a moment of understanding before she turns back to Stefan,

"So, what about you? Explain yourself"

Stefan stops pacing suddenly,

"I'll admit, Elena looking like Katherine was what drew me to her. But that's it. Katherine and Elena may look the same on the outside, but on the inside they are completely different"

"It's true" I add, "She's not a complete manipulative bitch, so that's a plus"

"No. Elena is warm, and kind and she's caring and she's selfless-"

"Alright brother, don't be giving us a good person grocery list"

But Stefan is lost in his thoughts about Elena. Lexi gives me a look and I shrug.

"Elena makes me forget what I am. She makes me feel human" Stefan continues with his own idiotic smile on his face, "And it's real"

Yeah, as appose to all those fake relationships he's been having with women who look like Katherine bitch Pierce. Riiiight.

I don't say that out loud though because Stefan seems pretty serious. Then again Stefan seems serious about most things. Stefan would look serious whilst making a sandwich. If he made sandwiches. He doesn't. But that isn't my point. Obviously.

Damn. Now I want a sandwich.

Lexi grins at Stefan too,

"You're in love as well then"

Stefan looks down at his hands almost shyly then back up at her,

Yes. I am"

There's a long pause where we don't say anything.

Eventually the tension gets to me,

"Ugh, Damon's right. I am humany."

Lexi shrugs,

"It could be worse"

I nod,

"You're right. I could be blond"

And that's when Lexi punches me in the stomach. It was going to happen eventually, she always gets one punch in on every visit. The reasons quite often vary.

Ever's P.O.V

Stefan came round a few hours before the party to speak with Elena. She was still in the shower, so I invited Stefan in to wait for a while, he accepted. The irony of the situation isn't lost on me.

When Elena ran I caught up to her in the car and she immediately started drving away before I could even get the first 'what the hell' question out. But then when I thought the situation through I realised what her problem was.

Elena was jealous. Of Stefan's best friend Lexi. Sinbad told me enough about her for me to realise that Stefan and her had never been romantically involved, a fact I clued Elena in on. I also know that if anyone should be the jealous twin then that's me, since Lexi and Sinbad did have a sexual relationship.

I felt weird about it at first I guess. But Sinbad has never lied to me, he just isn't like that, he's been up front about everything and that means a lot to me. If there's one thing that pisses me off then it's being lied to. I feel terrible when I lie to others, I rarely do actually. All this vampire stuff aside.

Stefan and I are in the living room.

"I told her that you and Lexi are just friends. But it probably wouldn't hurt for you to say it too" I tell Stefan.

He nods with that stoic look on his face. I reach out and touch his arm, getting him to look at me properly,

"Seriously Stef, I think she'll come round if you give her a good reason to"

Stefan seems to relax slightly under my touch. His presence calms me in a strange way, it always has. I've tried not to think about it too much, my sister's guy and all that. But sometimes I wonder why both Elena and I feel the same connection to Stefan.

He places his hand over mine gently, our eyes meet and I search his gaze for signs that he feels this hum of energy between us too. I see a spark of something in his green eyes and for a moment I consider asking him about it.

But just then Elena comes into the room and I pull my hand away from Stefan. We both stand up from the sofa and I excuse myself to allow them time to talk alone. All the weird connectioney stuff aside, I really do want Elena and Stefan to work it out and find a way to be together.

If only because then me and Sinbad won't have to deal with broody siblings anymore.

Ah, living the dream.

…

Later when we are at the party Elena seems to have forgiven Stefan and we are all playing pool together. It's actually a lot of fun, and I'm glad the awkwardness between Elena and Stefan is gone.

I'm getting on with Lexi really well. I can see why Stefan and Sinbad like her. I can also see why Damon so obviously doesn't like her if the cold looks our way are anything to go by.

When I'm up at the bar ordering us drinks Damon comes up to me. I try to ignore him, but ignoring Damon Salvatore is an impossible task. He moves so close to me and trails a finger down my arm, I shiver from the contact. I wish I could say it was from fear, but that would be a lie.

I can feel him, so handsome and dick-like. And far too close to me for comfort.

"Stefan smiles, alert the media" he drawls into my ear.

I shove him, not that it makes much difference as it's like shoving a brick wall. All three of the Salvatore brothers, that's all they are, hot brick walls of metaphorical steel.

"Yeah, because you've given him so much to be happy about, you vampy pain in the ass" I reply with an eye roll.

Damon smirks down at me,

"Aw, you're right. Poor Stefan, persecuted throughout eternity by his depraved brother"

"Woah, those are some fancy words you're using Dracula boy. Piss off and annoy someone else before Sinbad see's you and goes all Alpha male on us both" I snap back.

"Ooohhh, but that sounds like some real fun. Did he tell you about him and Lexi doing the deed. A lot." Damon wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and I resist the urge to smack him in the face.

"Yes actually he did. I'm cool with it. I like Lexi"

"Ugh, why?"

"Lots of reasons. The main one being she thinks you're a dick"

Damon makes a mock affronted face,

"Rude, Ev's, so rude"

"I'll be even ruder in a minute if you don't shut up"

Then I play my words back to myself and wince. Damon is smirking like there's no tomorrow now,

"I think I'd like that Ev's. We could have some fun together. Go on, you know you want to"

He leans in and lets his lips graze my jaw. I shiver again and silently curse my weakness when it comes to Damon. A big part of me knows how dangerous he is, how much of a bastard he can be. But there is also a part of me that can't write him off as completely evil either.

I'm about to reply when Elena suddenly appears, a scowl on her face. She glares daggers at Damon,

"I don't know what you're up to Damon. But leave us alone, and don't kill anyone, you've been awful enough already."

Damon moves away from me slightly and gives Elena a bored/amused look. His earlier expression of heat and playfulness forgotten.

"Does it get tiring, being so self-righteous?"

Elena lets out a huff and replies,

"It flares up in the presence of psychopaths"

Elena grabs my arm then and drags me away, without even letting me get our drinks. Over my shoulder I look back at Damon as he says,

"Well consider this psychopaths feelings hurt"

"Dick" I mutter under my breath.

"Heard that Ever"

"Goodie for you asshole"

Damon's laughter follows us as Elena pulls me away from the bar.

…

As I'm coming back from the bathroom Lexi comes up to me and hands me a shot. We stop at a near by table. Sinbad and Elena are playing pool to the death by the looks of things, Stefan is standing quite close to her, watching with a grin on his face.

I like a grinning Stefan, it's so different to his usual stoic expression.

I swig the shot, as does Lexi, and say,

"Vampires drink a lot of alcohol"

Lexi laughs,

"Hell yeah, it helps us fight the cravings"

I laugh too as a thought pops into my head,

"You know, I haven't seen Stefan drunk yet. I've seen Sinbad drunk, it's definitely a sight to behold. But with Stefan I can't even imagine it, he always seems so-"

"Uptight" Lexi finishes for me.

"Yeah, kind of. He's a serious guy. But he's letting it loose tonight, what you do to him? Voodoo? Drugs? Rain dance…or should that be happy dance?"

"Well, when you've known someone for over a hundred years you can really be yourself around them" Lexi explains with a shrug.

I nod, it makes sense. I feel more comfortable with Matt, and even Tyler, because I've known them for what feels like forever. Although Sinbad makes me feel comfortable enough to be myself too even though we haven't known each other for very long.

"I don't know if Stefan will ever be able to be himself with me. I think I make him nervous, what with my….strong personality and all"

Lexi smiles at me,

"Maybe not yet. But I've seen the way he is with you. He's a lot more himself with you than he is with most people. The rest will come with time, trust me"

"How about Sinbad?" I ask hesitantly, I want to know if my strong feelings for Sinbad are as real for him as they are for me.

Lexi smirks then and answers,

"I've never seen him this connected to another person. I didn't think he'd ever fall in love with anyone. Until now"

I try to conceal my grin, I don't quite manage it, so I swig another shot to distract myself before I start dancing on the spot or something equally disastrous.

By complete accident my eyes meet Sinbad's and he winks at me and my heart skips a few beats in response. My gaze then sweeps to Stefan, he seems to sense my gaze and he smiles openly. I avert my eyes back to Lexi, but not before I catch sight of Damon. He's watching me, and suddenly heat rises in my body.

Lexi snaps my attention back to her when she says,

"Listen, take it from someone who's been around for a long time; when it's real, you can't walk away"

After my parents died I didn't think my life could change anymore than it already did. But obviously I was wrong. The Salvatore's have rocked my world upsidown, at least this time, for the most part, I think I like it.

Sinbad's P.O.V

When the sheriff and her deputies start dragging Lexi away, all four of us immediately try to get to her. But when we reach the door there are two deputies guarding it against anybody leaving.

"Let's go out the back way" Stefan nods at me and we all make our way to the back exit of the grill.

Once we're outside it doesn't take us long to find Lexi being held by two men, the sheriff leading them. I stop us at the corner. Lexi is strong, she should be able to get away from just three humans.

Sure enough Lexi comes back to life fast and throws the two men away from her. She snarls at the sheriff and starts stalking towards her. The sheriff pulls a gun and fires a few shots, but they have no affect on Lexi.

I'm about to step in and cause a distraction for Lexi when suddenly Damon appears and stakes Lexi through the heart. Elena gasps and Ever lets out a whispered "No". Shock racks my mind as I stare in disbelief at what my oldest brother has just done.

I turn back to Stefan, the pain on his face hits me even harder. There is no going back from this, no way to undo what has been done.

Without another word Stefan stalks away from us. Elena goes after him, but he shrugs her off. They have a heated discussion and then Stefan stalks off again angrily.

Suddenly I feel Ever's hand on my arm and on instinct I pull her against me. My embrace is tight, and Ever buries her face in my chest. Her hand strokes my back soothingly,

"I'm so sorry" she whispers.

My heart breaks a little with those words.

…

Eventually Ever lets me go and I say a swift goodbye. Knowing that my brothers are going to have one hell of show down tonight. Part of me wants to let Stefan kill Damon, the bastard deserves it. But that would destroy Stefan, and I cannot allow that.

When I get home Stefan already has Damon pinned up against the wall. From the state of the room I'd say they've been throwing each other around a bit. The rage is clear on Stefan's face, and when I see the stake in his hand I shout,

"No Stefan!"

But Stefan stabs the stake right into Damon. My eyes widen until I realise he missed Damon's heart.

"I did this for us. So we'd all be safe" Damon manages to choke out.

Stefan growls angrily,

"You never do anything for anyone but yourself", he twists the stake, which elicits a lot of sputtering sounds from Damon.

"You missed"

"No. You saved my life, now I'm sparing yours. We're even" Stefan lets go of the stake and backs away from Damon.

As Stefan passes me by the door we share a look of understanding and mutual grief over the loss of our friend.

Damon tries to pull the stake from his stomach and I watch him for a moment. His eyes meet mine,

"Don't look at me like that Sin, this doesn't involve you"

I bite back a snarl and use my vampire speed to slam that stake even deeper into him. Damon yells out in pain and I smile,

"It always 'involves' me you fucking prick. If you were anyone else, anyone else, then I would make you suffer. I would cause you so much pain. You'd beg for death by the time I was through with you."

I yank the stake out and plunge it back into a different part of his stomach. Then I get up and leave the room. Killing Lexi was a mistake. A mistake I will one day make him pay for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, it gives me inspiration. xxx


	17. History Repeating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damon's diabolical plan is revealed. But to who? x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventeenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Damon and Stefan would be helping me bake a cake for my brother's birthday tomorrow. xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write. 
> 
> Ever's P.O.V

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

History Repeating

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Have you even talked to Bonnie?" I ask Caroline as we walk into school.

"No" Caroline answers, she flicks her hair mean girls stylie, "I'm mad at her. She needs to make the first move"

Oh goodie.

Caroline is pissy with Sabrina a.k.a Bonnie because she wouldn't give back this necklace thing that Caroline gave her. Yet another thing that is all Damon's fault. That bastard. That handsome smirk master bastard.

Killing Lexi was one step to far, for both of his younger brothers. In fact I'm surprised the idiot is even still alive right now.

I sigh,

"Well, Elena might say 'be the bigger person' blah blah blahness"

Caroline laughs and asks,

"What do you say?"

"I say, hell, just fight it out and then hug. Simples"

Caroline seems to be thinking that over.

"Who's side are you on?" she asks.

Side? There are sides? What is this, 'West side story'? There are no sides in this situation.

"I'm Switzerland baby, make no mistake"

Caroline rolls her eyes, but she's smiling too.

"How are things with Elena and Stefan?"

I shrug,

"Better. I think"

Elena really is blowing hot and cold with her feelings for Stefan. She's weird. Just kiss his face, make everybody happy I said to her this morning. She did not appreciate my superior advice, in fact she called me childish. I was almost obliged to point out that I'm the one in the mature loving relationship thank you very much.

With Sinbad.

Who's basically a bad boy from a 90s movie mixed with a modern day rock star.

I love him though, which is what counts in the grand scheme of things.

"How about you and Sinbad? Any drama?"

I shrug again,

"Not between us specifically"

Which isn't actually a lie. Technically all the drama in our relationship is because of our siblings. But hey, who ever said family was meant to make you happy? Sinbad says that family exists to make you miserable, and with Damon as his family I can see what he means.

The bell rings and Caroline says,

"See you later"

"Yeah, see you"

Caroline passes by Matt and he basically ignores her. His eyes meet mine and he gives me that all American boy smile. I go up to him and we start walking to History.

As we walk to class together I ask,

"What was that with Caroline?"

Matt looks down and he mumbles something I can't understand,

"Uh, what was that Matty, come on, I hear you took her home after the party. Did she come on to you? Did some underage sexy stuff happen? Matty….did you cuddle?"

Matt starts laughing, but it's nervous laughter,

"No. NO you mentalist! And….it wasn't cuddling exactly"

I make my eyes go wide,

"Ah, so you're paying it cool bananas. Good, good, I have taught you well"

"Shut up Ever. I'm not playing anything"

"Liar, liar batman boxer shorts on fire Matty"

Matt rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything else. I'm still smirking at him as we sit down, but he seems determined to ignore me. Rude.

Apparently we get a new teacher today. I can barely contain my excitement. It isn't physically possible for me to get enough sarcasm into those words.

Elena and Bonnie are already sat down. My twin looks grumpy, and Bonnie just looks tired, like, really, really tired. I mouth 'are you alright?' to Bonnie and she shrugs, which is not an inspiring answer.

Our new teacher says,

"Alrighty" and then writes his name on the board.

"Alaric Saltzman, it's a mouthful, I know, doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family immigrated here in 1754 to Texas. I however was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great grandfather, who I'll never be able to thank enough. But, you, can call me Rick"

Our new History teacher is kind of hot. That should be a creepy thought, but it's true, he is hot in an older guy scruffy kind of way. I should introduce him to Jenna, she'd like him; it'd get her mind off Logan scum Fell as she has taken to calling him again at every opportunity.

I look over at Stefan's desk. No doubt my sister has noticed his absence too. I wish I was at the boarding house with Sinbad and Stefan, I think they both need a break from their brother's…Damonyness. So could I actually, he's been popping up in my dreams again, and it's really annoying.

Elena has no idea how lucky she is that she's got Stefan's interest and not Damon's. Anymore of him and I might have to plan a Salvatore staking of my own.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Rise and shine, you'll be late for school" Damon comes sauntering into Stefan's room.

Stefan and I had been talking about things before we were interrupted by our dick of a brother. We need locks for our doors. Fuck that, we need attack dogs and booby-traps that involve vervain darts.

Stefan frowns over at Damon,

"Wha-what are you doing?"

We've talked about this. Stefan needs to stop asking him stupid questions.

"What Stefan really means by that is, piss off you frustrating bastard"

Damon holds out a drink for each of us,

"Peace offering"

Asshole.

Stefan goes to his wardrobe and gets out a t-shirt.

"Come on, you need it for blood circulation, does dead flesh good" Damon holds the drink out to me.

I lean against the bed post and raise an eyebrow at him.

Suddenly Damon loses the smirk and says,

"Aright, I'm sorry"

"Fucking hell, did you hear that Stef, Damon's sorry. Whoop di freakin do."

"I really am….sorry"

"That looked painful"

"It was"

"Good, now, like Stefan said, piss off"

Damon huffs out a frustrated breath,

"I got the town off our backs. It was for the greater good. But I'm sorry"

Stefan comes out of the bathroom now wearing the shirt he picked out and gives Damon his best 'I smell bullshit' face.

Damon sighs as if we're being the difficult ones,

"To prove it, I'm not gonna feed on a human, for at least a…week. I'll adopt a Stefan diet, just nothing with feathers"

Stefan's jaw clenches,

"So, really, killing your closest and oldest friend is beyond evil, but somehow, it's worthy of humour"

Oh, Stefan just made a funny.

Damon frowns for a long moment,

"Are you mimicking me?"

"Yes Stefan, now that the secret society of vampire haters is off our back, I can get back to my routine of 'how can I destroy Stefan's life this week'"

"And I can go back to sulking and Elena longing and forehead brooding….this is fun, I like this"

"And I will finally reveal my ulterior motive behind my evil and diabolical return to Mystic Falls"

Well that's not happening.

"Yeeeaaahh, I'm done"

I look between my two older brothers,

"You two. Are morons. I've been saying that for over a hundred years and I still stand by it now"

They don't seem about to kill each other, which means I don't have to be here, so I walk out of the room and leave them to it. I may be the youngest, but sometimes I swear I'm the only one who stopped being a twelve year old.

Ever's P.O.V

"So the necklace belonged to Emily?" I ask.

Bonnie's just been telling me and Elena all about her creepy dreams involving Emily Bennett, Bonnie ancestor.

"Yeah. I think she's using it to communicate with me" Bonnie replies. She looks so tired and upset that I reach out and take her hand.

"What does Grams say?" Elena asks.

Bonnie shakes her head,

"I can't call her. She'll tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it, I want it gone"

I can't blame her, it sounds awful. I know Damon wants the necklace, although I have no idea why, but it gives me a bad feeling.

…

After school Stefan and Sinbad are waiting for me and Elena on a lunch table. I smile at Sinbad and he gives me that drop dead gorgeous grin of his right back.

Stefan and Elena go off a little ways away to talk privately. The moment I reach Sinbad he pulls me into a deep kiss that rocks my world right down to my toes.

When we finally pull back I ask,

"What's going on with….everything?"

Sinbad smiles sadly, I hate that look on his face, it's so unlike Sinbad to let stuff get to him. But Damon killing Lexi has really hit him quite hard, and I'm doing my best to be there for whatever he needs from me.

"Ah, it's alright. Damon and Stefan have resorted to behaving like children who are fighting over a toy"

"So, much of the same then"

Sinbad smiles again and I feel myself return it,

"Yep. Oh the joys of having two brothers who are constantly at odds. One day I'll lose my shit and just kill them both in their sleep"

"A bit anti-climatic"

"You're right. I need a better murder plan than that. I think it should involve an emu and a pencil"

"I'm intrigued. Where will we get the emu from?"

"Uh, emu farm?"

"There are EMU FARMS? What are we even still doing here? Lets go to an emu farm damn it"

"Hell yes! Google search here we come!"

We start chuckling like hyenas from the Lion King.

Sinbad puts his arm around me and we sit on the bench in comfortable silence for a while. Right up until Sinbad snorts out another laugh.

"What?" I ask.

Sinbad turns to me and grins,

"Baby, we're going to an emu farm for Valentine's day"

Sinbad and I crack up and laugh far louder and longer than two fully grown humans(ish) should at the thought of going to an emu farm.

…

"I have an idea, why don't we have a séance?" Caroline practically jumps up and down on the spot in excitement.

Oh crap.

Bonnie ended up throwing the necklace away, quite dramatically I might add. Elena and I told Sinbad and Stefan about the necklace and they apparently remember it as belonging to Katherine. The two brothers have gone in search of Damon so they can get some answers out of him.

Even though Bonnie threw the necklace away it somehow ended up back in her bag. Creep factor five hundred anyone.

At least Caroline and Bonnie have made up, after a mini bitch fight where Bonnie revealed her witch status to Caroline.

A mistake obviously if a séance is her first reaction. I don't want to talk to any freakin' ghosts. I got enough problems with vampires and witches and weird ass necklaces without anymore supernaturally shit being added in.

"I don't think that's such a good idea" Bonnie murmurs with a desperate look at me to end this madness.

"Come on, let's summon some spirits, this Emily ghost has a lot of explaining to do" Caroline argues with that same peppy enthusiasm that makes her the perfect cheerleader.

I groan as it looks like Elena and Bonnie might be going along with it.

"Ah, if you three want to do a séance then I'm out of here. I believe in ghosts alright, doesn't mean I want to have a chat with one" I say with a shrug.

I get out of that house before I can be persuaded (Caroline) to stay out of guilt (Elena). I get the car and drive to the grill. Hopefully Sinbad and Stefan have had some luck with convincing Damon to talk about his evil plans.

…

-My brothers want to know the truth. But there's only one person I'll tell. Come to the football field Ev's-

When I get the text I tell myself to ignore it. I tell myself that it cannot end well if I go. But somehow I still find myself driving to the football field like a prize moron.

It doesn't take me long to find him. Damon is standing in the middle of the football field. He smirks when he see's me and I can already feel regret washing through my body in waves. No good can come of this. But I don't turn around and walk away like any sane person would do.

Nope, stupid old me. I go walking right up to him.

When we are standing only a few feet apart I ask,

"So, what is the truth Damon? Why are you really here?"

Damon tilts his head slightly and regards me for a moment,

"Katherine is….alive…sort of…ish...it's a long story"

I nod, doing my best to hide my shock. I remember that spark of hope I saw when he first spoke of Katherine. Now I know I wasn't imagining it.

"Where is she?" I ask.

"In a tomb under the church"

"Why?" I feel like an idiot asking all these questions like this, but as long as Damon's talking then I'll carry on asking.

Damon seems to consider my question for a moment before answering,

"I begged Emily to protect Katherine, she did in return for me saving her children and keeping her bloodline safe. That's the only reason why I haven't ripped your little witchy friend's throat out to get the necklace"

I frown,

"What does the necklace have to do with anything?"

Damon smiles at that,

"Emily ceiled the tomb with a spell. She needs the necklace to open it"

"Alright"

Damon barks out a laugh,

"'Alright'? That's it. I choose to tell you my diabolical plan and you say 'alright'?"

I shrug and make a face,

"Oh, sorry, what do you want me to say-'wow Damon that is so not as evil as we all thought, well done you dickhead'"

"So feisty Ev's, I like it" Damon smirks at me, his blue eyes alight with amusement and my stupid heart does a stupid flip.

Salvatore's are going to kill me with their stupid smiles and their stupid smirks and their stupid, stupid sexiness.

Damon moves closer to me. I try to take a step back, a big one, but Damon reaches out and grabs hold of my arm. He pulls me against him and holds me there firmly. He dips his head to trace his lips over my jaw. Damon's teeth come out to play as he nips my throat, I shiver under his lips.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Damon let her go now!" I hear Stefan shout from somewhere behind me.

I try to yank myself away from Damon. He holds onto me for a few more seconds, probably just because he can, and then lets me go. I take a few steps away from him and turn to see Stefan striding towards us.

"Ah, brother, you've always had the worst possible timing you know that" Damon drawls with a pointed look at me. A look I ignore.

I can feel Stefan's gaze on me, he checks me over for any damage Damon might have caused and I move closer to him. He's always had a knack for making me feel safe. I want to ask where Sinbad is, although I'm so glad he didn't just see Damon touching me like that, he would have kicked his ass for sure.

"What's going on Damon? We were at the Grill and you just ran off" Stefan says in annoyance having determined that I am not dying or bleeding from anywhere.

Damon shrugs casually,

"I got bored. Thought I'd hang out with your girlfriend…no, wait, she's our baby brother's girlfriend. Damn, I'm losing track of who fancies who around here"

Suddenly my phone starts to ring, it's Elena so I pick up despite the Salvatore stare off going on in front of me.

"Oh my god! It's Bonnie, she possessed or something by Emily's ghost"

"What!? Where is she now?"

"I don't know she just….wait Fells church, by the old cemetery"

"Oh, hang on. Stefan's here, we'll go find her ok"

I hang up before Elena can ask any questions. It's clear both Damon and Stefan listened in to my conversation. Vamp hearing is annoying. And rude.

Damon is already vamp speeding to Fells church before I even end the call. Stefan meets my eyes and he reaches out to take my hand. I look down at it for a moment before taking it and allowing him to swing me up into his arms.

Before we go I explain the basics of what Damon told me to Stefan and then text Sinbad to meet us there.

This is not good, so not good.

Sinbad's P.O.V

It's been a while since Stefan went out to find Damon. I stayed behind to see if he'd come back. But it's getting more and more likely that he won't. Getting Damon to tell us his plan was a bust, as I knew it would be.

So here I am, stuck waiting for Stefan to text me with Damon's whereabouts.

I'm halfing my attention between Jenna and the new guy Alaric, and Jeremy. I like Jenna, the few times we've spoken has told me a lot about the woman who is trying hard to raise three teenagers by herself.

I will admit that Jeremy is holding most of my attention. Ever since I used compulsion on him I know he's been behaving differently. He seems to be losing the druggie look, which makes him look even more beautiful, as I thought it would.

Those big brown eyes of his just draw me in every time. I've gotta stop thinking of him like that. I mean, he's Ever's brother, who am I, Katherine? Ugh, I just internally shuddered at the thought.

When my eyes flicker back to Jeremy I catch his gaze and realise he knows I've been watching him. Damn, that's not good. But, hell, if he already knows then…

I get up and go over to where Jeremy is sitting. He frowns up at me the same way he did when we first met in the cemetery.

"Hi, Jer, mind if I sit down?"

Jeremy's eyes widen in surprise, but he shrugs and says,

"Uh, alright"

I sit in the seat opposite him that his aunt vacated not long ago. We just look at each other for a long moment, and I'm content to simply watch him. And, yes, I am fully aware of how creepy that sounds.

Jeremy breaks the silence by saying,

"So…how…are you?"

I almost laugh at his confusion mixed with slight anxiety,

"Not bad, my brothers are being a pain in the ass, but apart from that"

Jeremy does laugh at that. His laugh is low and it changes his face completely from moody teen to cute young guy.

"My sisters do my head in too sometimes"

"I think it's meant to be that way"

"What is?"

"Family. Siblings especially, they're meant to drive you crazy"

Jeremy nods in agreement,

"That's what my dad used to say when me and Ever would fight-"

Jeremy suddenly breaks off, as if just realising he mentioned his parents. That deep rooted sadness fills his brown eyes and my heart twists with the need to wipe it away.

I lean forward and say,

"My father used to give me hell for fighting with my brothers. He said there was nothing more important in life than family, and that meant we had to stick together no matter what"

Curiosity replaces the sadness in his eyes. Jeremy bites his lip, and for a moment all I can think about is tasting him again. I want to so badly that it's almost ridiculous. Jeremy brings me back to myself by asking,

"What happened to your dad?"

I think back to that night when Stefan murdered our father and have to fight a grimace,

"He was killed"

Jeremy sits forward,

"By who?"

I tilt my head slightly,

"More of a what really"

"What then?"

I smile sadly,

"A monster"

Before Jeremy can ask any more questions I get a text. It's from Ever telling me to meet her at Fells church right away. I say a swift goodbye to Jeremy and rush over to the church, a very bad feeling twisting up my insides.

…

"You can't do this Damon" I shout in his face.

The idiot is going to unleash twenty-seven vampires on Mystic Falls to save that bitch Katherine. Me and Stefan cannot allow that to happen.

When I got to the woods it didn't take me long to find Ever and Stefan. They filled me in on Damon's ridiculous master plan. I'll say it again, my big brother is an idiot.

We found Bonnie and Damon by the church. Bonnie, or I should say Emily's ghost, is doing a spell to destroy the necklace. I say good riddance, the last thing we all need is a bunch of starving vampires getting out of the tomb and wreaking their revenge on the entire town.

"WHY NOT!" Damon shouts back, struggling to get out of the grip I have on his shoulders, "They killed twenty-seven people, and they called it a war battle, they deserve whatever they get"

I shake my head in disbelief,

"Twenty-seven vampires Damon. They were vampires. You can't just bring them back"

"This town deserves this" Damon whispers.

"Bullshit!" I yell angrily.

"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened over a hundred years ago" Stefan argues.

As if we need to argue over how moronic this all is.

I keep looking over at Ever, making sure she's out of harms way, at least for the most part.

Damon glares between Stefan and me,

"There is nothing innocent about these people. And don't think for a second it won't happen again. They already know too much. And they'll burn your little grand witch right along next to us when they find out"

"Things are different now" Emily says.

I turn, letting my grip on Damon loosen.

"Don't do this" Damon pleads.

"I can't free them. I won't" Emily replies, an absoluteness to her tone that I remember quite clearly from all those years ago. It would almost be funny if it weren't so stupidly dramatic as well.

"NO" Damon shouts as Emily begins the spell. Fire lights up all around her and Damon tries to rush at her. Stefan and I hold him back.

Ever is staring at Bonnie open mouthed. She takes a step forward, but I catch her eye and shake my head. She nods in understanding and stops.

Bonnie throws the necklace up into the air and it explodes. Immediately the fire around her begins to die down. Elena comes running out of the trees and Ever grabs onto her sister, the two of them clutch at one another tightly.

With so much distraction Damon manages to get around us and attack Bonnie. I yank him away from her and Stefan bites into his wrist to feed her his blood so she'll heal. Ever and Elena rush over to Bonnie as I keep an eye on Damon to make sure that's his last outburst tonight around the girl I love.

Later after Ever has left with Elena and Bonnie, Stefan and I go to talk to Damon. He won't look at us, and I can practically feel the emotion in his voice when he says,

"It was real for me"

I always knew Damon loved Katherine more than Stefan ever did. I also know that she doesn't deserve that kind of love from anybody. Not then, and certainly not now.

I love Ever, I truly do, and I will do anything to protect her, even if that means letting my brother be miserable without the woman he loves for the rest of eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright this was a long one. I spent a lot of time on it, so let me know what you think please. Especially about Ever/Sinbad, Ever/Damon, Sinbad/Jeremy so far. I need to know what you think so I can do it right. xxx
> 
> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, it gives me inspiration. xxx


	18. The Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone finds out the truth about Kathrine x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighteenth chapter. Again I own nothing but what I have created myself, if I did own these characters then Matt would be my first love xxx
> 
> Please let me know what you think, don't be shy, even bad stuff, I take criticism into serious consideration when I write.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The Turning Point

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"So, any idea of where you'll go?" I ask Damon.

My eldest brother is leaning against the window and I pour us both a drink. Since Damon is supposed to be leaving because he can no longer free Katherine from the tomb, thank every single star in the universe for that by the way, we've actually fallen back into our usual brotherly routine of not hating each other.

I hand one of them to Damon and he takes it with a nod of thanks.

Damon shrugs,

"I don't know. London maybe. See some friends"

I bark out a laugh,

"Wait….you have friends. Who are these people? I want names and numbers so I can call them to check you aren't lying"

Damon smiles sardonically at me,

"You're right Sin, I only have you. So, where we going?"

"We, aren't going anywhere brother. In case you've forgotten, I'm in love with my girlfriend and have no intention of leaving her."

"Ah, but does she love you" Damon questions me with that irritating smirk I've come to expect and barely tolerate.

Does Ever love me?

Now, that's a question I've been trying not to ask myself. I'd like to think the answer is yes, but considering we haven't actually said that to each other yet, I don't want to assume anything.

Damn relationship politics. I knew there was a reason I never wanted to be in one of these things before.

It's fucking hard. And not in the fun way.

"Nice try Day. But I'm not leaving. Go bug Stefan about it."

"I can't, he's gone to school"

Both me and Damon share a mutual shudder at the thought of going to a High school. By choice. If there's one thing I know after all these years then it's that school is shit no matter what century it is.

"He loves Elena you know" I say after a lengthy pause that was just on the right side of comfortable.

Damon chuckles darkly,

"I know. You should watch out though baby brother, he cares about Ev's too much for his own good"

Ev's? Did he just call my girlfriend Ev's?

It takes more will power than I'd like to let that one go.

I give Damon a hard look,

"I could say the same about you big brother. For whatever reason Ever doesn't hate you yet"

"That's because she doesn't really know me" Damon drawls. He seems half amused, but there is something in his eyes that tells me he's interested beyond what he appears to be.

"I'd like to keep it that way Damon. I know you care about her"

Damon rolls his eyes, but he doesn't say no, and for Damon that actually means a hell of a lot.

"Where are you actually going Damon? Tell me, I won't even tell Stefan if you don't want me to. Pinkie swear."

Damon looks me over for a few long moments before finally replying,

"I'm going to find another way to open the tomb"

Oh shit on a stick.

I should have known he wouldn't let it go so easily. One hundred and forty-five year old obsessions are hard to break I suppose.

"Damon, could you not just let it go? For my sanity? For yours? For the sake of the whole bloody universe's?"

"You could help me" is all Damon says.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair in frustration,

"Damon the only reason I would ever help get Katherine out of that tomb is so that I could kill her for what she did to you and Stefan"

Damon looks away from me then and there's a tense silence, it hangs between us like something tangible in the air. I know how he feels about her, and he knows how I feel about her. But we've never really talked about it properly, at least not for a long time.

I'm about to say something else when the doorbell rings. Damon and I frown at each other for a moment before I go to answer it. Sheriff Forbes is standing there looking nervous and tad shifty for someone who's meant to be on the side of the good guys.

"I'm here to see Damon" She says, a brisk confidence in her tone.

'I'm here to see Damon', now if that wasn't the most ominous sentence in existence.

No good is going to come of this, I can feel it.

I smile as warmly as I can considering,

"You definitely aren't the first law enforcement officer to say that" But before I can say anything else Damon is there behind me and ushering the Sheriff inside our house.

Bad, bad, so very bad.

Damon takes the Sheriff out the back, for 'privacy'.

I listen in on their conversation and the bad feeling in my stomach just gets worse and worse. There's another Vampire in town. Fuck a duck. Just when I though the drama might finally be winding down. One crazy vampire, a.k.a my brother, is enough for Mystic Falls. Maybe they heard Damon was leaving and decided they wanted his job of 'royal pain in Sin's ass'.

This whole fucking Council thing has me on edge. I hate to think of it, but I might actually have to team up with Damon on this one. The thought alone makes me feel slightly kill-y. I'm hungry too. Ever offered to let me feed on her last night, but I didn't want to risk taking too much. She tastes so good that it threatens even my solid self control.

I call Stefan to impart the wonderful news, and tell him to let Ever and Elena in on it. I may want to keep Ever safe and out of all this shit, but I won't lie to her. Not about stuff like this especially.

Even if she doesn't love me. Fuck, that thought hurts like a bitch. Once Damon and I have dealt with this new vampire a-hole whose wrecking our town, then I'll hopefully have more time to spend on my relationship with Ever.

Yeah, and maybe I'll turn into a fucking elephant and float up to the moon while I'm at it.

Ever's P.O.V

Stefan pulls Elena and me aside at lunch to tell us that there's a new vampire eating people in town.

Fucking great. It's not like we don't have enough vampires around already. Not that I want Stefan or Sinbad gone. I'm not even going to mention Damon because my…ok, I'm not going to call them feelings, I'm not, but there is something there that makes me not want to think about him leaving.

Which means there is something horribly wrong with me. Very drastically wrong.

"So what do we do about it?" I ask Stefan.

Stefan shakes his head,

"Nothing. You don't have to do anything. Damon and Sinbad are tracking him right now, between the two of them they should be able to handle whoever it is"

I don't even want to contemplate what could happen if they can't handle the mysterious new vampire. Nothing good, obviously. Something very death-like, probably.

"We want you two to be careful" Stefan continues. His eyes linger on me as he says, "We don't want you to do anything that could put you in harms way"

Well, now I'm offended.

"I shall have you know that I never put myself in harms way. I get shoved in harms way. By all you people" I gesture madly at Stefan and Elena.

Elena snorts out a laugh,

"Oh, yeah, who went to meet Damon at night alone"

I narrow my eyes at her. Good looking bitch, she's always undermining me in front of my new best friend.

"Yeah, well….shut up"

Elena raises an eyebrow,

"That's it?"

I cross my arms over my chest,

"No…give me a minute"

Elena rolls her eyes and turns back to Stefan. See, I said so, evil twin. Pure evil.

I leave Stefan and Elena to their special 'stare at each other fairy tale style' time and go to head back inside. But half way to my next class I get a text from Damon,

-Meet me in the parking lot. I need your help to find the new vampire in town-

I think for a moment about going back to find Stefan and tell him about it. But I get the feeling if Damon wanted Stefan to know then he would have said so.

Going off with Damon again is a bad idea, a horrible one in fact, but despite everything I do trust Damon not to kill me, which is good enough by this point.

Besides, I do want to help with this vampire thing if I can. It is my town this bastard's attacking people in. I take that very personally.

Damon is waiting for me in the car park, leaning against my car casually as if it's completely normal for him to be there.

For a moment I just watch him. There's something almost beautiful about Damon. Not in a feminine way, not at all. But he reminds me vaguely of a fae prince. Arrogant, beautiful and enticing. The thoughts swirl around in my head until he catches my gaze and beckons me over with an impatient hand gesture.

When I reach him he immediately takes my dad's old watch out of his pocket and hands it to me. I look up at him questioningly. Damon nods towards the vampire tracking device thingy and says,

"I want you to use this to track the vampire, and then call me to let me know where it is. So I can rip its heart out and then finally leave this town"

My stomach flips when he mentions him leaving, but I push that down and ask,

"Why can't you do it?"

Damon sighs heavily as if I've just asked a stupid question,

"Because I mess with the signal"

"Does Sinbad know about us doing this?" I ask suspiciously.

Damon's silence tells me the answer is no. I take my phone out to call Sinbad, Damon snatches the phone away from me,

"What are you doing?"

I frown at him and make a grab for my phone, he just moves it out of my reach like I'm an annoying child who wants her Barbie back.

"I'm calling Sinbad to let him know what's going on"

Damon shakes his head,

"Nope. Either you do this now, or I'll go find your little blond friend and compel her to do it. Your choice Ever"

I remember the last time he gave me a choice like that and I glare openly at the smug bastard as he smirks down at me, obviously already knowing what my choice will be.

"Oh, alright, but if I die, tell Elena and Stefan you forced me to do it"

"Why?"

"Because there's no way I'm going to let them think they're right about me always getting myself into trouble"

"No problem" Damon replies, he smirks at me again and then leans in to whispers, "I like that you always walk into trouble Ev's"

I lean back and meet his pale gaze,

"Why?" I ask.

Damon reaches out and tucks a stray curl behind my ear,

"Because I'm trouble"

Well, I'm not going to argue with him about that.

Damon shows me how to use the device, and I get the hang of it quite quickly. He leaves to give me space so that he won't get in the way of the signal.

…

I find the vampire's hiding place a lot quicker than I thought. Apparently he's inside an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. Classy vamp, whoever it is. I text Damon the information and within a couple of minutes he's standing beside me outside the big storage building.

"You can go now Ev's" Damon says to me.

"No way. I'll wait out here for you. What if the vampire kills you or something? You might need help"

Damon gives me a strange look like he's unsure of whether to believe in my motives for wanting to stay.

"You are confusing Ever Gilbert" he whispers finally.

His blue fire eyes blaze intensely into mine and I cannot for the life of me tare my gaze away. Damon moves as if to touch me again and my breath hitches when his hand touches my face. But just as quickly he us pulling away and with one final look at me he strides into the warehouse.

I lean against my car and wait for a while. Then I hear the first round of gun shot and suddenly I'm running inside the warehouse without even thinking. Which is stupid on so many levels. I could really slap me sometimes.

But all I can think about in that moment is getting to Damon and making sure he isn't dead. I stop dead when I see Damon on his knees on the floor, blood all over him, and Logan Fell standing over him holding the gun.

I blink for several seconds, unable to compute my brain with what I'm seeing. Logan Fell is meant to be dead. Damon killed him to save Stefan. Yet another thing I added to my list of weird contradictions that are part of Damon Salvatore. He's a strange bastard. I can't decide if he's evil or not.

Although, it ddoesn't really matter. I guess I've always been a strong believer in the 'shades of grey' idea. Not the weird sex book thingy mijigy, I mean the idea of life not being in all black and white. That goes for people too

Damon shouts at me to run, and his voice jolts me back into myself. I turn around to fucking run for my life, in this case literally, but before I can even make it a few steps I'm grabbed from behind.

Logan holds me close to his body and yanks my head to side. Fuck, not again, is my last thought before Logan's fangs bite into my neck. I scream, and I scream loud. It hurts so bad that tears start to fall from my eyes.

Through the haze of pain I hear someone snarl and suddenly Logan is being ripped away from me. I fall to ground heavily and try desperately to breath through the pain.

There's the sound of a neck being snapped and for the first time it fills me with relief. I never thought I'd be glad that someone was dead, but right now I really am.

A few moments later Damon is kneeling down next to me. He's still wincing in pain, and I look up at him gratefully,

"Thank you Damon"

He blinks in surprise for a moment and then smiles, its pain filled, but it's still a smile,

"Anytime" he just about manages to choke out.

We both fall to our backs next to each other, both of us breathing heavily. Damon gives me some of his blood, and this time I don't hesitate to drink it down.

Once I'm feeling a bit less like I might die at any moment from blood loss, I sit up and help Damon get the bullets out of him. It's awful and disgusting, but he did save me from being eaten by the local news guy.

Fair's fair.

After a while we go back to the boarding house and Damon calls Liz to tell her about Logan, obviously leaving me out of it and just saying he found where he was stashing his victims and killed him.

Damon's on his way to becoming a trusted member of the council. Now that's a scary thought, It's almost funny. If you're an insane person that is.

We both have a shower and I put on some clothes I left here a few days ago.

I find the picture by complete accident. I wasn't even snooping. Not really. It was just there, on the table. In Sinbad's room. A picture of me. Or Elena. But not us. It's grainy and old. Very old. The words 'Katherine 1854' are written underneath the picture.

At first I don't have a fucking clue how to react. I mean how do you react to finding out the famous bitch of all time that your boyfriend has told you about, the woman who tore his family apart, looks exactly like you.

I drop the picture back onto the table and place a hand over my mouth. I back up until my ass hits the edge of the bed post.

"I told you that you remind me of her" I hear Damon's drawling voice from the doorway.

There are so many things I want to say, but for some reason I choose the words,

"Did you put this here?"

It's a stupid question. But I want to know the answer to it.

Damon does the famous Salvatore intense stare thing for a long moment before answering simply,

"Yes"

I blink at him,

"But, why?"

Another stupid question, but I can't help myself, it seems important for some reason.

Damon smiles faintly then,

"Because I'm going on a road trip. And I want you to come with me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more reviews and comments I get the faster I'll update. I'd really like to know what you think, it gives me inspiration. xxx


	19. Bloodlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ROAD TRIP!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the nineteenth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Sinbad would be the most loved Salvatore brother on the show ;) x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Ever's P.O.V

I don't know what the hell made me think this was a good idea, but here I am anyway. On a road trip. With Damon. Alone, with Damon.

I just had to get away. Finding that picture did something to me that I can't explain, it twisted everything I knew about myself somehow.

Now I need space. I need time to think. Damon offered me that, so I took it. Even though the rational part of my mind is calling me every swear word under the sun for being this reckless.

Elena would definitely not approve. She would never trust Damon like this willingly, although I guess that's the difference between us.

Yeah, she's the sane one, my mind whispers, but I ignore it. Now is not the time brain.

The last thing I did before I left was take a picture of the Katherine photograph and send it to Elena, because she deserves to know what the hell is going on.

I just can't wrap my head around the idea that Stefan is now in love with Elena, and that apparently, according to Damon, he says it has nothing to do with Katherine.

But how could it not?

At the same time I also don't get how Sinbad can want me even though I look exactly like the woman who destroyed his family. How can he possibly look at me, and not see her?

Sinbad has been texting me and calling non-stop ever since Damon and I left. Part of me wants to answer, to ask him all the questions that are swirling around inside my head. But I'm not ready to deal with all of it yet.

I've actually been asleep for most of the journey, and I don't even know where we are right now, which is why I turn to Damon and ask,

"Where the fuck are we going Damon? Narnia? This is taking ages"

Damon's fire blue eyes flicker to me briefly before he replies,

"We're here actually"

I frown and look around at the large empty fields surrounding us on both sides of the road. If Damon has come here to murder me and hide the body then I'll give him one thing, he's one dedicated psycho killer.

"Where is here exactly? I feel like I'm in a bad teen horror movie"

"What part of this" Damon gestures outside his window "suggests 'Narnia', to you?"

"I said are we going to Narnia. You could know where the magical wardrobe thingy is. I don't know. You're the one being all mysterious and shit"

"Narnia doesn't exist" Damon smirks and gives me a sideways glance, daring me to argue.

I glare at him,

"Yeah, well, less than a few months ago, neither did vampires"

"Touché" but Damon is still smirking like a Batman villain. It's unnerving. Kind of sexy. But still a bit on the insane side.

I can't imagine Damon ever not being the villain of the story, he's definitely not the hero. That's Stefan, although I have to question his motives now too. As for Sinbad…well, I don't want to think about him for a while.

I sigh and ask,

"So, where are we really?"

"Georgia"

My eyes widen,

"Seriously? Does that mean I get a shot gun of my very own?"

Don't get me wrong, I love my bat, but a girl's got to have options. Especially when that girl has more supernatural creatures in her life than humans these days.

Damon laughs, his laugh is low and relaxed. I watch him out of the corner of my eye. I think I like a relaxed Damon, he's fun and very charming. Not in the same way he's normally charming, what with all that bad boy arrogance. I mean when he smiles for real, it lights up his handsome face, and his pale eyes spark with an amusement I can't help but share.

I'm probably an idiot for thinking it, and for the life of me I still don't understand Damon's emotional mood swings, but that doesn't change what I feel when he looks at me with that easy genuine smile on his face. It makes my heart do summersaults like crazy.

Alright, there's no probably about it, I am an idiot.

Just then my phone starts to ring again.

I only answered one call from Elena to briefly explain things. Then I hung up before she could ask me any of those rational questions she likes so much. I hate it when my sister does that. I already know I'm the screw up twin. I don't need to be reminded of that fact every time I do something insane.

This definitely counts as insane.

It's Sinbad calling for about the millionth time. I sigh heavily and think about finally answering it now I know that I'm too far away for him to do anything even if I told him where I am.

But before I can decide Damon swipes my phone and answers it for me,

"Why, hello baby brother, how are you?"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I swear I want to reach down that phone and strangle my oldest brother.

"Damon, put Ever on the damn phone now"

There's a pause where it sounds like Damon is offering the phone back to Ever. But then a few seconds later Damon's voice is back,

"Yeah, I don't think she wants to talk to you right now"

I can practically hear the smirk on Damon's face from the other end of the phone, and the urge to strangle him is back full force. I think I growl into the phone without even realising it, because suddenly Damon's amused chuckle fills my ear.

Oh yes, I want to kill him.

FETCH MY EMU FARM GOOGLE SEARCH!

"If you touch her Damon I will fucking rip your heart out and make you watch as I crush it in my hand" I snarl.

I mean it too. Ever is mine, I will not allow my brother to hurt her just because she thinks she can trust him.

"I'm not the one who lied Sin" Damon says, and for a moment I think he sounds serious, as if he's actually taking the moral fucking high ground with me.

Damon, the brutal vampire who rips people's necks out and destroys their lives for fun is taking the moral motherfucking high ground?

I think I've died and gone to some sort of weird topsy turvy version of hell.

"I mean it Damon, you hurt Ever, and I will make you fucking bleed, understand" I make my voice hard and scathing as possible, hoping that he'll understand how not serious I am right now.

For a moment there is silence on the other end of the phone. But then Damon says, sounding completely unaffected by my threat,

"Bye, bye, baby brother. Now, you have a good day, I know I will", and then he hangs up the phone.

Bastard. Sometimes, I could really throttle my brother.

"What are we going to do?" Stefan asks, the worry on his face reflects mine completely.

I run a frustrated hand through my black hair, it's sticking up all over the place now because I've been raking my fingers through it all night.

I only found out Ever had left with Damon because Elena came round demanding answers from Stefan about the picture Ever sent her. She wanted to see the photo for herself and when she did Elena tried to leave.

Stefan stopped her and somehow managed to convince Elena that it wasn't what it looked like. I left them to it, knowing that Stefan would find a way to make things right with Elena. All I cared about was getting through to Ever, so that I could explain myself too.

Ever has to know that I don't see her as Katherine. From the moment we met, hell even before that, I knew she was nothing like the bitch who tore my brothers apart. But I know how it must look to Ever, and I can't blame her for needing time to get her head around everything. I just wish she'd gone off with Matt, or Bonnie, or fuck, even Tyler, just not Damon.

I know the bastard did it on purpose. He wanted Ever to see that picture. I just don't understand why. Or at least I hope it's not for the reasons I think it might be.

Eventually Elena and Stefan came out of the living room looking exhausted, but Elena wasn't bolting for the door anymore. So, I guess that's what an optimistic person would call progress. I am not.

But then, if I ever find any vampire over one hundred and fifty years old in this world who is still an optimist then

….then I'll know I'm definitely dead.

Or high.

Or drunk.

Or all three. Most likely all three if Damon is involved.

And when I say dead, I mean dead dead. Not dead-ish, the way I am now.

Elena went home to placate their aunt, although apparently that turned into a bit of a fight in the end after Elena revealed she knew Ever and her were adopted.

Stefan asked Bonnie to do a spell so that they could find out if Ever was alright, but unfortunately the witch's magic is at the 'plug in charger' stage already. Another thing I'm going to go ahead and blame Damon for, he probably scared her Sabrina stuff into hiding by being an asshole and biting her.

It's probably a good thing Damon is so far away right now because I would love to drive a stake into him. Then do it again. And again. And then snap his neck, just to really drive the point home. And for funsies.

That kind of thing just never gets old.

I meet my brother's eyes as I say,

"She wouldn't talk to me. Until she does there isn't much we can do but trust Damon not to hurt her"

Stefan gives me a look that clearly states 'that's not good enough', and suddenly I want to snap his neck too.

With a shake of my head I grab my leather jacket off the back of the sofa and head out. I do not need Stefan's disproving looks right now. I trust Ever to make her own decisions, and there is an honest part of me that doesn't think Damon would hurt Ever. The more I see of them together, the more I'm convinced it's not just about her looking like Katherine anymore for Damon.

I rather liked it when he was just my psycho vampire brother who cared about no one but himself. Ah, those were the days. I could have a drink with that Damon. I could go out and have a week long party with that Damon. I actually liked that Damon when he wasn't being a total dick.

This Damon, I want to beat the shit out of. It's ironic that the human side of Damon is the side that is making me want to hurt him the most.

Ever's P.O.V

"Here's to the man who broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness" Bree announces to the bar, her bar as it turns out.

She fills three shot glasses and then downs hers right after. Damon does the same. I look down at mine uncertainly for a moment. Damon reaches over to take mine but I slap his hand away,

"Uh, excuse me mr grabby hands, I think you'll find that is my alcoholic beverage you were about to steal"

I smirk at him and down the shot. Damon arches an eyebrow in amusement,

"Whinger" he drawls with a smirk of his own aimed my way.

"Thief"

"Girl"

"Bitch"

"Human"

"Psycho"

"Teenager"

"Old man"

"Sexy"

"I know, I was born this way, it can't be helped"

Damon and I laugh as Bree pours us both another shot. We down them quickly and then Bree asks me,

"How'd he rope you in?"

I shrug,

"I needed a ride to Georgia. I'm visiting my cow"

Bree frowns at me,

"Your cow?"

I nod,

"His name is Qphil, spelt Q, p, h, I, l…..the Q is silent"

Bree laughs and looks at Damon,

"You've found yourself a new muse honey. I like her"

Muse? Ha, more like his on again, off again hostage.

"How did you two meet?" I ask Bree, but my eyes slant to Damon. I see that he's watching me and my cheeks heat up at the intensity of his stare.

Damn it! What is it about Damon Salvatore that causes my insides to get all twisted up? I should ask Bree, she seems to know all about it.

When Bree kissed Damon I had to ignore the part of me that was….jealous. Ugh, I'm such a girl sometimes. It's awful, boys would never be able to survive it, they'd go mad from the hormones alone.

Bree grins at Damon,

"College"

I snort out a laugh,

"You went to college?" I raise an eyebrow at Damon.

Damon shrugs and pours himself another drink,

"I was on the college campus, yes"

Bree sighs almost dreamily,

"Almost twenty years ago when I was a sweet young freshman I met this beautiful man" she looks over at Damon, "and I fell in love, and then he told me about his little secret, made me love him even more, cus you see, I had a little secret of my own…."

Damon leans in close to me, probably closer than he actually needs to, and whispers,

"She's a witch"

I blink in surprise and my eyes dart to Bree.

"Changed my world you know" Bree says to Damon.

Damon leans away from me again and replies,

"I rocked your world"

Yeah, I can see this going into the too much information territory quite fast with these two.

Bree winks at me and says,

"He is good in the sack though isn't he."

As if I would know. Although vampire sex is…..mind blowingly excellent. I think Sinbad ruined me forever in that department.

"But mostly he's just a walk away joe" Bree adds, a bitter tone coming into her voice.

Ah, Damon the heartbreaker. I can see that. Then again, whoever falls in love with Damon would have to be insane to think it could end any other way.

Bree leans back and asks,

"So, what is it that you want?"

…

I go outside for some fresh air and because my phone is going off every five minutes. At first it was just Elena and I texted her that I was fine, aunt Jenna and Bonnie too. Then it was Sin again, and I sent him a text that said I needed more time to think, and that if he cares about me then he'll give me that time.

But it's the call from Stefan that grabs my attention. It's the first time he's called and for some reason I want to talk to him. Maybe it's because I find it near impossible to think of Stefan as the bad guy, I honestly don't know.

So I leave Damon alone to talk things over with Bree about finding some other way to get into the tomb, and go outside. I stand by Damon's car and answer the phone.

"Ever is that you?" he asks sounding worried and frustrated at the same time.

"Yeah, Stef, it's me" I answer.

Stefan makes a noise that is pure relief and then asks,

"Where are you?"

I take in a sharp breathe before repying angrily,

"You lied. Both of you. I trusted you Stefan, and you fucking lied to me."

"Please, let me explain-"

"It's pretty simple Stefan. You didn't tell me or Elena a very crucial piece of information"

"Just tell me where you are so that I can come get you, please Ever" his voice has taken on a desperate undertone and I start to feel like a bit of a bitch.

Really, it's Sinbad I'm the most upset with, he is my boyfriend after all. But Stefan is my friend, or I thought he was, and friends should tell each other things like that. Not that anyone else has probably ever been in a situation like this before. I doubt there's a problem hotline out there for this kind of thing.

'Help me, my vampire boyfriend and his vampire brother didn't tell me I look exactly like the woman who ruined their lives over a hundred years ago"-Oh, yeah, that's one right down Jeremy Kyle's alley for sure.

I hate my brain sometimes, it comes out with the weirdest shit.

"How am I connected to that bitch anyway?" I ask, ignoring his earlier words.

There's a pause and then Stefan sighs heavily,

"I honestly don't know Ever, I swear. Please believe me"

Damn him, because I do believe him, even after everything. There is still this core part of me that instinctively trusts Stefan Salvatore. I'm really going to have to think about that more seriously one day.

I bite my lip and then run a hand through my curls as I think of what to say, finally I decide on,

"I do believe you Stefan, I have no idea why, but I do. But that doesn't change the fact that you lied to me about something really important. I just need some time to think things through before I come home ok"

"But Damon-" Stefan begins to argue, but I cut him off.

"Damon, whatever his actual motives are, did tell me the truth, so right now I trust him more than I trust both you and Sinbad" I hang up then before Stefan can say anything more.

I turn around and almost fall down onto my ass from shock, because Damon is right there in front of me. FUCKING VAMP SPEED STRIKES AGAIN!

"Are you alright?" Damon asks, he steadies me by placing his hands on my hips. Even though he isn't touching skin the places where his hand is touching me feel like they're burning and my heart starts beating faster and faster. My whole body reacts to Damon, and I don't know why.

I lick my lips and Damon's eyes make an unmistakable flicker down to my mouth and breathing gets difficult. I look away then, before Damon can get any stupid ideas, before I can get even more stupid ideas.

I try to pull away from him,

"Don't pretend like you care Damon. I know you only told me so you could mess with Sin and Stefan"

But Damon holds firm and lifts my chin so I have to meet his eyes, they blaze with an intensity that steal my breath and ignites a fire within me that takes every bit of my will power to tamper down.

"Do not pretend to know why I do anything. Especially when it comes to you, Ev's" Damon whispers, his eyes never once leaving mine.

I pull myself away from Damon and he lets go of me this time, as I pass by Damon to go back inside I say,

"I need a drink. A lot of actually"

I feel more than see Damon's playful smirk,

"That, we can definitely arrange Ev's...if you think you can handle it"

I turn and smirk right back at him,

"Bring it on Salvatore"

Sinbad's P.O.V

Anna.

Son of a bitch on a pool cue.

I haven't seen her in over a hundred years.

What the fuck is she doing with Jeremy?

I came into the bar for a drink because Elena and Stefan were driving me insane. They both seem to think I should be doing more to get Ever back home. But Ever has texted me to say she needs space, and it's only fair that I give it to her even if it's tearing me up inside to do so.

When I came in I instantly knew Jeremy was in the room. I just…felt it. I'm really not going to delve into all the reasons why that is not a good thing.

It was easy enough to find him and I smiled when he stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me, almost as if he sensed my presence as well. Again, really not going to think about that too much.

Our eyes met and he smiled, I smiled back without even thinking about it. Our gazes locked for quite a while before I gave myself a metaphorical kick to the groin. This is Ever's brother. My thick head needs some kind of therapy session or some shit. I don't even know anymore.

But of course then my eyes landed on Anna and my own little world exploded into a million tiny pieces. Instantly I know exactly why she's here, it doesn't exactly take a genius. Anna's mother is in that tomb, she wants it open, and I know Anna well enough to know that she's got her own game plan.

Anna may not look like much from the outside, but she'd clever. Too clever for her own good sometimes. I met her around the same time my brothers met Katherine. She is one of the main reasons it took me so long to realise how bad things has gotten with my brothers.

We became friends, good friends, which then led to more. Much more.

But back to the matter at hand, why is she with Jeremy? What could Jeremy possibly know that would help Anna get her mother out of that tomb?

When Anna catches sight of me, her already massive eyes become almost comically wide. I nod at her, and then before I can do much else Anna says a hasty goodbye to Jeremy and vampire speeds out of the Grill the moment he isn't looking.

For a moment I consider going after her. But I disregard the idea as pointless. If she's in town then I'll be seeing her again anyway. Plus, I don't think I'm ready to deal with that part of my past yet. I haven't really thought about my human life in a long time, seeing Anna brings back memories I've tried hard to bury.

I make my way over to Jeremy. He looks a little confused, and I can't blame him for that. I do want to know what Anna wanted from Jeremy. But the moment my eyes lock with those big brown eyes of his everything else seems to fade away, the way it always does.

"Hey, Jer, you feeling alright?" I ask finally after another long moment of mutual staring.

Jeremy clears his throat, looking both shy and deliciously defiant at the same time somehow,

"Not bad. I've been busy with my report thing all day I guess"

I step closer to him, torturing myself with remembering how good he tasted, how strangely wonderful it felt to touch him.

Alright, second metaphorical groin punch of the day.

I lean against the pool table and smile at Jeremy, unable to help myself,

"What's your report about?"

Jeremy shuffles, embarrassment colouring his cheeks a little, my cock threatens to harden from that alone. Damn, it's always the pretty ones blushing that gets me.

Jeremy looks at me from under his eyelashes as he answers,

"I found this journal written by one of my ancestors from the 1800's. He wrote all these weird stories about the demons of the day"

"Vampires you mean" I laugh and tilt my head to the side. Trust Jeremy to pick the one topic that centre's around vampire stories.

Jeremy frowns at my laughter, but a small smile shines through,

"Not you too. It must have been a metaphor for the union soldiers. The stories talk about the enemy that attack at night"

"You don't believe in the supernatural then I take it"

Jeremy shakes his head, dark brown messy hair falling into his face as he does so,

"No I don-"

He stops when I reach out stupidly on impulse to push some of his hair out of his face. The back of my hand grazes Jeremy's cheek and I swear his entire body shivers. He jerks away from me though and seems a little uncertain of what to say, or what to do.

I take pity on the boy, considering his discomfort is my own stupid fault,

"Want me to walk you home Jer? You can tell me all about how vampires don't exist. I know quite a bit about the history of Mystic Falls, you can bombard me with questions if you like"

Jeremy's smile is back, even if it is a little more tentative this time,

"Yeah, alright, sure"

I should ask about Anna. But I don't want to. I want to walk Jeremy home and talk to him about…pretty much anything as long as I get to spend more time with the youngest Gilbert. I love Ever, I know that I do, but my connection with Jeremy us hard to ignore. There's no rule that says I can't be just friends with Jeremy, right?

Right?

Ever's P.O.V

"Whhooooo, yeah, suck on it Salvatore, you lose again" I shout excitedly and spin around on my heal, almost falling over in the process.

Damon and I have drunk non-stop for hours now. I can hold my liquor better than Damon, which is really saying something as he's practically a professional alcoholic.

"Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake the way you do Ev's. I don't know whether to be impressed or frightened for my life should you decide to eat me" Damon drawls into my ear, his lips graze my jaw and I lean in closer, having past the 'think about consequences' part of my drunkenness.

"Girl, you should be on the floor right now" a woman says as she passes us. I shrug, I've always been able to handle my alcohol pretty well.

I whisper back to Damon,

"Out of the two of us I reckon it'd be you doing the eating a.k.a vamp boy"

Damon laughs and trails his lips over my jaw and then down to my neck, I shiver in pleasure and tilt my head to give him better access. But then my phone rings and I'm momentarily jolted out of my insanity.

Before Damon can say or do anything I'm making my way to the back door, phone in hand, no matter who it is I'm thanking them for saving me from myself.

I get out the door, but I trip and drop my phone. I bend down to pick it up, as I right myself again, with quite some effort on my part, I'm grabbed from behind.

Third time I've been grabbed from behind in less than a month. Third. Time. 

The vampire holds his hand over my mouth and vampire speeds me away to somewhere not to far away from the bar. He holds me against the wall and hisses for me to stay quiet, and that it isn't me he wants to hurt.

I have no idea what he means until Damon comes around the corner, obviously looking for me. I shout for him to run, but it's too late. The vampire rushes at Damon with a metal bat, god I miss my bat, and starts hitting Damon all over with it, causing crunching sounds that make me flinch.

I rush forward and yell for him to stop, my heart is beating madly as I try to work out what the hell is going on here. The vampire turns to me and snarls, I stop where I am. He then grabs a can of petrol and tips it on Damon, covering him in it.

"Who are you?" Damon manages to get out.

The vampire clenches his fists tightly,

"Perfect, you don't know who I am"

I frown, my world spinning to fast for me to make sense of it yet,

"What do you mean? What did he do?"

"He killed my girlfriend"

What?

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and he killed her" he empties the rest of the petrol onto Damon.

I can't thin for a second, but then it all clicks,

"Lexi. Lexi was your girlfriend"

The vampire takes out a lighter, his intentions now completely obvious. Inside my head I'm screaming for him to stop, but I know instinctively that it will do me no good here.

"Lexi…she loved you…she said that when it's real, you can't walk away" I say, trying desperately to get him to stop hurting Damon, I hate watching it.

I can't let him kill Damon, even if he deserves it, I just can't.

The vampire glares down at Damon, his eyes flicker to mine,

"Well, that's a decision you're not going to have to make"

He lights the match and I all but scream,

"No, stop, please don't hurt him"

"I'm doing you a favour"

I shake my head,

"Lexi loved you. And she was good, which means you're good too. Be better than him. Don't do this, I'm begging you, please" my voice breaks on that last part and I take in a few steadying breaths.

The vampires looks pained, and I can see the conflict waging war inside of him. But finally he picks Damon up and throws his hard against the wall. I flinch, but I don't move yet,

"Thank you"

"It wasn't for you"

I nod stiffly,

"I know"

The moment he's gone I run over to Damon and drop down beside him, my heart is still racing and I feel like I might be sick, but Damon takes hold of my hand and I start to feel a little better. I really thought for a moment that he might kill Damon, it chilled me to even contemplate it.

I push some of wild black hair away from his face and lean down closer to him,

"You're even more trouble than I am"

Damon even manages to choke out a pain filled laugh,

"I'd say we're pretty evenly matched"

I bite my lip and smooth another lock of his hair away,

"Yeah, maybe."

…

After the long drive home we're sitting outside the boarding house. I know Sinbad is inside, and I know that I need to ask him a few things, that we need to sort this out before I drive myself insane thinking about it.

But before I go inside there's one question I want Damon to answer,

"Damon, why did you really take me with you? Honestly"

Damon looks over me, his intense eyes looking me over before he says,

"Well, you're not the worst company in the world Ev's. You should give yourself more credit"

"Seriously you idiot" I snap, but there's no harshness behind it. We've settled into a strange level of semi-insulting banter, I like it, but I still don't understand why. Maybe I never will.

Damon narrows his eyes at me slightly,

"I don't know. You like to drink, you like to call me names, you like to dance….I knew it would piss off my brothers….and you're not the worst company in the world Ev's"

I roll my eyes at him, but I'm smiling too. Then another thing hits me that makes me grin,

"I saved your ass today Salvatore"

Damon smirks at me knowingly,

"Yes, you did"

My smirk gets wider,

"And you don't go forgetting it Salvatore"

I'm still smiling as I walk into the house. My smile fades however when I find Sinbad waiting for me in his room.

He watches me as I come in and we both seem to be waiting for the other to speak. I decide to bite the bullet,

"Just…tell me who I am to you Sin. Don't understand…..explain it to me. No more bullshit"

Sinbad nods once and then strides forward, his lips are on mine before I can even blink twice, I moan into the kiss and he pulls me roughly into an embrace. Sinbad pulls away slightly and cups my face firmly in his hands. His gaze meets mine as he says, his voice more emotion filled than I've ever heard it,

"I'm in love with you Ever. You. From the moment I met you, fuck, even before I met you, I knew that you were nothing like Katherine. I hated that woman for what she did to my family, but I do not see her when I look at you"

I blink back the tears that threaten to stream down my face,

"Then what do you see?"

Sinbad smiles faintly,

"I see the woman I love more than anything else on this earth. You've made me feel things I never thought it possible for me to feel. You've brought the human side of me back to life, and I love you for that. I see my girlfriend, Ever Gilbert, so beautiful and funny and snarky. I am so in love with you, Ever and when I look at you, I see everything that is good in my life, everything that matters"

I am crying now, and I lean in to whisper the words,

"I love you Sin"

I kiss him then, really kiss him. Our tongues twine together and we spend time exploring each others mouths. I've missed this, I've missed talking to Sinbad, and being with him. He's like my best friend and my boyfriend all rolled into one, and I love him. I really do.

After that Sinbad and me sit down, he says he has a lot we need to talk about. We agree no more secrets, and no more running off, especially with Damon (that's more his personal request than mine obviously).

I listen to what he has to say, a lot of it hurts, and I almost get up and leave a few times, but I force myself to stay through it all. The adoption part hits me hardest. But despite the craziness of the last few months, and all the things he's just told me, I feel like I can handle anything as long as Sinbad's right there by my side. We can deal with all of it. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right my peoples, I worked my arse off on this one, so please review and tell me what you think. Pretty please xxx Any comments are welcome.


	20. Unpleasantville

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone gets their neck snapped x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twentieth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Damon and Stefan would have way more brotherly moments. Team Salvatore all the freakin' way! ;) x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY

Unpleasantville

 

Ever's P.O.V

(sexual content-so turn away if you don't like that stuff. I'll mark where it ends so you know of you don't want to read it.)

I'm focused on Sinbad completely, the way he stares up at me, his pale blue eyes meeting mine as he slides his tongue slowly through my slit, gently lapping at me until I'm ready to beg him to finish me off.

Just when I think he is going to let me come, he stops. Realizing that I've closed my eyes, I open them, only to see another expression on Sinbad's face, one that takes my breath away. It feels so good to be touched by him like this. He drives me crazy with his skilled hands and tongue.

Sex with Sinbad is mind blowing with an intensity that shocks me every single time. If there's one good thing about having a vampire boyfriend then it's the benefits of his endless stamina.

Sinbad kisses my inner thigh and then smirks devilishly when I moan desperately. I want him inside me so badly that it hurts. He kisses a trail up my stomach and stops at one of my breasts, he kisses around my nipple and then laves his tongue over the hard nub before sucking on it using his teeth. It's the most perfect kind of stinging pleasure. I arch my back with another loud moan.

I thread my fingers through his black messy hair as he works my nipple endlessly. Sinbad always concentrates on my pleasure, and seems to take even more pleasure by making me come than in coming himself. Now, that's a quality you want to find in a man.

Just when I think I can't take it anymore he moves on to my other nipple and starts all over again with his naughty teasing. I writhe beneath him for a couple more minutes before yanking his head to the side so that his icy blue eyes meet mine, I whisper hoarsely,

"Fuck me Sin, please, now"

Before I can even blink twice Sinbad's warm weight presses down on me and he moves himself into position so that the head of his cock is level with my entrance. But just when I expect him to thrust inside of me, he surprises me by easing over to his back, pulling me along with him.

With our positions reversed, I am left straddling him on his bed. The warm column of his erection is pressed between my thighs and I gasp, wanting to feel him inside of me more and more with each passing second.

"Oh fuck, please Sin, I need you inside me now" I whisper, unable to keep the note of begging out of my voice. Mainly because I'm so turned on right now that I might burst into flames if he doesn't get his cock inside my pussy within the next few seconds.

Sin looks deep into my eyes, somehow managing to make me feel even more naked than I already am.

"I'm right here, Ever. You are so beautiful baby, how did I ever get so fucking lucky?" Sinbad's words are like a flame to the kindling that is still smouldering deep in my core. The tenor of his voice is pitched low, the rhythmic cadence both soothing and tender. For a second, I am at a loss, my emotions consume me.

With sure movements, I adjust our positions until I have the head of his cock pressing against my entrance. He is huge, and the anticipation of having him inside of me is making my heart beat erratically.

The first time we had sex I hadn't been sure if I'd be able to take him inside of me completely. Lowering myself gently, I take Sinbad inside of me, inch by inch. The expression on his face is one of wonder and pure pleasure.

"Oh, baby . You're so tight. Always so tight my love" The rough gravel of his tone makes me groan and my mind becomes swamped with desire.

I ease down onto him slowly, his unyielding erection penetrating me, stretching me even more as my body fights to adjust to his size.

"Come here sweat heart" Sinbad's husky desire filled voice causes me to shiver.

I lean forward, letting Sinbad wrap his muscled arms around me as I press my hands flat against his chiselled chest. I don't take my eyes off of his face as I let the warmth of him consume me completely. Locks of my dark brown hair falls into my face and he reaches up to tuck them behind my ear lovingly.

I have quickly lost myself to this man, unsure how I ever thought I could give him up for anything.

"Kiss me," he whispers, its not quite an order, but I feel the importance of it all the same.

I do as he asks, pressing my lips to his, tasting myself as I lick the outer swell of his bottom lip repeatedly. I am so engrossed in tasting him, teasing him with my tongue that I barely register when he is fully inside of me.

Sinbad, although filling me perfectly, doesn't try to move and he doesn't rush me, so I take it slow, burning this moment into my memory.

As our tongues slid over one another, I begin to move, lifting and lowering my hips , keeping a steady, gentle pace as I take him even deeper, nerve endings setting my insides on fire. I increase the friction, basking in glorious sensation.

I desperately try for slow, but it becomes too much as my body struggles, reaching for the release I feel looming over me. Sinbad grips my hips tightly, lifting me gently as he begins thrusting up inside of me, going deeper with every stroke, hitting that sweet spot that ignites the spark in my core until it becomes a full blown fire inside of me.

My orgasm consumes me like fire consumes paper, and I can't even cry out because my body is so overwhelmed by the sensation, the only thing I can do is feel. Feel everything. Sinbad's body tenses, his chest muscles flexing beneath my hands, his hips pushing up off the bed as he too gives himself over to his release as silently as I did, the only sound he makes is a rough, strangled growl that sends aftershocks of shivers through my entire body.

(End of sexual content)

"Have you two talked to Jenna about the adoption thing yet?" Sinbad asks. His arms are wrapped around me, we're still in bed and I have no intention of moving until I'm forcibly removed.

It's actually been a lot calmer since Damon and I got back from Georgia. I keep expecting something awful to happen, but nothing has.

Yet. By this point I'm not willing to trust the quiet content atmosphere.

I feel like it's the quiet before the storm or something.

But I still hope that I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Although Sinbad seems a little shifty, which puts me on edge as he rarely lets anything bother him. Even Damon has been not quite so 'evilly' lately, which is a bit suspicious all by itself. He's quite set on finding a way to open the tomb and get Katherine out though.

I'm not sure how to feel about that. I should be happy, because the sooner he gets her out and leaves town, the sooner we don't have to worry about Damon going off and doing something, well, Damon-like. But there is this part of me that feels like I'm about to lose something, or someone, very important.

Damon shouldn't matter that much to me, I know how insane it is to care for him, but I can't seem to help myself.

Since admitting our love for each other, Sinbad and I have become even closer than before. I can't imagine my life without him now, and I hope that I never have to find out how much it would hurt to lose him.

I sigh and lean back against his chest,

"Yeah, I confronted her about it last night. Elena didn't want to, but I talked to Bonnie and she said that if I can handle my boyfriend being a vampire, then unless my birth parents are aliens, how bad could it be?"

Sinbad kisses the top of my head and asks,

"How bad is it?"

I shrug,

"Not too bad. Apparently my birth mother showed up just as my dad was about to leave and he delivered me and Elena. Days later she was just gone, and my parents wanted children soooooo….they decided to keep Elena and me. Oh, and my mom's birth name is Isobel, but apart from that Jenna didn't know anything else"

Sinbad is quiet for a long moment, but I can practically hear the cogs turning inside his mind,

"How do you feel about that? I mean, not knowing much about your birth mother?"

Now, that's a hard question to answer. I can tell Elena wants to know more, and there is definitely something in me that is curious about my birth mother. But for me that's as far as it goes. I know who my parents were, they were the people who raised me and loved me. Not some woman who abandoned both her daughters only days after they were born.

I know who I am. I don't need to meet my birth mother for any kind of personal development or any shit like that. I won't stop Elena if she wants to know more though, it's her own choice. I'll even help her if she needs it. She's my twin and I'd do anything for her.

On a better note Elena and Stefan seem to be going strong since I got back as well. I think the lack of drama has helped considerably, but like I said, I'm not sure how long that is going to last in this town.

I shift so that I can look up into Sinbad's face as I reply,

"I feel like my world has been turned upsidown, but I'm alright with not knowing more about her. I know who my parents are, and blood or not, I'm a Gilbert. Simple as"

Sinbad's blue eyes soften as he looks down at me, he leans in for a soft sensual kiss. We groan into each other mouths for a few moments and then pull back. Sinbad gently cups my face in his hand and strokes my cheek with his thumb,

"You are the strongest person I know Ever Gilbert, and I am so fucking grateful that you let me be part of your life"

I can't keep the grin off my face, I kiss him on the jaw and say,

"As you should be. I don't just let any old piece of trash into my life, or my bed you know"

Sinbad makes that amused mock serious face and replies,

"Well, technically this is my bed so…."

I sigh dramatically and shake my head,

"Sin, please, don't be that guy. It's far too early in the morning for that level of logic"

"Are you staking claim on my bed?" he asks with a smirk.

I raise an eyebrow at him,

"You got a problem with that Salvatore vamp number three?"

"Depends"

"On what?"

Sinbad leans down to whisper into my ear,

"Do I get to claim you as well?"

I suck in a hasty breath and reach up to let my fingers trace over his jaw as I whisper back,

"I think it's a bit late for that"

By that I mean Sinbad has already bitten into the hollow of my neck, leaving a mark there that now looks suspiciously like a hickey. He seems to always bite and suck in the same place, I think he's trying to leave a permanent mark there. Ask for my permission to claim me my arse.

Sinbad pulls back to nip at my bottom lip and kiss his way down over my throat until he gets to the mark he's left. Sinbad licks over that mark and I shiver from the intensity of the feeling that washes over me. It's super sensitive, and the strange mixture of pain/pleasure is intoxicating.

Finally Sinbad pulls all the way back with a frown, I don't understand it until he asks,

"Have you actually numbered us?" referring back to when I called him 'Salvatore vamp number three'.

I shrug and answer,

"Well, there are so many of you…."

Sinbad laughs then and says,

"Whatever you say Gilbert girl number one"

"Yeah, I'm number one, and don't you forget it" Both Sinbad and I laugh at that and he captures my mouth in another bone melting kiss.

"I love you Ever"

"Love you too Sin"

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sinbad is still in the shower when I'm about to leave for school. Stefan and Elena have already buggered off without me, which by the way, RUDE!

But then I hear Damon's drawling voice from behind me,

"Have a good day at school Ev's"

I turn around and actually find myself smiling at the arrogant bastard. Faster than I can blink Damon is suddenly right in front of me. I jump in surprise, even though I really should be used to it by now, and glare at him,

"Must you do that?"

Damon smirks down at me,

"Yes."

"Idiot" I roll my eyes, but there's no real heat in it.

Damon reaches out and tucks a stray curl behind my ear, I shiver from that touch alone and the asshole knows it. I can tell he knows exactly what physical effect he has on me. Luckily he seems to have no idea how he affects me emotionally, which is good because I don't think I'd be able to handle it if he played with me on that level as well.

Physical I can just about handle with Damon, emotional not so much.

I lean instinctively into his hand and he cups my face surprisingly gently for, well, Damon. His blue eyes practically swirl with the desire to…to do what?

I'm not sure exactly. He seems genuinely conflicted about what he wants from me, which gives me enough time to break the spell he's got me under and I step back away from him.

"You have to stop that Damon" I whisper, meeting his eyes.

Damon shudders out a breath, which suggests he is more affected by me than he lets on.

"Stop what?" he asks, and for once there is no mocking in his tone.

It shocks me enough to drag an honest answer out,

"Getting under my damn skin"

Before he can say anything else I practically fling myself out the door and run to my car. Any longer with Damon and I'd break, maybe even admit something I could really never take back.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's so pretty. And it'll go with, like, everything" Caroline says as he she fiddles with the new vervain filled necklace I've just given her.

Sinbad and Stefan gave me and Elena some vervain stuff for our friends. Sinbad said he's seeing Jeremy later so he'll give him his new vervain bracelet then. I'm glad Jeremy has become friends with Sin, I know Sin will take of Jeremy and keep him out of trouble. For the most part at least.

Caroline turns to me as we walk towards a lunch table together. Elena and Bonnie are meant to be meeting us in a few minutes. Caroline narrows her eyes slightly and asks,

"What's the occasion?"

I frown and try to think of an answer that won't make her ask more questions,

"What, I can't be nice and give my friend pretty things?" I go for mock affronted.

Caroline laughs openly at me,

"You? Nice?"

I gasp dramatically in fake shock,

"How very dare you? Bitch, I'm very fucking nice, I'll have you know. Just the other day I saw an old man fall over and I only laughed for a few seconds before helping him up. I didn't even steal his walking stick"

Caroline's shoulders are shaking with silent laughter as she replies,

"Yeah, that's how you got your bat. Some twelve years olds hit a baseball and it smashed into your car, so you stole their bat in retaliation"

"Damn right I did. Children need to learn Care. We can't just let them go gallivanting around with really cool bats. It's much safer with me" I say as we sit down at a table.

"You're insane Ever" Caroline snorts out another round of laughter before taking our her lunch from her bag, "Come on, what's the real reason you're giving me this" she asks touching the necklace again.

I sigh heavily and tilt my head to the side. I reach forward and take her hand in mine, I twine our fingers together and look into her eyes intently. Caroline immediately freezes and looks right back at me, after a few moments I finally say,

"Alright, the real reason is….I'm in love with you. I want you to be my girlfriend and-"

Caroline starts laughing again and slaps my hand away playfully,

"Shut up Ever. So we're lesbians now, that's how it is?"

I wiggle my eyebrows at her,

"Yep….unless you want to tell me what's going on between you and my Matty"

I used to call him my Matty even when he was with Elena; she used to pinch me repeatedly for it. Not that I had, or have, secret feelings for Matt, it just annoyed her so much and irritating Elena used to be one of my favourite past times.

Caroline bites her lip self consciously and says,

"Yeah. I was going to talk to you about that. But there's really nothing to tell, I mean we've hung out a couple times, that's it, but I….I just feel like we've peaked as friends….this is weird, isn't it?"

I shake my head and touch Caroline's hand again,

"No Care. It would be weird if it was Elena you were having this conversation with, but not me. You can tell me anything. I mean, I love Elena, she's my sister, my evil twin as we all know. But you're still my friend and that is really important to me"

Caroline nods and smiles with a little more confidence this time,

"I want more I guess. But….he's still not over Elena, and we all know it"

I think about that for a moment. At the beginning of the year I would have definitely said Matt was still in love with my twin. But now….maybe not.

"I think he'll always care for her Caroline, that's just the way first loves are I think. But that doesn't mean he's still hung up on her. He might just need a little push in the right direction to get his head out of his ass, you know"

Caroline giggles and squeezes my hand gratefully,

"Maybe you're right"

I snort dismissively,

"Of course I'm right. This is me we're talking about. Look, if worse comes to worse then I'll bully Sin into spending some quality male time with Matt, Sinbad is very persuasive, trust me"

Caroline flicks my hand hard,

"Don't go reminding me that you are loved by a gorgeous older guy who would do anything for you"

I flick Caroline back before saying,

"I thought we'd been through this Caroline, it's you who I love, hence the necklace"

Caroline laughs again, the tension draining from her body,

"I wuv you too Ever"

I wink at her,

"Yeah, you do" I say Joey from Friends style.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I walk into the library and watch silently for a few moments as Damon looks almost frantically through the books on the shelves. There are books strewn all over the floor as well. Damon is really taking this 'find another way to save bitchzilla' quite seriously.

Stefan and I had hoped he might have finally accepted the fact that getting into the tomb is not possible. But, I figured he'd be far too pig-headed to let this go. Stubbornness is every Salvatore's biggest flaw.

You'd think it'd be the killing thing, but I tend to think of that as less of a flaw and more of a working progress lifestyle choice.

I lean against a book case close to Damon, my arms crossed over my chest, and I watch him for a little longer. I'm making him uneasy, which actually amuses me immensely for so many reasons. Eventually though, Damon gives me an irritated look and drawls,

"Are you going to stare at me like that all day, or is there a point to you being here?"

I shrug and make a face,

"Nah. I just wanted to spend some quality time with my big bro. What are you looking for Damon?" I ask.

"Do you actually care Sinbad?" Damon raises a dark eyebrow at me sardonically.

I pretend to think about it and then reply,

"Nope"

Damon rolls his eyes,

"No, you wouldn't. Stefan asked me the same thing a few hours ago"

I chuckle under my breath and ask,

"What did you say to him?"

Damon tilts his head to the side and eyes me suspiciously,

"I told him it was none of his concern"

"Of course you did. You're so unfriendly sometimes. That's why you have no fwends Damon, because you're prickly. Like a baby cactus"

For a moment Damon looks at me like I've lost my mind, but then he snorts out a laugh and says,

"You're still pissed at me for taking Ever on my little road trip aren't you?"

I shrug and cross my ankles, my biker boots scrap together because of my movement,

"It depends on why you did it"

Damon frowns and then looks away from me, he contuinues to look through the books on the shelf in front of him.

"Ev's had fun Sin, ask her. She agreed to go with me. I didn't force her to do anything"

And there he goes with the Ev's thing again. Annoying bastard, he knows that pisses me off.

I nod in acknowledgement,

"I know. That's the only reason you're still up and walking around instead of being locked downstairs in a cell, desiccating indefinitely. Make no mistake Damon, Ever is mine, I will not allow you to hurt her."

Damon pauses then and turns to me, his eyes narrowed in what appears to be anger,

"You love her. My baby brother, in love with a human girl. Who would have thought it huh? I bet if she knew about a few things you've done in the past she wouldn't be so quick to love you, or let you fuck her"

I make a growling sound in the back of my throat,

"Do not talk about my girlfriend that way Damon. Have some respect for once in your fucking life"

Damon smirks at me and the urge to snap my brother's neck becomes almost completely overwhelming.

"Then again, maybe Ever likes the bad side of you. Maybe she likes the fact that you could tare someone apart without even blinking. That might be the reason she chose you over our goodie two shoes brother"

"One more word Damon, and I swear, I will break you" I snap, the anger inside me rising with a vengeance.

But Damon being Damon, he just can't help but push every single fucking boundary,

"Sin, tell me, does Ever enjoy it when you're rough with her. Does she scream when you-"

And snap.

I'm pretty sure Damon didn't think I'd actually do it. Too arrogant for his own good as always.

Yet again, why couldn't I have been an only child?

Stefan walks in then, his eyes going from me standing over Damon holding a book and our oldest brother on the floor with a broken neck.

He heaves an almighty sigh and says,

"I should have just let you do that in the first place"

I smile at him,

"I won't lie, it was fun. Like I've said before, that shit just never gets old"

…

When I go to meet Jeremy at the Grill I do actually feel a little lighter. Who knew breaking your brother's neck could feel so freeing? Most people probably wouldn't think that, but hey, none of them have Damon for a brother either.

He is waiting for me by the bar, when our eyes meet Jeremy grins at me, seemingly on instinct, because a moment later he stops and schools his face into a more passive expression. I have to do the same.

Jeremy and I have talked quite a lot over the last few days, mostly about his report and other menial things. But sometimes he'll start talking to me about his parents or his art, and that's when the real Jeremy Gilbert reveals himself to be so much more than just an emo kid with an attitude.

From the moment I saw Jeremy, I just knew there was something special about him, and every time we talk I get to see more and more how right I really was.

"Hey Jer-" I start, but then Jeremy practically shoves a few sheets of paper in my face.

I take it from him and notice the big red grade circled in the corner. I can't keep the stupid smile off my face as I say,

"Holy shit Jer, you got an A. You're a fucking genius, told you you'd smash it"

Jeremy can't quite seem to keep the smile off his face either, his deep brown eyes spark with pride and an inner confidence he is lacking most of the time. He should be proud of himself, he worked his ass off on this thing.

"I just wanted to show you because it was mainly because of you that the report turned out so good"

I shake my head,

"No way Jer, you get all the credit for this one"

Jeremy's smile gets a little wider, and my world tilts on it's axis as I realise all over again just how damn beautiful the youngest Gilbert really is. Although his face is slowly becoming more refined and handsome, along with his body becoming less boyish and more like a young man's.

"Come on Jer, I'll buy you a drink to celebrate, just don't tell your sisters or aunt, they'd gang up and kill me" I say with another smile aimed at Jeremy.

Jeremy nods in agreement,

"Yeah, Ever would probably have to lend her bat to Elena"

We both laugh, but as Jeremy reaches out to take the report back our hands brush, and electric shocks zing through my body like lightening. Jeremy jerks away from me and his eyes widen considerably. He seems confused for a moment, but then he plasters on a smile I now know to be his fake one and looks away from me.

I want to say something. To reassure him somehow. But that would be stupid, fucking stupid, and I wouldn't even know what to say. 'Sorry I'm insanely attracted to you' would probably not go down so well with Jeremy, or his sister.

The guilt gets to me then. Ever is my girlfriend and I'm hopelessly in love with her, the thought of losing her tares me apart. I cannot throw away everything just because I'm attracted to Jeremy on some weird deep level. It's obvious he does not feel the same, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter because I want to be with Ever.

So, with that in mind, I push away the strangely exhilarating moment with Jeremy and order us both a drink.

It doesn't take long for me to bring Jeremy out of his sudden funk and soon we're laughing and talking like normal.

Things only go slightly south when he mentions Anna. I want desperately to tell him to stay the fuck away from her. I don't know exactly what she's got planned, but whatever it is, I don't want Jeremy involved at all.

A few hours later I take out the vervain bracelet. I'm not sure quite how to give it to him at first, but eventually I decide to just go for it and hope he doesn't get too freaked out by it.

I place the bracelet on the bar and push it towards Jeremy. He frowns down at it for a moment and then picks it up. He lifts his gaze to meet mine and I say,

"It's an old family heirloom. For protection. Will you wear it for me Jer?"

For a moment I worry he'll ask me why, and then I'll have to lie to him, again. But to my surprise he puts the thick heavy set bracelet on without argument, which is not at all like the youngest Gilbert to my knowledge. Normally he's a defiant little fucker, even with the small stuff sometimes.

But all he does is smile at me for moment before saying,

"Thanks Sin"

I like the way he says my name, I don't know why, but it sounds right coming out of his mouth. I could imagine him saying it in a completely different way, but I won't because once I go down that road I won't be able to stop myself from biting Jeremy, or worse.

I decide that tomorrow I'll get everyone together and we'll have a fucking 'supernatural's united' meeting, and I'll tell them about Anna. I don't really want to, but if she's a threat to any of us, then she needs to be dealt with.

There's a dance tonight that Stefan and Elena are going to, and also apparently Damon. He suspicious of the new teacher Alaric and wants to feel him out apparently. I decided to just leave him to it.

Ever and I opted out of going and decided to have a date night instead. She's really not into all that cheesy school dance stuff, something I am eternally grateful for, so it just made sense to have some alone time with the boarding house to ourselves.

We're watching some classic films and baking. Or Ever's baking and allowing me to help her. Compared to a lot of nights I've spent at parties and raves and all kinds of historical events, it may sound really tame and boring, but honestly, late night old movies and home made cakes sounds like fun to me. After all the drama, I'm looking forward to spending some time alone with my girlfriend and getting to relax for five fucking minutes before the drama starts up all over again.

Hopefully that lot can go one night without us and not burn Mystic Falls to the ground. Yeah, I'm not that optimistic about it either. But screw them, I'm having cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right my peoples, I worked really, really hard on this one, so please review and tell me what you think. Pretty please xxx Any comments are welcome.


	21. Children of the Damned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvatore's Unite! Ever has a special moment with each Salvatore. x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the nineteenth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then none of the men would wear t-shirts, like, ever.! ;) x
> 
>  
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
Children of the Damned

 

Ever’s P.O.V

Apparently Sinbad and I missed quite a lot last night. Elena was attacked by a psycho vampire. Not Damon. She stabbed said vampire with a pencil. Epic by the way. 

Then Damon and Stefan killed him, but not before finding out that to open the tomb they need Emily Bennett's grimoire, as if we didn’t already have enough trouble from that dead witch. Apparently the whereabouts of the grimoire is in John Gilbert’s journal.

At least now I know how to avoid drama, never go to another school dance, ever. I can live with that, and Sinbad agrees with my deduction full heartedly. Although that might be because he hates school dances. Or just hates school, period. 

Sinbad also told us about Anna. I didn’t like it at all, and Elena was the first to say that Anna had to be kept far away from Jeremy from now on. I didn’t feel jealous though, which isn’t how I expected to feel. I guess I just trust Sin even more than I thought.

Sin says she wants the journal too, according to Jeremy. Apparently this girl’s mother is in the tomb as well. I kind of feel bad for her, if my parents we’re alive and inside some tomb, I’d do anything to get them out too. 

……………

I wake up slowly, rays of light making me blink as I open my eyes. Sinbad has his strong arm draped over me, holding me close to his body even as he sleeps. I move slowly, stretching a little to get more comfortable.

Suddenly I hear a breathy chuckle from over my shoulder,  
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to wake up with you next to me my love”

Sinbad kisses my neck and lets his teeth skate over the sensitive skin. I sigh contentedly. But of course that cannot last as I hear Damon’s drawling voice say,  
“Rise and shine sleepy heads”

He’s sitting on the bed looking down at me and Sin. I immediately sit up, holding the sheet tightly as to shield my naked body from his blue burning gaze. He meets my eyes, but then his own eyes drop to the mark on the hollow of the throat. Sinbad’s mark. His eyes narrow and his jaw tightens, but he doesn’t comment, thank fuck.

Sinbad growls and sits up slowly, glaring at his brother with open hostility.   
“What the fuck Damon?”

Damon rolls his eyes,  
“Oh, don’t be modest. Get your head out of the gutter, you’re so dirty minded sometimes”

Sinbad growls again and this time it vibrates through his entire body. My gaze darts between the two brothers. It hits me again how alike they are, appearance-wise. They both have the same blue eyes and black hair, and the same devilish sexy smirk. No wonder my feelings for Damon are so confusing. 

My first thought when Damon, Stefan and Elena told me what had happened last night was; ‘shit, he might actually get her out of the tomb’. There is something seriously wrong with me. I have Sinbad, who is so perfect for me in pretty much every way. Yet I can’t get Damon out of my head.

Damn the bastard to all hell.

“Seriously Day, get the hell out of my room” Sinbad says with a long drawn out sigh.

Damon shrugs, his gaze again falling on me as he says,  
“If I see something I haven’t seen before, then I’ll throw a dollar at it”

I gasp dramatically and place a hand over my heart,  
“Only a dollar? Do not disrespect me like that. I’m worth at least ten thank you very much sir”

Damon snorts out a laugh and Sinbad slaps his forehead with groan. 

“Now, listen, there’s something very important we need to discuss” Damon starts.

“And it has to be right now?” I question, my eyebrow firmly raised. 

“Oh, we have lots to do, now that we’re all, friends, working towards a common goal” Damon continues.

Last night Sinbad and Damon spoke for a while, Sinbad agreed to help is brother open the tomb on the condition that as soon as he gets bitchzilla, something Sinbad has taken to calling her, Damon has to leave town.

Stefan and Elena agreed to help as well, but I get the feeling something is off about it. Sinbad honestly just wants Damon gone, and I’m sure he’ll kill every other vampire in that tomb to keep them from destroying the town if he has to. 

But Stefan doesn’t think practically the way Sinbad does, he would never agree to put anyone at risk. For the first time I’m really having to question Stefan’s motives, as well as my sister’s. 

As for me I have no idea how to feel about everything that’s going on. I’m fucking conflicted damn it. I’m like Bella. But without the whinging. And the stupidity. 

Hell, I’m practically Helena from The Werewolf Diaries. Now, that bitch has issues. 

Sinbad makes a ‘go on’ gesture at Damon.

Damon stands up from the bed and takes a few steps back, his eyes still fixed on me in a way that makes me feel like the sheet I’m holding in front of my naked body doesn’t exist.  
“So in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal, to get the grimoire to undo the spell. So first things first” he gestures towards me, “Since you are Ever Gilbert, you’re on journal duty”

Ahhhh, why do I have to do stuff?

“Since when am I involved?” I ask irritably.

Damon shrugs,  
“Well, Sinbad’s helping, and since you seem to have taken up residency in Sinbad’s bed-“

“Damon” Sin snaps with another low growl.

Damon smirks at Sin,  
“Oh alright, don’t get all neck snappy happy again. I just mean, that it helps in a relationship to do activities together. Getting the Gilbert journal is an activity. Go….do it together”

Sinbad turns to me and takes my hand in his,  
“You don’t have to do anything”

I sigh heavily and lean back in the bed,  
“Whatever, I’ll look for it today, it’s fine”

“No I mean, think Jeremy gave it to Alaric actually. I’ll go get it from him” Sinbad reasons.

Damon’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree,  
“Ah, you being best buddies with mini Gilbert is actually useful for once”

“Shut up Damon, you twatwaffle” Sinbad closes his eyes and lets his head fall back onto the pillow.

Both Damon and I snort out a laugh at that one,  
“What?” we ask in unison.

Sinbad opens one eye and smirks at us,  
“I read it somewhere and thought I’d give it a whirl”

I laugh again and Damon says,  
“I like it”

“Twatwaffle” I repeat to myself with a smile “I’m keeping that one”

Sinbad mock glares at me,  
“Insult stealer”

Damon claps his hands together then and says,  
“Come on, people, chop chop, we have ‘team supernatural’ stuff to do”

I poke my tongue out at him,  
“I think you’ll find its ‘Supernaturals United’”

Damon smirks at me as he walks backwards out of the room,  
“Whatever you say Ev’s, as long as I get to be on your team” 

“Why?” I call after him as he disappears round the corner.

I hear him call back,  
“Because that’s where all the kinky ’bite me’ sex seems to happening”

Oh, I really need an extra bat for this house!

I roll over and let my head rest on Sinbad’s broad chest, he starts running his fingers through my hair and whispers,  
“If you ever want me to kick his ass, please, just say so. I mean it, really, please say so”

I chuckle under my breath,  
“I’ll keep that in mind, promise”

Sinbad lifts my hand and kisses each of my knuckles,  
“The only bite sex you’re having is with me baby”, a bit of rough possessiveness tints the edges of his tone and I smile.

“I love you too Sin”

………….

(Song for this scene-Only exception by Paramore)

 

“Have you spoken to Elena and Stefan yet? About everything I mean?” I ask Damon, he’s in the kitchen when I get downstairs. I wanted to talk to him, to see if he trusts Stefan. I think he does trust Sinbad, why he trusts Sin more than Stefan I don’t really understand. It can’t all be because of Katherine, can it?

Damon moves closer to me, leaning against the kitchen counter, he reaches out and twists one of my curls around his finger. I let him. I have no idea why, but I do. 

Damon’s jaw tightens slightly and he shakes his head,  
“Nope, I don’t trust saint Steffy and the evil twin not to double cross me”

He searches my eyes, as if looking for confirmation, I try my best to look impassive. Even though I think something is off with Elena and Stefan agreeing to help, I don’t know anything for sure, so I don’t want Damon’s paranoid nature to make him do something mental. Or Damon-y. Which is pretty much the same thing.

I shrug,  
“Ah well, she is evil, like you said” hopefully playing it off as a joke will work.

Damon nods and smirks playfully,  
“I know. She’s the evil twin, and you’re the naughty twin” he winks at me.

I laugh at that,  
“You’re only saying that because I’m your favourite”

“I’m saying that I trust you” Damon replies, his voice going low. He looks deep into my eyes, the back of his hand brushing over my cheek and causing little shocks of awareness to travel through my body. I can feel him so close to me and it’s dizzying. 

My breath hitches, but I still manage to get out,  
“What about your brothers? Do you trust Sin?”

Damon seems conflicted again for a moment, as if trying to decide if he can tell me the truth. I place my hand over his and meet his gaze without hesitation,  
“You can trust me Damon, please believe that”

Damon nods and smiles hesitantly,  
“I trust Sinbad. My baby brother is a lot of things, but he is not a liar”

I frown, and think carefully about my next question,  
“Why do you not trust Stefan?”

Damon’s eyes flash with anger and for a moment I worry he’ll snap. I stroke his hand with my thumb in what I hope is a soothing manner. Moments later he seems much calmer, his eyes no longer burning with hatred,  
“I trusted him once. He let me down. Stefan doesn’t understand, he thinks just because his way is the safest way, the ‘good’ way, that it’s the right one. He’ll never do what’s necessary to get what he wants”

I can see in his eyes that there is more to it than that, but I don’t push as Damon seems to be far more relaxed than he was before.  
“People change” I say, “He’s your brother Damon, he doesn’t want you to be miserable, I know that much”

Damon seems to be think about that for a moment and then replies in almost a whisper,  
“Stefan is the reason our father found out about Katherine. He never would have known if Stefan had kept his mouth shut. I put my faith in him, and he betrayed me. Sinbad always hated Katherine, but he was loyal to Stefan and me, he never told our father anything, he knew how much father hated vampires. Sin may have been the youngest, but he understood the world and people far better than any of us. He lives by a really wacky moral code, but it works for him”

Ah, Sinbad, the Salvatore brother who isn’t too good, or too bad. Just somewhere in between. The great equaliser, as Damon once said.

Without even thinking about it I’ve gotten closer to Damon, our bodies barely a few inches apart now. Damon’s fiery gaze burns into me with an intensity that there are no words to describe. He sets my skin on fire and my heart racing with just that one look alone. 

“I don’t think Stefan or Sinbad would ever actually want to betray you Damon. They’re your brothers, that has to mean something after all these years” my words come out quieter than I mean them to. Somehow Damon’s presence makes everything I say feel more intimate.

Damon smiles sadly, his handsome face more open now than I have ever seen it,  
“I guess I just don’t see the good in people the way you do Ev’s. I normally assume the worst and go from there”

I grip his hand a little tighter as sadness at his statement washes through me,  
“What about me? Do you assume the worse of me Damon?” for whatever reason, his answer is important to me.

Damon intertwines our fingers and with his other hand he cups my face, caressing my cheek, and once again I’m surprised by how gentle Damon can be. He looks into my eyes intently, and I see the truth in his as he answers,  
“You, Ever Gilbert, you are my exception”

No one else in this world has ever made me feel the way Damon does, I don’t even know how to describe what I feel for him. But I know it’s all consuming, and far too powerful for me to even attempt to control it.

“Sinbad is my boyfriend, and your brother, I know you can trust him too” I whisper, trying desperately to get some of my non-existent sanity back. Damon’s eyes flicker down mark at the hollow of my throat again and his jaw tightens in response,  
“I bit you there first you know, that’s why he bites you in that place every time. Trying to remove the mark I already made on you”

All the breath leaves my body at his words, and the truth behind them. I meet his eyes again and whisper,  
“He doesn’t need to mark me Damon, I’m already his”

A deep growl comes from somewhere inside of Damon,  
“You keep telling yourself that Ever, but, who are you trying to convince here, me? Or you?”

Damon lets go of me then and stalks out of the room, his every movement screams predator, and I wonder how I ever could have thought Damon was human. 

………….

 

“Elena, best friend” I say to Elena and Stefan in turn as I walk into our kitchen and head in the direction of the freezer. 

Mama needs to get herself some ice scream. 

They were whispering about something before I came in. I thought about waiting and listening in on them, but I knew if I stayed there long enough that Stefan would be able to sense me with his vampy skills.

“Are you staying over at the boarding house tonight?” Elena asks me.

I come back with my ice cream and sit next to Stefan on one of the kitchen stools,  
“I dunno yet. Leave me in peace woman, your gorgeous twin needs ice cream in take at full capacity right now”

Elena rolls her eyes and she shares a smile with Stefan. Oh, goodie, secret smiles, they’re at that stage in their ‘relationship’. 

“I’m going to the bathroom. Ever, play nice with Stefan” Elena says as she gets up and leaves the room. Her and Stefan share another secret smiley moment.

Bleegh, I preferred it when they just stared at each other like Disney characters. It was much less disturbing.

Once Elena is gone I see the perfect opportunity to get some answers out of my vamp bestie,  
“Stef?” 

Stefan lifts his green eyes to meet mine, his face stoic as ever,  
“Yes, Ever?”

I’ve thought over and over how I would ask this next question, but in the end I just decide to go for it,  
“Are you really, honestly, helping Damon?”

Stefan stares at me for a very long moment, so long in fact that I’m unsure if he’ll actually answer. But then he finally says,  
“I’m guessing Damon doesn’t trust me”

That isn’t really an answer, but I roll with it anyway,  
“I think he wants to”

Stefan eyes flicker with something close to understanding as he replies,  
“Trust isn’t something that comes naturally to my older brother”

I nod, it’s true, Damon admitted that he finds it hard to trust, but that doesn’t mean he deserves to be proved right about not trusting Stefan,  
“I truly think Damon believes everything he’s ever done is for love. It’s fucked up and twisted, but it’s also kind of sad”

I remember the look in Damon’s eyes earlier when he spoke about what happened to Katherine, it broke my heart a little to see his obvious pain over losing her. Stefan sighs and shakes his head in frustration,  
“There are other ways…to get what you want. You don’t have to kill people. Damon has no regard for human life, he enjoys inflicting pain on others Ever. I know you two have bonded, but remember what he did to Vicki, to you, to countless others for no other reason than because he could”

I want to argue, I really do. I want to tell Stefan that what he’s saying isn’t true, that Damon does care. But I can’t, because Stefan isn’t wrong. Damon kills people for fun, he isn’t a good person. But it also isn’t that simple, I refuse to believe that Damon is bad to the core, it just doesn’t compute with me.

Stefan can obviously see how conflicted I am, because he continues suddenly,  
“For a hundred and forty-five years, every single time that I have let my guard down, and allowed Damon back into my life, he’s done something to make me regret it. I don’t trust him Ever.“

I put my ice cream container down onto the counter and meet Stefan’s eyes full on as I say,  
“That doesn’t mean you should give him one more reason not to trust you. You’re better than that Stefan, I know you are”

Now Stefan is the one who looks conflicted, and it reminds me so much of the same expression I’ve seen both Damon and Sinbad wear sometimes. When you look at the three Salvatore brothers, it appears as if Sinbad and Damon are the most alike, but occasionally Stefan will make a face or say something and then you can see it, the link that binds them all together as brothers.

I reach out to place my hand over Stefan’s, he jerks slightly, but doesn’t move his hand away. Our gazes lock and that all too familiar connection passes between us. It really is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. If Elena feels even half as connected to Stefan as I do, then I understand why they are so loved up.  
“Stefan, I know you don’t owe Damon anything. And if you won’t do it for him, then please, do it for me. Don’t let the past rule over every decision you make. If you don’t want to be involved, then do nothing. But please, for me, do not betray Damon. Not about this, not when he’s so emotionally invested in the outcome. It would destroy something in him, even if he’d never admit that”

Stefan stares at me again for another long moment, a war raging in his eyes. I can tell he’s caught between disappointing me by doing what he believes is right, and letting go and risking everything all over again on the off chance that this time things will be different.

I understand why it’s hard for him. If my brother was Damon and I’d been through as much as they had, then I’m not sure what I would decide to do either.

Eventually though Stefan smiles, it’s an open smile that could mean so many things. But I choose to believe that I got to him about this. Through our connection I can feel how important what I think of him is to Stefan. The strange thing is, I feel the same way. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Stefan either, which is maybe one of the reasons why I feel so guilty about my feelings for Damon.

Stefan twists his hand so that our palms are touching and pressed together. He lets go of a breath that I think he’s been holding in ever since I started talking, his gaze is still fixed on mine as he says,  
“For you…..for you, Ever. I really hope I don’t regret this”

I nod and smile in understanding ,  
“Me too Stef, me too” 

 

Sinbad P.O.V

Alaric swings round into the class room and shoots at me using a stake gun.

A STAKE GUN!  
Son of a biscuit tin on a shelf in bloody hell!

Now, there are stakes, and then there are guns. Why do humans insist of putting things together in the most inconvenient way possible? It’s incredibly irritating, and I am in no mood to be irritated today.

I catch the stake being shot at me before it can get anywhere near my heart. Alaric re-loads the stake gun, again, son of a fucking biscuit tin, a STAKE GUN!   
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you” I say through gritted teeth.

Suddenly Stefan comes up behind Alaric and takes the gun from his hands. I vamp speed over to where Stefan is standing and shove the stake gun wielding maniac further into the class room. I glare down at him as his eyes dart between me and my brother,  
“Yeah, you really shouldn’t have done that”

Alaric frantically gets up and he seems to be scanning the room for a weapon. He thinks we’re going to kill him. Smart man. He’s so very lucky I decided to take Stefan with me to get the journal instead of the town’s resident fang wielding maniac a.k.a. my oldest brother. 

“Take a seat” Stefan says and he gestures to one of the school desks.

Alaric reluctantly takes a seat, Stefan studies the weapon and asks,  
“What is this, compressed air? Did you make it yourself?”

Stefan, this isn’t a ‘get to know the hunter’ session, ok. We don’t have time to kiss his ass. Although, he is hot enough that if I’d met him about three months ago I would have been getting a very intimate view of his ass…..whoops, bad train of thought.

More importantly,  
“Who are you?” I ask, pinning him with one of best cold stares.

Alaric doesn’t answer and I start to get irritated again. First stake guns, and now shy hunters, this is not turning out to be a good day for me.

“We’re not going to hurt you” Stefan says, I suppose he’s trying to sound reassuring, when really he just sounds like he wants to hurt the hunter but can’t because of a technicality. Like a crime boss right out of the Godfather.

I tilt my head to the side and add,  
“No, we won’t. Unless you try to kill us again. Emphasis on the word try, because, trust me, only one of us would die in that scenario and it wouldn’t be me or my brother”

“Brother?” Alaric questions in obvious confusion.

I sigh,  
“Yes, oh right, I’m the other Salvatore. I’ve been rude, I know, but to be fair, you did just try and shoot me with a bloody STAKE GUN! “

I’m not getting over that any time soon.

“There are three of you?” Alaric asks in what I can only describe as abject horror. It would be kind of amusing if I weren’t so ready to tear the guy’s head off.

“Hey, hey, we’re asking the questions here hunter. Now, I repeat, who are you?” I lean against the wall as Stefan sits up on one of the desks, both of us watching the hunter carefully.

“I’m a teacher” Alaric finally answers.

“With a stake gun? What do you do, threaten the children with it if they don’t do their homework” I say in disbelief.

Stefan sighs in annoyance and gives me a hard look, which I pointedly ignore,  
“Come on, lets not do this the hard way” Stefan says to the Alaric.

Alaric looks between me and my brother one last time before continuing,  
“I’m also a historian, and while researching Virginia, I made a few discoveries about your town”

“So you show up like Van Helsing, come on, tell us the truth”

Alaric scoffs out a breath and shakes his head,  
“My wife was a parapsychologist, she spent her life researching paranormal activity in this area. It was her work that led me here” 

A parapsychologist? That’s a thing? The world really has gone to shit if that’s actually a subject you can get a degree in.

What’s next? Flipflopology, the research of flip flops through time. 

Fucking ridiculous. It’s that kind of shit that leads to stake guns. 

“Where’s your wife?” I ask, already knowing the answer, he has angry vengeful widow written all over him.

Alaric’s jaw tightens,  
“Dead. She was killed by a vampire.”

Ooooooof course she was. A vampire killed his wife, and now he’s a stake gun wielding maniac, just your every day love story gone wrong.

“Where’s the Gilbert journal?” Stefan asks the stake gun wielding maniac.

“Why do you want with it?” Alaric asks with a frown.

That’s it. I’ve had enough of this shit,  
“Where the fuck is the journal Alaric? I’m so not in the mood for this crap right now. Tell us or I’ll find a very special place to shove that gun of yours”

Alaric swallows hard and mutters,  
“It’s on my desk”

“Uh, no it’s not” I know that it’s not because that’s the first place I checked when I came in here.

Alaric looks over at his desk then back at us,  
“It was on my desk”

Oh, perfect.

“How long have you been aware of us?” I ask. Something that has been worrying me ever since I realised the new teacher was far too informed in regards to my brothers and me.

“I learned just recently. When I met your brother” Alaric answers, there’s bitterness in his tone and I start to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“You met Damon”

Alaric’s eyes meet mine as he says,  
“Who do you think killed my wife?”

Ah, there it is.

Stefan shifts in his seat,  
“You’re certain it was Damon?”

“I witnessed it”

I shake my head, this can only end one way if Alaric pursues his revenge, as he quite obviously is trying to,  
“If you’ve come here for revenge, then this going to end very badly for you. Our brother is…..deadly, even more so than the rest of us at times”

“I just want to find out what happened to my wife” Alaric replies.

Stefan frowns in confusion,  
“I thought you just said that Damon….”

“Yeah, I saw him, draining the life out of her. He must have heard me coming, because they just…disappeared. So did her body. They never found her.”

Oh, excuse me whilst I go get my teeny tiny violin for this moment. Fucking Damon, why is it that every time he kills someone it causes us all grief? 

All the same though, I feel bad for the poor fucker,  
“Damon can never know why you’re here. He’ll kill you without a second thought”

Alaric’s jaw tightens at the warning,  
“I can take care of myself”

Says the stake gun wielding maniac.

I bark out a laugh,  
“No, you can’t, trust us”

Stefan sighs and adds,  
“Now, did you make any copies from the journal?”

 

………..

 

“He actually gave you these?” Ever asks in disbelief, looking over Damon’s shoulder at the Gilbert journal copied pages.

I shrug and tilt my head from side to side,  
“Eh, not exactly, but you know how persuasive I can be” I wink at her and she grins back at me knowingly.

Stefan is reading through a few bits of the journal as well and suddenly he looks up at us all. We’re at the boarding house, and by we, I mean, me, Ever, Damon, Stefan and Elena.

Stefan begins to read out a passage,  
“It was Giuseppe Salvatore who removed my fears. He told me he would protect the secret of the spell book. He said he would carry it to his grave” 

It hits me then, the answer is so obvious. Well, it’s obvious if you knew our father, the literal bastard.   
“I know where it is”

I meet Damon’s eyes and then Stefan’s. Damon gets it first,  
“Our father got buried with it didn’t he, the literal bastard”

That’s what I said.

Ever’s P.O.V

 

Stefan, Sinbad and Damon go off to dig up their father’s grave and get Emily’s spell book. Ah, such a sweet family outing. Well, they should do more things together anyway.

Elena and I are left in the boarding house alone. There’s this weird tension coming from Elena. She’s been acting weird towards me pretty much all day, and it’s starting to piss me off.  
“Is there something wrong twin?” I ask, genuinely concerned now that I’ve done something to upset her.

Elena lifts her gaze to meet mine and see a wariness in her eyes that I don’t understand,  
“Why did you do it Ever?”

I stare back at her, having no idea what she’s on about,  
“Why did I do what? Be more specific sis, I do a lot of shit in a day”

Elena sighs and she crosses her arms over her chest, the frustration is clear on her face and I still don’t understand what she’s getting at,  
“Why did you convince Stefan to actually help Damon for real?”

I cannot believe she just asked me that.  
“Better question twin, why didn’t you? Stefan was about to make a mistake. You don’t betray family Elena, I would never do that to you, and hopefully you wouldn’t do that to me”

Elena lets her arms drop to her side in exasperation,  
“But if they open that tomb then people are going to die-“

“You don’t know that Elena” I argue, “I think we can find a way to stop all the other vampires from getting out. I mean, they should all be desiccated by now, right. We could just ceil the tomb back up again. Bonnie could do that maybe. I don’t know, but I do know that betraying Damon was a stupid idea”

Elena narrows her eyes at me,  
“You’re actually willing to risk all that, for what? Damon?”

Oh, now I actually want to hit her with something. Something heavy. Like a rock. A big rock.  
“No Elena! Not for Damon. For them. Damon, Sin and Stefan. They’re brothers, they should help each other, not go around behind each others backs. They should be able to trust their brothers not the screw them over.”

“But what about the town-“

“Screw it. Family comes first, you should know that. We can handle the vampires in the tomb, as long as we work together and don’t lie to each other. We’re not enemies damn it, and we’re not fucking children either” I say, a bit annoyed now that she’s not getting it.

“After all the things Damon has done to Stefan, how can you say that he should trust him?” Elena asks angrily.

“Oh, grow up Elena, family isn’t always perfect, you know that. We know that” I snap back.

Elena is really glaring at me now,  
“How did you even convince Stefan? He was so set on it before you talked to him”

Now, how to answer that question without making her even angrier at me.  
“I just asked him not to”

Elena shakes her head,  
“What does that mean?”

I throw my hands up in frustration at this stupid and pointless argument,  
“It means exactly what I just said. I asked Stefan not to betray Damon, and he agreed not to. That’s it. I didn’t threaten him at stake gun point or anything.”

Ha, Sinbad told me about that. I struggle not to laugh even now at the memory of his very long rant about it. For some reason there were flip flops involved, I have no idea why. Sinbad’s mind really does rival even mine’s madness at times.

Elena clenches her hands into tight fists and whispers,  
“I don’t believe you”

Oh, well, that’s nice isn’t it? Very sisterly.

Without another word I grab my jacket and leave the boarding house. Elena doesn’t come after me, and I don’t want her to. I’m so pissed off at her right now. I don’t even know what she was accusing me of, but whatever it was, I don’t fucking like it.

I take my keys out and am about to open my car door when suddenly I’m grabbed from behind.

REALLY? Damn it! 

Fourth. Time. Seriously not cool people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, do review, it’s so good to hear what you think of my story. Let me know what you think of Ever’s choices in this one, was she right or wrong to want the brothers to work together? What about Damon and Ever? Or even Stefan and Ever? 
> 
> Also, is there such a thing as flipflopology? Should there be? XXX


	22. Fool me once-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever's gonna need more bats and Sinbad lets his emotions take over :) x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-second chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would bring in an antagonist who is actually evil and not just someone with father issues, or mother issues, or ex girlfriend issues…you all know what I mean ;) x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Fool Me Once-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

I wake up inside a dank hotel room that even small time hookers would turn their noses up at. A man I haven't seen before is sleeping in a chair opposite the bed I'm on. I don't think he was the one who grabbed me, so I know there's at least two people for me to worry about.

My head is pounding from whatever drug they gave me to keep me asleep. But I'm conscious enough to know that my time to escape is limited.

I get up from the bed slowly, the door is locked and I take note of the fact that there seems to be no one here but the man in the chair. I move towards the door as quietly as I can possibly manage. I feel like a spy. The music from Mission impossible starts playing inside my head.

This is so not the right time for my madness to come out and play.

I get to the door and hesitate for only a moment before sliding the chain and unlocking the door. My hand wraps around the door handle just as a voice behind me says,

"I wouldn't do that"

Well, at least now I know one thing, I'd make a crappy spy.

I spin around and flatten my back against the door. The man from the chair comes closer to me, his gaze fully predatory and it doesn't take a genius to work out that he's a vampire. As if wanting to prove my theory the vampire looks deeply into my eyes and says,

"Don't try to escape. Don't even move. Do you understand?"

Oh, bastard vamp boy just tried to compel me. If I had my bat he'd be….well it would probably have about zero affect, but that isn't the point.

I realise then that he expects me to answer, so I reply in my best monotone voice,

"I understand"

Vamp prick numero uno moves away from me then with a self satisfied smile on his face that I'd like to smack right off. Maybe I could convince Sinbad or Damon to do it for me later, seeing as their smack would actually hurt him.

By the way, he's wearing a hoodie, what kind of vampire henchman wears a hoodie? I am very disappointed so far in the evilness level of these vampires.

As soon as vamp boy is far enough away from me I make a break for it. But when I get the door open a girl is standing there. She looks even younger than me and I'm guessing she's Anna, although don't quote me on that.

The girl grabs hold of my arm and forces me back into the room, it hurts and I say,

"Woah, no touchy, touchy little miss"

In my defence of that world class comment, she is quite short.

The girl rolls her eyes and glares at Hoodie vamp,

"Seriously?" she asks him incredulously.

The girl pushes me towards the bathroom and I balk, but for a small person she's freakin' strong.

"I told her not to try and escape. I did that eye thing you taught me" Hoodie vamp tries almost desperately.

Girl vamp scoffs,

"You forgot the lesson about vervain, she dates a vampire Ben, duh"

"Get off me crazy pants, what do you want from me?" I try to struggle away from her as she shoves me into the bathroom.

"It doesn't matter" she replies, sounding irritated as she shuts the bathroom door on me.

SHE'S IRRITATED! SHE IS!

I'm the one whose been kidnapped. Again. And she's irritated with me.

Oh, short arse vamp just made it on to my bat victim list for sure.

I push against the door, but obviously it's locked. I turn on the light and as it blinks in and out I notice someone else led in the corner. Holy cheese biscuits! Bonnie!

"Oh my God, Bonnie, are you alright?" I fall to my knees next her.

She seems to be unconscious still, and I cup her face in my hands, trying to get her to open her eyes. Whatever this is, it's a lot worse than having a fight with my sister.

I hope team Salvatore is getting their shit together and coming to find us.

I dampen a cloth and wipe Bonnie's forehead with it. Suddenly her eyes open and she jerks in alarm, fair enough, this bathroom doesn't exactly exude welcoming vibes. Then again neither does being drugged and dumped in said bathroom.

Bonnie seems to relax a little when she realises it's me, and our eyes meet. Bonnie looks like she hasn't slept in weeks and suddenly I want to hit Hoodie vamp and Short arse vamp with my bat even more.

"Thank fuck you're alright" I whisper to Bonnie, still smoothing over her forehead with the damp cloth.

Bonnie's eyes widen in fear,

"Oh, Ever, it's Ben, he-"

"Shhhh" I press a finger to my lips and gesture towards the door, then I mouth, 'they can hear us'.

Bonnie nods in understanding. I get up and turn on the tap, I hope it drowns us out enough. I kneel back down next to Bonnie and help her sit up against the wall.

"What are we doing here?" Bonnie questions me, her eyes still wide and confused. I feel another pang of anger at what they have done to my friend.

I shrug in response,

"I'm not sure. It's probably got something to do with opening the tomb. And the spell book"

Bonnie frowns,

"Spell book?" she asks.

I sigh and lean back against the wall next to Bonnie,

"Yeah. Apparently it can be used to open the tomb"

"Why do they need us?"

"They need a witch to do a spell and open the tomb-"

I don't get to finish my sentence as Hoodie vamp decides to come crashing into the bathroom all dum dum style.

Seriously, where are evil doers getting their henchman these days? Wal Mart? Craigslist?

Bonnie glares up at him as he turns off the tap,

"You're wasting your time, I'm not going to help you"

Hoodie vamp grabs hold of me and pulls me against him,

"That's why she's here. Motivation for you to behave"

He stands up then and shoves me out of the bathroom. I shout in annoyance,

"Alright, in or out, make your mind up vamp boy"

"She wants to talk to you" Hoodie vamp replies and shuts the door behind him, leaving me alone with the mini vampire wonder.

I look up at her and she raises an eyebrow at me,

"Well, well, Ever Gilbert, you really are Katherine doppelganger"

Doppel-what the fuck now?

I glare openly at her,

"I'd prefer just Ever, thanks. No need to give me a title"

She tilts her head slightly, and then smirks,

"You must have the Salvatore boys reeling"

Eh, well…..

Not the time brain, bugger off for now would ya.

"Who are you?" I ask, even though I'm pretty sure I already know the answer.

"I'm Anna" YES! Right in one! "Your brother may have mentioned me"

Bad move going after Jeremy, she's going to pay for that one. At this rate I'm going to need more bats.

"I don't think Bonnie's going to open the tomb" I sit down on the edge of the bed. Anna gets up and stands by the window.

Anna leans against the wall as she replies,

"Oh, I think she will"

Think again brat, I barely stop myself from saying.

"You don't actually want Katherine out do you?" I ask.

Anna shakes her head,

"Trust me, no one I know wants to see that girl again. Except Damon, the love struck idiot"

Apt description. He is an idiot. And in love with bitchzilla. I should remember that.

I nod in understanding,

"Then Sin was right, it's your mother, yeah. Katherine messed with the Salvatore's and your mother got caught in the cross fire when it all went wrong"

Anna suddenly gives me an apraising look, as if she's impressed that I'm not a moron,

"Sin is still the only Salvatore with any taste in women, then"

I actually smile at her,

"There was a compliment in that comment somewhere. And yes, he does have the best taste in women" I point at myself, "Exhibit A"

Anna smiles back as she continues,

"Katherine was a selfish bitch, and my mother paid the price for it. I watched her get taken away by John Gilbert"

A wave of sadness hits me then. There's pain in Anna's eyes that I understand perfectly,

"I'm sorry Anna"

Anna tilts her head and moves closer towards me, she seems surprised by my response and says,

"You really mean that, don't you"

I nod, and for a moment Anna and I share our grief. But then Anna clears her throat,

"Yeah, I think we can skip the dead mother bonding so you can start serving a purpose"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"I couldn't agree more. What is my purpose oh tiny evil one?"

Anna snorts out a laugh,

"He always did like the funny ones. You're leverage"

Excellent, excellent, I've always wanted to be leverage, it's been my life long dream.

Anna picks up a phone from the hotel table and I recognise it as mine. I make a grab for it, but Anna holds it out of my reach. She dials a number….

Sinbad's P.O.V

When I get hold of Anna I'm going to drive a stake nice and deep into her fucking heart!

Stefan, Damon and I got back to the boarding house to a frantic Elena. She told us that Ever stormed out because they'd had a fight.

Elena didn't realise Ever was missing until she went outside to see their car still parked and the keys next to the door on the ground.

Damon wanted to go in all guns blazing, and part of me did as well. But we have no idea if it was actually Anna who took her, or where they are. I've been trying to call her for hours, getting no response.

All I can do is imagine grim ways for me to kill Anna if it is her who took Ever. Seriously, people need to leave my girlfriend the fuck alone or I'm going to start to get pissed off.

I was ready to kill Anna when she was just talking to Jeremy, now I'm almost gagging to do it. She's threatened two people I care about, I don't care what we had all those years ago, Anna is not getting away with pulling this shit.

When the call comes we're all still in the living room of the boarding house. I answer it immediately and my brother's come to stand closer. Damon looks angry as all hell, whereas Stefan is wearing an expression close to devastation.

Another note-I'm really going to have to talk to my brothers about their thing for my girlfriend. Emphasis on my, as in mine. I'm not normally a possessive man, alright, that's a lie, but Ever especially brings it out in me.

"Ever are you alright?" are the first words out of my mouth.

"Good to hear your voice Sin. Ever's fine, for now"

"Anna" I growl in warning, this isn't a fucking game. Not when it comes to Ever's safety.

"Tell me you have the grimoire and she'll stay fine"

"If you hurt her Anna, I will kill you, make no mistake. She means everything to me"

"Wow, Sin, I never thought I'd hear you say that about anyone. She must be something special"

Damon makes an irritated sound and snatches the phone out of my hand,

"We have the grimoire, what do you want?"

I cannot believe he would actually admit to having it. That's so…so…unDamonlike. What's he done, taken happy pills or something?

I use my vampire hearing to listen in on Anna's response.

"I have the witch. You have the grimoire. Meet me in the very public town square in thirty minutes so we can safely discuss how fun it's gonna be to work together."

Shit Anna has Bonnie. I like that little witch, yet another strike against Anna for taking Bonnie.

Damon barely contains a snarl as he snaps into the phone,

"Like my brother said, if you hurt her you will die, I'll make sure of it"

I hear Anna chuckle from down the phone and she replies with clear amusement,

"I'll be sure to tell Ever how much you care Damon. See you in thirty minutes"

Anna hangs up and Damon hands my phone back over to me. Damon's jaw is twitching because of his held in anger. I can tell he's about one wrong word away from snapping, big time. I share a glance with Stefan, he knows it too.

The thing I can't decide on is; what is Damon the most upset about, working with Anna, or the thought of her hurting Ever?

Quite honestly, I don't know which one I want it to be at this point.

"Alright, we need a plan, and we need one now" I say to break the silence that has befallen us.

Damon is practically vibrating with angry energy. We need to direct it soon or some poor bystander is going to get their neck snapped.

"A plan? We find out where Ever is and go get her, what else is there?" Damon snaps, his blue eyes flashing with barely controlled rage.

I give him a sardonic look,

"Uh, maybe a way to find Ever, that would be a great place to start"

Damon's eyes narrow at me and his jaw tightens even more. Oh no, goading Damon, not a good idea. It's like poking an already pissed off Bee hive. I take that back, Bee's are just territorial, goading Damon is like poking a wasp's nest, they're far more vengeful.

Stefan steps forward then, his gaze jumps between me, Damon and Elena as he says,

"I think I have an idea for how to find them. We need a witch"

Ever's P.O.V

"I'm leaving" Anna says.

Hoodie vamp comes into the room holding onto Bonnie. He sits her down on the other hotel bed. I heard enough of Anna's conversation to be slightly worried. I just hope the Salvatore's can work together on this one and not let their stubbornness get in the way.

Yep, and maybe piglets will sprout itsy bitsy wings and fly me to England on their backs.

"Watch them Ben, compulsion won't work" Anna orders Hoodie vamp firmly.

"Right. I got that." Hoodie vamp says with a nod.

Anna leaves the hotel room, and suddenly I feel a lot more unsafe with just the baby vampire henchman 'guarding' us. He's a dum dum to the extreme. I'd make a better vampire henchman than him, and I'm not even a damn vampire.

Hoodie vamp sits down in a chair opposite us and tilts his head questioningly at Bonnie,

"So you're the key to all this, literally, the one who opens the door. So, how long have you been a witch?"

And suddenly I'm irrationally angry at him because he used the word 'literally'. It's so fucking annoying when people use that wrong. I mean, I know there are more important things going on right now, but, ahhhh, that really pissed me off just then.

"Is there anything to drink here?" I ask, my throat really is dry because they DRUGGED ME!

Hoodie vamp stands up and looms over me,

"Are you offering?" he asks menacingly.

Ewwww, it's one thing for Damon and Sinbad to do it, at least I know where they've been. But this guy? Hoodie vamp could have been all over the shop, he's not getting his fangs anywhere near my blood.

Simply put, bleegh.

"Oh, you are so witty, I can really see why Anna chose you now" I say sarcastically.

Benny boy rolls his eyes and gestures towards the night stand. I move towards it and pick up the small glass of water. But then I catch Bonnie's eye and she says,

"Hey. Can I have a sip?"

I frown at her, but then I get it. She'd gonna do some witchy mojo. About time someone did something, and god knows I'm useless without my bat.

I hand over the water. Bonnie takes it from me and then waits a moment before chucking the water all over Hoodie vamps hoodie covered arm. A second later his arm lights on fire.

Bonnie and I make a run for it. I get the door open, but Hoodie vamp grabs Bonnie. He pulls her further inside the room and snaps at me through gritted teeth,

"Get back inside and close the door"

I obviously can't leave Bonnie here, so I do as he says.

"Don't hurt her" I say angrily.

"Don't make me" vampy boy shouts back, "Lock it"

I turn around and lock the door.

You know, when I retell this story, I'm definitely leaving out the epic fail of an escape that just went down.

Sinbad's P.O.V 

Damon and I make our way over to the place where we're meant to meet Anna. Stefan and Elena have gone over to Bonnie's Grams place to get her to do a locater spell. Me and Damon are just meeting Anna to distract her.

But then suddenly I feel something travel up my spine, it instantly recognisable. Jeremy is close. It's almost creepy how I know that. I hear his voice then,

"Hey, Sin, wait up"

Damon arches an eyebrow at me. I ignore it and say,

"Go on, I'll be there in a sec"

My oldest brother rolls his eyes at me,

"Calling you by your nickname now is he? Careful baby brother, he might get attached, and I know what happens to people who fall in love with you. You break their ittle wittle hearts"

I glare at Damon,

"Fuck off Day you annoying prick"

Damon is still smirking as he walks away from me over to a bench to wait for Anna.

Jeremy is in front of me within seconds. He smiles openly at me and instantly I feel a lot better. It's just the affect he has, the more time I spend with the youngest Gilbert, the more weirdly connected to him I feel.

I smile back,

"Jer, what's going on?"

Jeremy looks a bit nervous now, he runs a hand through his hair and shifts from foot to foot, which I now recognise as a nervous habit of his.

"Are you going to that party tonight?" he asks finally.

His question throws me completely off guard and I blink in response for a few moment before saying,

"Uh, I don't know Jer. There's a party?"

Jeremy nods enthusiastically,

"Yeah, the guy who's throwing it is a total douche, but it's supposed to be fun. Caroline invited me and I figured…safety in numbers, you know"

I actually laugh at that,

"So you actually want to go to a party?"

My loner artist is coming out of his shell finally. I wish I wasn't so distracted by Ever and Bonnie being in danger because then I could enjoy Jeremy's newfound openness.

Jeremy shakes his head and smiles again,

"It's been a while since I've been to a party, and I kind of want to get back out there. You know, not be such a loner"

I nod in complete understanding. I remember when I first turned I actually became kind of a loner kid for a while. Or the 1800s version of one at least.

"As long as it's what you actually want Jer. Just because it's expected of you doesn't mean you have to do it"

I want Jeremy to be happy, whether that means all night parties, or sitting in his room drawing for hours on end.

Jeremy shuffles from foot to foot again and then says,

"Yeah I do. But I mean….I like you…you're fun, and you're also kind of strange, but I guess I like that too because I'm not exactly normal either. So yeah….maybe you could….be at the party….give me some moral support or…something."

Jeremy is blushing like crazy and it's making the urge to bite his neck even more powerful. The kid practically just asked me on a date. But obviously that's not how he meant it because he knows I'm with his sister, and anyway….yeah I'm not going down this road right now or it'll drive me insane.

"Where is it?" I ask.

Jeremy seems to perk up at that. He must have thought I'd say no, although I can't imagine why, he knows we're friends. Doesn't he?

"It's in the woods, by the cemetery"

My eyes widen slightly,

"Oh, right…."

The yongest Gilbert suddenly seems unsure again and he rushes to add,

"You don't have to go, I just meant….you know, if you want to…"

I hate to see him like that so without really thinking I say,

"No, it sounds fun. I'll be meet you there Jeremy, ok"

Jeremy's tentative smile turns into a full blown grin, and just like that everything I've been through in this town is worth it just to see Jeremy Gilbert light up like that.

I catch sight of Anna moving towards Damon and my eyes flicker between them and Jeremy.

"I gotta go Jer, see you later"

I smile at Jeremy one last time before moving past him and making my way over to Damon and Anna. I hear Jeremy call over to me,

"Yeah, see you tonight Sin"

Damn it, what is wrong with me?

When I reach Damon, he raises an eyebrow at me,

"Got a hot date with baby Gilbert then?"

I can't deny that I messed up on this one, but that doesn't mean Damon has any right to smirk,

"Again, fuck off Damon. He's my friend, you know a friend, someone you spend time with and like but aren't related to. Try making one, then you'll understand"

Damon snorts out a laugh, but before he can reply Anna appears in front of us. She looks between Damon and I, amusement clear as fucking day on her face. I have to use every bit of my willpower within me not to rip her heart out for even touching Ever.

"You know, Ever really is something special. I can see why she's caught both of your attention." Anna muses, she turns her gaze to me, "I understand him Sin, but you, now that I didn't see coming. You hated Katherine, I know you did"

I roll my eyes at her,

"Ever is not Katherine, Anna"

"You sure about that?"

Damon makes noise in the back of his throat,

"Ok, not that I'm not finding this conversation endlessly amusing, but can we move on. Butt out Anna, this is family business, and we don't work with girlfriend stealers"

"I don't want to work with you either. But your minus a witch and I'm minus a spell book, so what do you say?" Anna's eyes dart between us again.

"Both of my baby brothers will come after you, you know that, for messing Ever" Damon drawls, seeming almost disinterested, if you don't know Damon well enough to tell when he's faking.

Anna's eyes narrow at him,

"Then they won't be happy if I kill her if I don't get what I want"

I growl in response and make a move towards Anna, but surprisingly it's Damon who puts a hand on my arm to stop me. Anna turns to walk away when Damon sighs heavily and asks,

"When do you want to do this?"

Anna turns back around and smiles sardonically at Damon, her eyes looking him over carefully,

"Oh my god, you actually have a thing for her. It's like 1864 all over again. What is it with you Salvatore's and doppelgangers, seriously?"

Neither me nor Damon say anything and after a few moments of awkward silence Anna continues,

"Tonight, after sun down, meet me at the church"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think about the whole Jer/Sin situation. Also Damon and Ever or Sinbad and Ever, which couple do you like best? And where would you go to find a good henchman? Henchmans R' us? Xxx
> 
> Your comments mean so much to me. Also if you have any questions please feel free to ask them xxx


	23. Fool Me Once-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IT'S TOMB TIME!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-third chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then…..who am I kidding, Damon would MINE! What else is there? ;) x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Ever's P.O.V

Dum dum Hoodie vamp has been STARING at Bonnie and me for ages now. It's creepy and irritating….but mostly just irritating.

Suddenly he gets up from his chair and moves closer to Bonnie. His face takes on that stupid pale imitation of a Damon smirk. My whole body tenses, if he touches her then I'm gonna go all super ninja on his vampy ass, bat or no bat. Does he not know that I'm the poke ninja master of all time? If I can take down the mighty Matty, then I can handle dum dum over here.

"Witches don't have eternal life right?" dum dum starts, "So you guys can die?"

I don't think I've ever heard a more creepy ass question than that. And I've been on a road trip with Damon Salvatore.

Bonnie glares up at him and replies with complete contempt,

"Yeah, we can die"

Dum dum smiles all creepy-like,

"Aw, that sucks"

I narrow my eyes at him,

"When you were in kindergarten, you were the kid who sat in the corner and ate paste, weren't you? You're that kid"

Bonnie actually snorts out a barely disguised laugh.

Dum dum pulls a pissy face, but before he can say anything the hotel room door bursts open to reveal Stefan.

YES! MY BEST FRIEND TO THE RESCUE!

Obviously, I have great taste in best friends.

The room is bathed in light as Stefan jerks open the curtains as well. Hoodie vamp falls to the floor in pain and scrambles to get out of the sunlight.

"Steffy, my best friend in the whole wide world! Excellent, right on time" I say with a grin aimed Stefan's way.

Bonnie and I instantly get up and rush towards the now open door. When Stefan doesn't follow right after, I pause in the door way. I've never seen Stefan so pissed off before. Yet again I see the badass vampire that Stefan hides somewhere behind all that stoic-y-ness. It's pretty hot.

Why is it that I'm attracted to the psycho vampire side of the Salvatore's? I am not right in the head.

Stefan glares down at the pathetic excuse for a henchman and says coldly,

"When the sun goes down, leave town. If I ever see you again, I will kill you"

Shit, double hot, way da go Steffy!

When Stefan notices me in the door way the intensity of his gaze burns into my skin like hot coals. I arch an eyebrow at him,

"You tell him Stef, nobody messes with 'Supernatrals United' and gets away with it"

Stefan actually cracks a smile at that, but the moment he leads me outside and shuts the door he practically grabs me by the upper arms and looks me over from head to foot. Looking for signs of injury, obviously.

I make him meet my eyes,

"It's ok Stefan, I'm ok, I promise"

He seems reluctant to let me go regardless. The moment is weirdly intense in a way that I cannot for the life of me describe. But eventually after a whole lot of mutual staring and few more reassuring words from me, Stefan lets go and looks over at Bonnie,

"Are you alright Bonnie?" he asks, seeming genuinely concerned.

Bonnie is standing by the railing, hugging her arms around herself. She still looks like hell, and I feel awful for being even partly responsible for drawing her into all this vampy shit.

"I'm fine" Bonnie replies, but the tinge of fear in her voice says otherwise. I move over to Bonnie and pull her into a firm embrace. She hugs me back and we stay like that for a while until Bonnie stops shaking.

I look over Bonnie's shoulder at Stefan, I smile and mouth 'thank you' to him. He nods and our connection buzzes happily between us.

….

We dropped Bonnie off at her Grams. They've agreed to do the spell. How Stefan managed to swing that I have no idea. But I'm guessing it was something to do with getting rid of Damon for good.

Elena was at Grams place too. She rushed to hug Bonnie, but when she looked at me there was still that weird tension between us.

I still really don't get what her problem is. Just because Stefan, my best friend Stefan, agreed not to be a back stabbing idiot on my request doesn't mean she has the right to get all pissy. Elena decided to stay with Bonnie until tonight. 'The great event'. Oh goodie, I can barely contain my excitement. Not.

I'm kind of dreading it, and I'm not even sure of the reason why anymore.

Sinbad and Damon are at the boarding house. Sin is waiting outside, he vamp speeds over and sweeps me up into his arms the moment he see's me. He holds me so close and tight that I think he's about one squeeze away from breaking all the bones in my body.

When he kisses me, it's deep and claiming. I fight the urge to moan into his mouth. Stefan is watching and I think it would make him, and me if I'm honest, uncomfortable if we had to look at each other afterwards.

Over Sin's shoulder I see Damon in the front door way, I smile at him and he returns it almost reluctantly. I get myself out of Sin's arms and am about to make my way over to Damon when he turns and goes back inside.

I frown in confusion, and a little bit of hurt too, which is stupid of me, really, really, stupid.

Stefan goes back over to Grams house after an hour of hovering, almost as if he's afraid I'm going to be kidnapped again. Damon is in his room, but I haven't disturbed him, although then again Sin has been taking up a lot of my time by kissing me every few minutes.

I manage to convince him to go on an ice cream run. Hey, kidnapped girls should get ice cream if they survive. That's the rule. Or it is now damn it.

I'm in the living room when Damon comes in. I stand up and try for that smile again. Damon doesn't return it this time, he seems to be thinking hard about something. I raise an eyebrow, and I try to lighten the tension in the room by saying,

"Woah, Damon, don't hurt yourself. If you think much harder than that your head will explode. And these are really expensive carpets"

Damon doesn't even smirk. Ok, now I know there is something seriously wrong. Damon moves even closer to me and tilts his head to the side before asking,

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" I frown in confusion.

Damon's gaze bores into me so deeply that I swear he can see right inside my soul as he replies,

"Convince Stefan to help me?"

I sense a déjà vu moment here. Although Damon doesn't sound angry like Elena was, he just seems to be curious as to what my answer will be.

I step closer to Damon and his blue eyes widen slightly as I place a hand on his arm,

"Because he's your brother and he was about to make a mistake. Stefan wants to trust you Damon, he really does. But you have to meet him half way sometimes. All three of you have to find a way to let go of the anger and resentment you have towards one another. "

Damon rests a hand on my hip and I do my best to ignore the pleasure that spikes through me at that simple touch. Damon searches my eyes intently,

"Do you want me to leave that badly?"

I jerk in surprise, and then my eyes narrow in anger,

"Actually, it's my turn to ask an uncomfortable question. Why did you ask me on that road trip?"

It's Damon's turn to frown now,

"I already told you why-"

I roll my eyes,

"Yeah, I know, I'm a bundle of laughs with some kickass dance moves. But, what I meant was, why didn't you just compel me to come with you instead of taking the risk of showing me the picture of bitchzi-Katherine"

"Nice save" Damon drawls, and finally my favourite smirk makes an appearance.

"Shut up and answer the question Day" I snap, but there's no bite behind my words.

Damon smiles then, not a smirk either, but that real and relaxed smile I remember from our road trip. It sets me on fire from the inside out and stirs something deep in my core. Eventually he answers smoothly,

"How do you know that I didn't?"

I narrow my eyes at him,

"I know you didn't Damon. But you could have. You and I…..we have something" Damon eyes are fixed on me, but I can't read his expression, so I continue, "An understanding. I know how much your brother's betrayal would have hurt you, even though you'd never admit it. So I asked Stefan to trust you, one more time."

Damon lets out a steadying breath, his gaze still holding onto mine in a vice grip,

"How did you convince him? Tell me the truth Ev's, please"

I sigh heavily and reply,

"I asked him to do it for me"

Damon's hand slides to my waist and he tugs me closer,

"You played on my brother's feelings for you, so that I wouldn't be hurt"

That's not how it was. I didn't think of it that way at all.

I shake my head in annoyance,

"I. Am. Not. Katherine. Do you not know that by now?" It hurts me more than I'd ever admit that Damon might still think of me as just someone who looks like Katherine.

Damon appears immediately repentant and says,

"I know who you are, Ever. I know you wouldn't play with my brothers or me like that, I'm sorry for implying that you would"

I nod and look away from him, the intensity of his gaze is undoing me, and it's painfully frightening. I don't know how to handle it, especially when Damon moves to cup my face in his hands, forcing me to look him in the eye as he says,

"I didn't compel you, because I wanted us to have fun, and I wanted it to be real"

Since he's being honest, then I figure I owe him the same in return, so I whisper,

"No, I don't want you to leave"

I only say it because it's the truth, even though I know it won't change anything.

Damon's eyes spark with something I cannot name and he seems about to say something else, something important even, when suddenly the door is being opened. Sin. I pull away harshly from Damon and take quite a few big steps back.

What the hell was I thinking letting Damon touch me like that? That's it, I need to be hit in the head with my own bat. WHERE IS MY DANGER BOX?!

Damon meets my eyes once more, and then he's gone. Damn vampy speed, it's going to give me a freakin' headache.

Sinbad comes strolling into the room a few moments later holding a massive tub of my favourite ice cream. Sinbad sweeps me up into his arms again and then falls back down onto the sofa with me on his lap. He kisses me softly and says,

"Am the best vampire boyfriend in the world or what?"

I snort out a laugh as he reveals a spoon from the inside his jacket pocket.

"Oh yeah, you're right up there. Keep this up and you might even make it into my top my five"

Sinbad winks at me as I open my bucket sized ice cream container and says,

"They don't teach you this shit at the vampire boyfriend training academy, you know"

I shake my head and kiss him on his stubble covered jaw. Sin looks so sexy with stubble, he somehow manages to make it look handsome movie star-ish instead of just scruffy. He is seriously the perfect boyfriend. I am such a moron for letting this thing with Damon fuck with my head.

Soon enough though Damon will be gone, and then maybe I might finally get some peace inside my own mind.

Eh, the dreams of the mentally insane.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Oh, fucking hell, there are youths here Stefan, youths! So many youths. I do not like this" I complain to Stefan, he just gives me a withering look and turns away from me as if trying to project the vibe that we are not together.

For a man who's supposed to be the 'good' brother, he can be surprisingly hurtful sometimes.

We make our way through the drunken teenagers. Then I see Jeremy and he's standing alone. I feel shitty about saying I would meet him here. If it were any other night I would actually look forward to spending time with Jeremy, even if it is at a party full of youths. 

I hit Stefan lightly on the arm and say,

"You go on ahead, I'm just gonna check on Jer, make sure Anna hasn't had any more contact with him"

Elena, Ever, Damon, Bonnie and Grams are already at the tomb setting things up. They sent Stefan and me to collect a few things they needed for the spell. It's almost like we're hosting our own creepy private cemetery party.

I'd like to say it's my first cemetery party, but that would be a lie. A big lie. I remember one night, before I became a vampire, when I was in the Mystic Falls cemetery with one of the Fell brothers. I'm not even gonna sugar coat it, I lost my fucking virginity that night.

Ah, that was a really good night.

The Fells have always been stuck up bastards, but hell, they've also always been damn pretty. What can I say, I was a teenager who fancied men in the 1800s, you took whoever was willing back then.

I was so relieved when Stefan texted me to say he'd gotten Ever away from Anna. I was going stir crazy thinking about all the things that could be happening to the girl I love. When I finally got her back in my arms there was a part of me that never wanted to let her go ever again.

Stefan gives me a knowing look, or at least I think it's a knowing look. You can never quite tell with Stefan sometimes, he's so fucking stoic you could kick a football into his face repeatedly and he'd still only give you his 'I'm not amused' expression in response. I reckon he's got quite a bit of Englishman in him or something.

I've never had that, although I have been inside an Englishman…..oh fuck, even I have to admit that was a bad pun right there.

Despite the look he gives me Stefan only nods once before moving on through the crowd into the cemetery. I make my way over to Jeremy. The moment he catches sight of me, the youngest Gilbert smiles openly and my heart just about burst out of my chest at the sight.

I stop once I'm beside him, but then I notice that he's shifting uncomfortably. For a moment I worry it's me he's uncomfortable around, but then his gaze shifts over to Tyler,

"You alright Jer, is something wrong?" I ask, concerned about the slightly defeated look in his eyes.

Jeremy shrugs,

"I'm fine Sin"

Yeah, I'm not buying that,

"Jer, seriously, what's happened?"

Jeremy looks like he might argue with me, and that spark of teenage rebellion is back, but he says,

"Just Tyler being an idiot"

Tyler, that block head is about one step away from becoming someone I officially want to hurt. I can't seem to stop myself from reaching out and touching his arm gently. Jeremy's eyes flicker down to where my hand is, but he doesn't move away, which is both disturbing and far too pleasing for me.

"Don't let assholes like that get to you Jer, he's probably just taking out his own issues on you" I say reassuringly and Jeremy smiles again. I wink at Jer and add,

"Alternatively I could go beat him up…..it'd be fun, trust me"

Jeremy laughs then, and it hits me the same way it always does,

"You offering to defend my honour Sin"

Ah, there he is, the Jeremy Gilbert I've gotten to know lately, I smirk at him and reply,

"Hell to the yep. I'd ride over there on my unicorn with my old timey sword and sort all this shit out for ya in a jiffy"

"Good, I'll look forward to that then" Jeremy says, snickering under his breath. I realise then that I'm still touching his arm, and he still hasn't moved away either. I am way too happy about that for it to be normal.

Jeremy catches me looking down at where my hand is wrapped around his bicep. He blushes up a storm and shuffles from foot to foot, nervous energy coming off of him in waves. Sometimes this kid can be so confusing. One minute I'll think he's just being friendly, and the next it almost seems like he might actually…..no, really, not the time to be thinking about this.

When's the right time you ask, um, well, uh….NEVER!

You'd have thought by the time you age past the one hundred mark you would be more sorted, more mature in the way you think about things. For me that isn't really the case, most of time I still think like the twenty-one year old I died as.

…..

After a few more minutes I told Jeremy I was going to get a drink. I left him talking with a few people from school that I, sort of, casually introduced myself to. Well, if the kid doesn't like to make friends then I'm just gonna have to give him a hand in that department by being the obnoxious one.

It doesn't take me long to find our own private 'free bitchzilla' party. Kinda like that whale movie 'Free Willy', except everyone in that movie trying to free the whale actually liked him. I might save that one for when she's out.

I have so many jokes lined up that I'm almost sad she'll be leaving with Damon before I can use them all. Ah, too bad.

My people are already gathered when I get there and I move to stand in between Damon and Stefan, not always the safest place to be, but I feel like I've been there all my life.

Grams lights each of the torches, stopping by each one to say,

"Air, earth, fire-"

"And water" Bonnie adds and she hands her Grams a bottle of water.

Elena and Ever stand a little ways back behind me and my brothers. Suddenly I hear Ever's voice asking,

"That's it, tape water?" she sounds genuinely curious.

Grams smiles at her and replies,

"As appose to what?"

Ever laughs and says,

"I dunno, I just kind of expected it to blessed or magic-y or…..at the very least some high priced bottled stuff….would soda water work? Or is that too fizzy for spells?"

Damon clears his throat, but I can tell he's fighting the urge to laugh. Damon turns around and I see him catch Ever's eye, they share a moment of mutual amusement and…something else too. I can't help but remember Damon as he used to be, when he was human I mean. In another life my oldest brother and Ever Gilbert could have been one hell of a couple.

Grams smiles at Ever again but doesn't say anything more, which is probably for the best as Ever could go on like that all night. I know that because I could too, and we are so much alike.

Damon takes a blood bag out of his jacket and Stefan asks,

"Whats that?"

I'm really going to have to talk to Stefan about the kinds of questions he's asking. People are going to start thinking he's a little bit soft in the head. Or maybe that's just me because I know both my brothers are a bit fucked in the head.

"It's for Katherine. Gotta have something to get her going" Damon replies with a shrug, "Unless one of your girlfriends is offering up a vain."

Stefan rolls his eyes and turns away, I give Damon a warning glance. If he even goes anywhere near Ever I'll snap his neck again. Damon leans closer to me and whispers,

"Admit it. You can't wait to get rid of me"

I laugh under my breath and whisper back,

"I can't wait to get rid of you Day, until the next time"

Because there will be a next time, of that I have no doubt.

Bonnie looks up at us from her place keeling on the floor with Grams and says,

"We're ready"

Bonnie and Grams stand up and face each other, they hold on to each others hands and start chanting their witchy mojo, which I will freely admit still weird's me out even one hundred and forty-five years later.

After a few moments the already lit torches go sky high and the tomb door opens Indiana Jones style. Ever comes to stand close to me and I put my arm around her, angling her away from the fire and the tomb. I'd really rather Ever wasn't here, but short of throwing her down a well, there isn't much I could have done to stop her from coming.

Damon looks over Ever then and says,

"You ready?"

Ever frowns at him in response,

"What?"

Damon's eyes dart to the witches,

"You think I'm going to go in there by myself so you can ceil me in"

Grams starts forward,

"Don't take her in, I'll take the walls down"

"You'll bring the walls down if I don't. You think I trust you?" Damon says.

The older Bennett narrows her eyes at Damon,

"About as much as I trust you"

"Enough" Ever snaps, she moves over to Damon. I grab hold of her arm and try to pull Ever back. She gives me a hard look, but I don't let go. Damon reaches out to take hold of Ever's upper arm, he pulls her away from me and I don't hold on in case I hurt her.

I'm not playing tug of war with my damn girlfriend. And she's not going into that tomb.

Ever looks between me and Damon,

"He needs leverage. He needs to know you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. I get it, I'll go"

"No way" both Stefan and I say at the same time.

Wow, we never do that.

Elena crosses her arms and looks despairingly at her sister, her eyes pleading with Ever not to go inside that tomb with my brother, and I couldn't agree more.

But Ever just shrugs her shoulders at us all and lets Damon lead her into the tomb. Me and Stefan start to go after her, but Bonnie shakes her head at us. Both Stefan and I clock the look she gives us. Oh, little witch has a plan? I am not a fan of plans I don't know about. They don't usually end well.

Stefan nods at me and we go up to get the vampire vanquishing kit. Only, when we get there Stefan stiffens at the sight of some asshat in a hoodie staring at us super creepily. Oh shit.

"I thought I told you to leave" Stefan bites out in irritation.

Asshat vampire tilts his head and replies,

"I considered it, then I thought screw you"

Uh oh, he really doesn't want to piss off both me and my brother, this could get real bloody, real fast.

Then to add just a tad more fun to this situation I hear Anna's voice,

"Hey, Salvatore boys"

Stefan and I look behind us to see Anna standing there looking way too smug for a girl who's pissed off not one, not even two, but three Salvatore's. Not to mention the wraith of Ever Gilbert, which is to be feared, trust me, my girl knows her way around a bat.

"I'm going down there to get my mother" Anna says adamantly.

Stefan and I exchange glances,

"No, Anna, you're really not"

Then Anna smirks easily and says,

"Well, Ben's about to make a main course out of both your girlfriend's little brother"

Whatever Anna says next is drowned out by anger at seeing Jeremy being held by Ben, the walking dead asshat. And when I say that I mean I'm about to rip his fucking head off for even touching Jeremy, let alone hurting him.

Ben drops Jeremy hard to the ground, big mistake, because I'm fast. Before Ben can get another word out I'm behind him and yanking his heart out through his back. I grip his jacket and throw him about ten feet away like an old candy wrapper.

I kneel down next to Jeremy and check for a pulse, I just about collapse from relief when I feel his heart beating. It's weak, but it's there and that's all that matters. Suddenly Elena is kneeling on the other side of Jeremy and checking him over frantically.

I look over at where I left Stefan, but he's not anywhere that I can see up here. He must have gone downstairs to get Ever out. Good, then both the people I care about the most are being taken care of.

Anna better hope I never see her again otherwise her heart is coming out the same way Ben's did. Although I might make her death more painful for obviously being the brains behind all this. If anything happens to Ever I'll do the same to my damn brother too.

Ever's P.O.V

I follow behind Damon as he leads me through the tomb. It's dark as hell, and cold. Suddenly I hear voices, not actually words, but I can still hear something that sounds like people angrily whispering,

"Ok, now I really do feel like I'm in a teen horror movie" I say to Damon.

Damon turns back to me for a moment and winks teasingly,

"They can feel you" his easy smile calms be more than it probably should given what he just said.

"Now, where is she" Damon says under his breath, but it's so echo-y down here that I hear him. He looks me in the eye and says,

"Stay here Ev's, I'll be back for you" and then he vamp speeds off to look for Katherine.

Yeah, I bet he says that to all the girls he leaves stranded inside a tomb.

Despite his words I start to move forward, staying still is creeping me out too much. I use the limited light from my torch to guide me.

A few minutes later and I'm starting to regret moving. The further in I get the creepier those voices are. Then suddenly I find myself tripping over what I hope is a really fleshy feeling rock. But of course when I stupidly shine my torch on the 'rock', it turns out to be one of the desiccating vampires.

I gasp in shock at how horrible the body looks, it makes me feel sick. Then I feel even more sick when I shine my torch around and I see loads of other desiccating vampires all over the place. I shine a torch in one of their face and the vampire's eyes move.

I hear something move behind me and again I'm hoping it's a rock, or Damon, or even a freakin' elephant with wings. But no, when I spin around and shine my torch in that direction it illuminates the one face I was really hoping I wouldn't ever have to see again.

"Anna, so….how are you?" I say lamely.

Anna walks slowly towards me, the little predator in her coming out to play,

"You escaped only to come right back? You must really have a taste for all this Ever"

I shake my head,

"Nah, I'm just really, really, nosy. But I'm working on it, promise"

I keep on walking backwards until I almost trip again on a desiccating vampire, when I shine my torch on the vampire Anna gasps out the word,

"Mother!"

Now, this could either be good, or bad.

Anna checks on her mother and then stands back up to face me, she says,

"I decided long ago that it would be Gilbert blood that brought my mother back to life. I had Jeremy all ready to go, but since you're here….."

Bad then.

Wait, what, Jeremy? What has the mini bitch done to my brother damn it?

But before I can even attempt to say anything Anna vamp rushes me and bites into my wrist. I've had worse, but it still hurts like a motherfraker and I can't conceal a very loud scream from escaping. Anna then pushes me down to the ground quite roughly and lifts my wrist to her mother's cracked lips.

I prepare myself to be sucked dry by a vampire corpse, not that you can really prepare for that kind of thing. But then I hear Stefan's voice from behind Anna shouting,

"Let her go!"

Stefan yanks Anna away from me and then bends down to pull me up into his arms. Stefan holds me steady so that I can get my footing again. Once I do he pushes me towards where he came from and says,

"Go, go, I'm right behind you"

I run faster than I've ever run in my entire life to get out of that hell hole. It doesn't actually take long for me to find the exit and I practically throw myself through the tomb door. Bonnie and Grams are still standing pretty much where I left them, but now they're holding the spell book. I note the upset look on Bonnie's face and she says,

"Ever, Stefan-"

"He's right behind me" I say and turn around to see that he most definitely is not behind me. A few seconds later he comes into view. But he doesn't move past the inside of the tomb doorway. I frown at him and ask,

"Stefan, what are you doing?"

I turn back to Bonnie and she says,

"It's gonna be ok, we'll fix it"

I shake my head, not yet understanding,

"What do you mean? What is it?"

"I can't" Stefan says and I swing back around to fix him with a questioning look.

"Can't? What do you mean Stef? You can't what?" I ask, really afraid now that something is very badly wrong.

"The spell's still up, we can't get them out. Yet" Bonnie answers instead.

I stare right at Stefan and move closer to him,

"You went in there not knowing if you could come out?"

Stefan doesn't say anything, he drops his gaze from mine and that says everything I need to know.

"Oh my fucking god, Stefan" I whisper desperately under my breath.

Stefan's gaze locks back onto mine and he says,

"I heard you scream."

I shake my head in disbelief, unable to process what he just did for me,

"We can't leave Damon in there Stefan. We got him to trust us, I won't betray that trust now"

"I know" Stefan agrees.

Suddenly from behind me Grams says,

"Even if we are able to break through the ceil, we won't be able to hold it for long"

Stefan nods at her, and then meets my eyes again. I reach out to touch him and then pull back, unsure of what else to do I say,

"Go get him Stef, there's no way I'm leaving either of you in there"

Stefan lingers, our gazes still locked, for a couple more seconds. A silent understanding passes between us. I can feel our bond almost as if it's an alive thing, tethering us together in a way that is completely indescribable. Then, with one final moment of humming connection, he goes back inside to find his brother.

Within a few moments Bonnie and Grams are chanting again and all the hairs on my arms raise. I don't know if I'll ever not feel creeped out by magic stuff. Vampire stuff I can just about handle, but the magic? Yeah, that's gonna take some getting used to.

Seconds later I see Anna half carrying her mother. They stop by the door and Anna looks at me almost pleadingly, she says,

"I only wanted my mother back"

I nod, not even caring about them right now. All I want is for Damon and Stefan to hurry the hell up. Grams looks over at me and says,

"They better hurry up, we can't hold it much longer"

My heart starts to beat crazily fast with fear for the two trapped Salvatore brothers. I go to the door and shout,

"STEFAN, GET A RIGGLE ON, THEY CAN'T HOLD IT MUCH LONGER"

I hope like hell he heard that. I would never be able to forgive myself if I got Stefan stuck in that tomb. My fear for Damon and Stefan worsens with every passing second.

Then one of the torches goes out and I can no longer just stand there. I run into the tomb at full speed. I swear this is more running than I have ever freakin' done in my life. I find Stefan and Damon quickly and shout,

"Come on! We have to go!"

But then I see Damon's face and realise what's taking so long. She's not here. Oh fuck.

I look into Damon's eyes and try desperately to connect with the man I've gotten to know these past few weeks, the man who is worth both Stefan and me risking everything to come save him,

"Damon…..please"

The pain and hurt is so clear on Damon's face that I have to use a lot of will power not to look away from him. A small eternity passes and then Damon nods stiffly. I release the breath I've been holding and all three of us make our way towards the exit.

We get out just before the last torch goes out. Damon doesn't stop moving until he is at the farthest wall away from the tomb. Stefan swings me into a tight hug and I let myself hug him back fiercely. For a few moments there I actually thought….oh fuck, the Salvatore's are going to be the death of me one day.

Possibly quite literally.

As Stefan finally releases me from our embrace I catch Damon's eye, and the pain he is feeling courses through me harshly. It knocks the wind from my body and I have to hold onto Stefan so I won't fall the fuck over.

Moments later we're running up the stairs to find Jeremy surrounded by Elena and Sinbad. My heart slows at the sight of Sin. His presence calms me slightly despite everything. He meets my eyes and I mouth 'thank you' for looking after my brother.

"He's alright" Sinbad says and Elena confirms that with a nod. Her eyes ask me if I'm alright and I nod in response. We're twin's, our bond is still strong, even when we're fighting.

When Damon comes up the steps I stand and walk over to him. I have no idea what to say. He looks down at me, utterly distraught and I decide there's really only one thing I can do. I slide my arms around his neck and pull him into a hug.

Damon's arms instantly come around me and he holds me close, his face turns into my neck and I whisper sincerely

"I'm sorry Damon"

…

We take Jeremy home, apparently he doesn't remember anything. Elena and I leave him when he says he wants to go to bed. I feel awful about him being dragged into this, and I know Elena does too. From now on I really want my little brother to be safe and in no way involved with vampire plots.

That goes for me too actually. And Elena.

I decide to go over and spend the night at the boarding house, but Elena opts to stay at home. I understand why, it's been crazy. But for whatever reason I don't want to leave any of the Salvatore's alone tonight.

Sin, Damon, Stefan and me sit around the living room fire, each of us with a drink in our hand. I'm sat between Stefan and Sin, Damon leans back staring into the fire from his own seat. Sin links his fingers with mine on one hand and I feel comforted by that. I meet Stefan's gaze and our bond still buzzes between us. Damon won't look at me, but I can't blame him for that.

No matter what happens from this point on, I'm in it for the long haul. The Salvatore's aren't going to be able to get rid of me easily. They've turned my world unsidown, and there's no going back, for any of us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this was a reeeaaallllyyyy long one, so I expect some feed back people. What did you think? How's Ever doing so far handling the Salvatore's? Jer/Sin? Damon/Ever? Stefan/Ever? ect, or just anything else you can think of to say, I'd love to read it xxx ;)


	24. A Few Good Men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-fourth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would so be moving into the boarding house. ;) x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

A Few Good Men

Ever's P.O.V

"Come home soon Bonnie, we miss you" I repeat for about the third time since I started this conversation with Bonnie over the phone.

Elena and I are sitting on the porch swing together. Since Grams died we've been spending more time together, our fight seems to have been put on the back burner for now, and I'm glad about that.

When I found out Grams died I felt awful for Bonnie, and I couldn't help but feel partially responsible too. I shouldn't have allowed Bonne or her Grams to be dragged into the Salvatore's vampire business.

Every moment I'm not with Elena, I'm at the boarding house. Elena's been acting weirdly towards Stefan, they're still all loved up, but…there are some unresolved issues there for sure. But I have to keep reminding myself that it's none of my business, especially as I feel like it's somehow my fault. I'll just stay out of it, and hopefully they'll work everything out.

"Love you Bonnie" I say before hanging up. Elena is sitting across from me, writing in her journal.

Just then Jenna comes up onto the porch and walks slowly over to us. I smile at her warmly and she smiles back. Elena seems a little distracted, but she smiles too.

"What are two doing out here, it's cold?" Jenna asks.

I shrug and say,

"Thinking"

At the same time Elena says,

"Writing"

I bite my lip and then run a hand through my curls before adding,

"The funeral for Bonnie's Grandma brought back a lot about mom and dad. I keep remembering things about them that I never even thought about before"

Jenna nods sadly and seems about to reply when suddenly Elena looks up at her and says,

"I was wondering, you said that you would do some digging about them, the adoption"

Oh, no, not that again. I understand Elena's train of thought. Bonnie's Grandma's funeral brought back a lot for Elena too, and now she wants to know more about her birth parents. I get it, I don't share the impulse, but I do understand it.

Jenna seems to shuffle uncomfortably for a moment before murmuring,

"Oh, right"

Elena sits up, her eyes taking on a bit more of an eager shine,

"So, did you, dig?

Jenna dips her head slightly and says,

"Come on inside"

Elena gets up immediately to follow Jenna inside. She looks back at me and gestures for me to follow. I sigh and reluctantly let Elena lead me inside so Jenna can tell us stuff about our birth mother, even though I don't really want to.

Look, it's not that I don't care, not exactly. But I loved my mom, my real mom, the one who raised and loved me. I don't want to get confused, or start to associate the word mother with someone else, especially someone who didn't even want me in the first place.

Maybe Isobel had a good reason for not wanting Elena and me, and that's fair enough, doesn't mean I want to know about it. I suppose I'm weird, and that other people would want to know more about their birth parents if they'd been adopted. Should I feel guilty for being the one in a million who would rather leave the past firmly where it is?

…

"So, are you saying, Alaric's wife might have been your mother?" Sinbad asks, he exchanges a glance that I cannot read with Stefan.

After Jenna told Elena and me all she found out about Isobel, I headed straight over to the boarding house. I asked Elena if she wanted to come too, but she said she wanted some space to think, and far be it from me to deny her that.

At least she doesn't have to go to freakin' Georgia for her space. Nope, that's just for us emotionally incapable people.

I'm sitting on a sofa in their living room with Stefan and Sin on either side of me. They both seemed genuinely concerned when I came in that something was wrong. I hadn't planned on telling them, but they looked so worried that I ended up telling them everything.

I shrug, I couldn't believe it either when Jenna told me Alaric had a wife called Isobel who died. I could see the pained look in Elena's eyes when Jenna said our biological mother might be dead. It broke me more that Elena was upset than anything else.

"It can't be true right? That would be….too much of a coincidence. It's insane"

Stefan and Sinbad share another look and I frown at them before continuing,

"Elena has the address for Isobel's friend Trudie"

Sin tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear softy and I allow myself to enjoy the touch of his hand,

"Do you want to talk to her?"

"No" the word comes flying out of my mouth so fast that both Sin and Stefan look a little startled. Ha, I startled Stefan Salvatore, now that's something I can go to my grave being proud of damn it.

"You sure?" Stefan asks, "What about Elena?"

I sigh heavily,

"Yeah, I think she wants to, maybe. But I'm worried about her, I think finding out her birth mother is dead could really hurt her and I don't want that"

Sinbad frowns and tilts his head to the side, he looks like he's debating whether to say what he's thinking or not,

"She was your birth mother too Ever"

As if I need reminding….then I think over what I just said….oh yeah, maybe I do need reminding,

"I know, I know. But it's not the same for me as it is for Elena."

Stefan nods in agreement. He knows Elena really well by now, so he must understand her reasons the same way I do. Stefan wanted to go over at see Elena when I told him everything, I could tell he did. But for whatever reason he didn't, which adds more credit to my 'Disney character couple are on the rocks' idea.

Suddenly Sinbad's eyes flicker down to meet mine and he asks,

"Ever, did Jenna tell you anything else about Alaric's wife, like how she died?"

I feel reluctant to answer for some reason, but eventually I reply,

"Just that she was killed and that the case was never solved"

Sinbad lowers his gaze from mine and I look between the two Salvatore's, they are both sharing the same expression and it makes me feel uneasy,

"What do you two know? Come on Salvatore boys, no secrets ok, just tell me"

They both look really reluctant to speak, but finally Stefan says,

"That night at the school, when Alaric attacked us, he told us a few things about her….death"

Now I'm really starting to get a bad feeling,

"What kind of stuff did he tell you?"

Sinbad shakes his head,

"No way, it's too much of a coincidence if it is true. Seriously, I don't think you wanna know baby, maybe just leave this one for now, trust me"

I look over at Sin and I see the sincerity in his eyes, he really doesn't want to tell me this. When my eyes dart back over to Stefan, he's got the exact same look in his own eyes. I hate secrets, but I trust the Salvatore's, if they say I don't want to know and it isn't possible, then I want to believe them. So I take a chance,

"Alright, I won't ask. But the moment it looks like it might be true then you have to tell, no matter how bad it is"

Stefan and Sinbad nod soberly. Ugh, now it all feels so tense.

"I need ice cream" I whinge. I let my head fall back against sofa and close my eyes tightly.

Sinbad chuckles and gets up,

"I'll go get you the massive bucket you ate more than half of yesterday, you fatty"

I hold my middle finger up at him without opening my eyes,

"Fuck you vamp boy number three, you swine, go get me my Ice scream now, or you're fired"

Sin is still laughing as he walks away to go get my ice cream,

"You can't fire me. I quit…no wait, you fired me, that way I can collect unemployment"

I laugh at that and finally open my eyes to look at Stefan. He seems tired, and I can't blame him after everything that's been happening. I reach out and touch his hand softly,

"How's Damon? He's been avoiding me"

Stefan squeezes my hand reassuringly,

"He's dealing….in his own way"

"Drinking himself to a second death you mean?"

Stefan lets out a low laugh and nods,

"Yeah, pretty much. He'll be alright, he's Damon"

But I can tell Stefan is worried about his older brother despite what he says,

"Stef, no matter what happens, or what Damon does, we'll….work it out. And so will you and Elena. She might need you if she goes to visit Trudie. I would go with her if she wants me to, but you'd really be taking a bullet for me if you went instead"

I feel selfish for unloading that responsibility on Stefan, but the more I learn about my birth mother the more I wish I'd never found out I was adopted at all.

Stefan squeezes my hand again in thanks. Our bond hums contentedly between us for a few moments and I allow myself to be comforted by it, and I hope in some way Stefan is too.

"I don't want to crowd Elena, but I'll do anything she wants me to do"

I smile at him,

"I know Stef, and Elena will come around because she knows that too"

For few moments we sit in companionable silence, and then Sin comes in carrying ice cream and life gets just a little bit better. I take the tub from him and he sits down. Then I notice he's carrying more than one spoon. I frown at him,

"I hope those other spoons are for a different tub of ice cream Sin, because they ain't comin' anywhere near this one unless you two are planning on using them to feed me"

Sinbad and Stefan laugh, although I don't know what they're laughing about. I take my ice cream seriously. I'll share pretty much anything, a car, clothes, hell I'll even share blood, but when it comes to ice cream, it's all miney mine mine bitches.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I walk in on Damon dancing with what looks like an entire dorm load of girls. They have bite marks all over them and they aren't exactly clothed to the fullest capacity that they could be. I roll my eyes and knock on the side panel of a book case to get his attention.

Damon grunts and looks up at me, he's so fucked up right now that under different circumstances I would find all this incredibly amusing. Stefan is still very antsy about Damon being here, especially around Elena and Ever, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about it too.

Damon blinks up at me,

"Ah, don't be a buzz kill baby brother"

Like a true buzz kill I turn off the loud music. I'm one step away from being able to shout at children to get off my lawn, it's great. I've been the out of control vampire, the moody man-whore, the strained brother (and by that I mean I'm the smart one), and now I'm the protective boyfriend. I gotta say, I'm liking this version of me.

"Greetings" Damon says to me, he looks about ready to fall the fuck over.

Quick, where's my camera. That'll be one for the family album.

"Can we talk, oh emotionally retarded brother of mine? Possibly without the legion of 'bite me' groupies" I ask with a smirk. My brother is such an idiot sometimes. I really don't know how he's still alive. I mean, a small child could push him over right now.

"Hey, anything you can say to me, you can say in front of them" Damon drawls "They're really good at keeping secrets" he waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Well, now I want to be sick in a plant pot.

I roll my eyes. A few minutes later I manage to drag Damon away from the girls. He picks up a bottle of something on the way though, as if he needs to be any drunker than he already is.

"You're worried about me, that's nice, don't be. There's no need, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I spent the last one hundred and forty-five years with one goal" Damon holds up his finger and points at me, "To get into that tomb. And I succeeded. Granted Katherine wasn't in there to be rescued, but why dwell. It's so liberating not having a master plan, because I can do whatever the hell I want"

I sigh and shake my head,

"Yeah, that's what Stefan and I, are afraid of. Whatever it is you decide to do Damon, just leave Ever and Elena out of it"

Damon suddenly looks a lot more sober,

"Relax, I haven't killed anyone in…far too long"

I glance over at the girls in our living room and raise a questioning eyebrow at Damon,

"Those girls-"

"Will end up back in their dorm….with a headache. They'll think they blacked out. You know the drill"

I nod and then I get on to why I really risked having my eyes burnt out of my head at the sight of whatever Damon was doing in here. I've never caught Damon, or Stefan for that matter, having sex, and I never ever want to. As far as I'm concerned, they don't even know how.

"There was a woman, you may have known, a few years back, named Isobel, in North Carolina, Duke" I say as slowly as possible so that Damon's half baked brain will understand.

Damon frowns at me,

"You want to talk about the women from my past right now? Seriously?"

"You killed her" I say, as if that's going to make a difference to my brother.

"What's your point?" See.

"I just want to know if you remember anything about her"

"Ah, it's like a needle in a haystack, Sin"

I sigh in annoyance,

"Well, think hard dummy, it's important"

Damon smiles lazily then and leans forward to whisper,

"Nothing is important. Not anymore"

He hits me on the shoulder and I fight the urge to hit him over the head. I lose. I hit him over the head. Hey, my will power can only stretch so far alright. I'm not Stefan, I need to hit people, and when I say people I mean Damon.

Damon frowns at me in irritation, but before he can say anything I beat him to it,

"Ever's worried about you too. For whatever reason, how you are is important to her"

I leave him then. I know what I said was mean, even if it is true. But if he doesn't care what Stefan and I think, then maybe what Ever thinks will matter to him.

Possibly. But then if it does, I might have a whole other problem to deal with.

Ever's P.O.V

I went back home after the ice cream to talk to Elena, but when I got there she was already gone. She went to Trudie's by herself. The only reason I know about it is because she left me a note. I understand why she needed to go, but she could have waited. I would have gone with her, and I really don't think she should be alone for that kind of thing.

But there isn't much I can do about it. A note. Seriously? You don't leave notes for this kind of thing. You leave notes to say you're out buying milk, or that you've fucked off to join the circus. That's what notes are for.

A few hours later Elena comes back and she tells me all about the super weird sounding visit. Apparently Trudie knows about vampires. Jesus, who doesn't? First Alaric and now our birth mothers friend. The local Sheriff does, and Carol Lockwood. Our parents did even. Are Elena and I the last to know or something?

I go back over to the boarding house to meet Stefan and Sinbad so we can go the bachelor auction fundraiser. Elena said that she'd meet us there. Sinbad is still getting ready when I arrive. So I go to look for Stefan, I want to talk to him about Elena anyway. I'm worried about her, and I think he is too.

I look all over the house but I can't find him, I get to one room where I heard some noises and call out,

"Best friend, you here, Stefan-"

"Better…Me" Damon comes out of the bathroom shirtless and oh my fucking god, that fire inside of me goes up just a few notches at the sight of his naked chest.

I tilt my head a little and say,

"Uh, you look-"

"Dashing, gorgeous, irresistible" with each word he comes closer to me until he's standing just a few inches away.

I lean back ,

"Wrecked" I say honestly, "You look wrecked"

"Yeah, well, we both know why" he says, sounding just a little bit drunk. He fixes me with a piercing look, "Did you know that I'm one of Mystic Falls' most eligible bachelors?"

I snort out a laugh,

"A bachelor, yes. But that's using the word eligible very loosely there isn't it?"

Damon turns around and goes to over the mirror where a shirt is hanging off a chair. He picks the shirt up and shrugs it on.

I frown slightly at his back,

"How are you Day?"

Damon stiffens for a moment, but then he seems to shrug it off and says,

"Never better. Yep. What can I do for ya? I'm a barrel of favours today"

I really want to ask more about how he is, but right now I don't think the questions would be welcome,

"I'm just meeting Stefan and Sinbad. We're going over to the fundraiser"

Damon is struggling with the buttons on his shirt. He turns around and looks over at me warily,

"Help a guy out would you?"

I roll my eyes, but go over to him anyway. I start to do up the buttons on his shirt and ignore the way he's staring down at me so intensely.

To try and distract myself from how easy it would be to undo those buttons again, I say,

"So, I found out who my birth mother is"

Damon shakes his head and makes a face,

"Who cares? She left you" he says, making sure he meets my eyes, "she sucks"

I kind of agree with the sentiment even if it is a little insensitive. Damon's eyes go to my lips then and my whole body tenses with anticipation. I'm about to say something when I look over Damon's shoulder and see Stefan. I breathe a sigh of relief. I think I over estimated my ability to handle being this close to Damon when we're alone.

"Stefan, there you are. I looked all over for ya" I smile at him and he returns it, although his eyes do flicker to Damon questioningly. I move around Damon and try my best not to look at him as I go over to Stefan.

Damon pulls on a jacket and I hear him say,

"Huh, I need a bigger jacket." He takes the jacket back off, "Wow an occasional sorority girl might fill you out" he walks past me then, still fiddling with his damn buttons.

I shake my head and then look up at Stefan,

"He's 'fine' apparently" I make air quote fingers on the word 'fine'.

Stefan nods and smiles a little,

"He's Damon"

I sigh,

"He's an idiot. A heartbroken idiot"

Stefan's eyes dance with amusement. I've become a lot better at reading Stefan's moods, even when he's pulling his stoic-y face. It's an impressive skill I'll have you know, and not one I take on lightly. I shall use my newfound power for the greater good….probably.

I decide to just go for it with Stefan,

"Elena went to see Trudie"

Stefan immediately looks alarmed, the relaxed expression he was wearing only moments before has disappeared completely,

"What did she say?"

Now, here comes the hard part,

"She has vervain. Trudie I mean. She knows about vampires Stefan, that can't be a coincidence"

Stefan sighs and looks down, and that weird tenseness from earlier on today resurfaces,

"It isn't" he says, finally looking back down at me. Stefan takes a picture out of his pocket and shows it to me, "This is Alaric's wife"

I frown at it and I instantly recognise it as the same woman Elena showed me a picture of when she got back from Trudie's. Holy shit on a cracker.

"That's her" I say, "That's Isobel, my birth mother. Alaric gave this to you?" I ask.

Stefan nods,

"Everything he knows about vampires he learnt from her"

I can tell there's more to it, and that Stefan really doesn't want to tell me. I meet his eyes and say,

"Come on Stef, just tell me"

Stefan stares right back into my eyes,

"He believes it…that she was killed by a vampire"

My mouth drops open in disbelief,

"Oh shit."

Suddenly Stefan's expression becomes a lot more serious, if that's even possible, and he says,

"Listen, Ever, I know that Elena wants to know more, and I know you'll tell her about this. But I need you to stop her from asking Alaric any questions"

I frown, taken aback,

"What? Why?"

Stefan looks so uncomfortable that I feel bad for pushing him, especially as I'm not even the one who cares about all this stuff,

"I know it's a lot to ask, from both of you. But I need you to trust me, can you do that, for me"

My mind flashes back to when I asked him to do something like this for me, and I figure I owe him the same in return. I nod and reach out to squeeze his hand, just like he did with mine this morning,

"Alright, I trust you Stef, but don't keep me out of the loop. No secrets, like we said"

Stefan's whole body relaxes under my words and my touch, our connection starts to buzz, and I take my hand away from his.

"No secrets" Stefan repeats "I promise"

Sinbad's P.O.V

Stefan gave me the picture of Isobel so that I could give it one last shot at asking Damon about Isobel. I wish Stefan had let me talk to Ever, she is my girlfriend after all. Part of me thinks he's just using up all his good boyfriendness on Ever because there's something going on between him and Elena.

Damon is pulling on a jacket when he notices me leaning against the doorway to his room, he smirks easily,

"Ah, where'd our girlfriend go?"

I give him a sardonic look,

"Our?"

Damon shrugs and walks closer to me,

"Yeah, she's a Salvatore's girl"

"My girl, Damon. Whether you like it or not" I shake my head, not wanting to get into this now, "I want to talk to you about something"

Damon smirks again,

"Ohhh, sounds serious"

I roll my eyes and take out the picture of Isobel. I show it to Damon and say,

"This is the woman, from North Carolina. Isobel, you remember her now?"

Please don't be difficult Damon, just this once.

"Who wants to know?" Damon asks.

"Me"

"Who else wants to know?"

As if he'd ever not be difficult. Damon has never once made anything easy. My bloody brothers, they're so fucking dramatic and complicated.

And stupid.

"Did you kill her?" I ask with a long drawn out sigh.

Damon shrugs,

"Sorry, I don't know her"

He walks past me, bumping my shoulder as he goes. Damn it, my brother is lying to me, but I don't know why he would….oh fuck. He didn't kill her. The bastard turned her.

Damon turned Ever and Elena's birth mother. Oh, that's not good. So, so, not good.

Ever's P.O.V

"He's already been hit on, like, thirty-five times. He's total cougar bate" Caroline gushes to Elena, Stefan and me. I laugh and wink at Matty.

"Impressive" Elena says, she's smiling now, but I can tell she's distracted. I told her what Stefan told me, but she wasn't pleased about waiting to talk to Alaric.

"Wey hey there Matty, get in there you sexy little BBILTF" I say and reach out to tousle his hair. Matt pushes my hand away and rolls his eyes at me.

"BBILTF?" Caroline questions, she smiles at me.

I smirk at her,

"You know, Bus Boy I'd Like To Fu-"

"Shut up Ever. It's embarrassing enough already without you calling me that, thank you" Matt says giving me a look.

I continue to smirk at him. Then suddenly Matt's mom comes up to the table.

"Hi Mrs Donovan" Caroline says, putting on her best 'please like me' smile.

Kelly completely ignores Caroline and turns to me and Elena,

"Elena, Ever, honey" she hugs us both in turn.

"Hey, Kelly" I say with a smile.

"Long time no see" Kelly replies.

"What have you been up to?" I ask. I catch sight of Caroline out of the corner of my eye, she looks a bit crestfallen. I feel bad, but I don't know what to do. I have no idea why Kelly wouldn't like Caroline. I mean, she's never really liked Liz, but that shouldn't have anything to do with Caroline.

Kelly shrugs,

"Oh, same old"

Yeah, I bet. Matt's mom has always been a bit of a loose cannon. She leaves Matt alone to look after himself more often than not.

Kelly winks at me and then looks over at Elena,

"Oh, Matty tells me you broke his heart" she grins at me, "The second Gilbert sister to do that"

Ah, no, let's not go down that road. In fact, pick any road but that one. That road is blocked, it has road construction happening on it. It's a no drive zone. Bad road, bad road. Turn back, turn back.

"Mom" Matt says in a warning tone.

"I'm just kidding" Kelly says, and I think we're in the clear for a moment, but then she does a U turn, "He's found his rebound girl" she looks over at Caroline not at all subtly.

I meet Caroline's eyes and then say to Matt,

"Matty, who else have you been cuddling? Don't be cheating on Caroline or I'll beat you with your own bus boy tray, and then all the other bus boys will laugh at you. Also….how's Spenny?" I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively at him.

Caroline and Elena chuckle under their breathe. Even Stefan cracks a smile. Matt shakes his head and grins at me,

"He hates you so much. When I first started working here he actually warned me about you"

I make a dramatic shocked sound and slap both of my hands over my heart,

"Spenny…..TALKS about me! Ohhhh my god, he loves me, I knew it"

Stefan arches an eyebrow,

"Spenny? Should I be telling Sinbad something here?"

I grin manically at Stefan,

"Spenny is the love of my life. He's a bar tender and…..we are fated to be together, it's so obvious"

Elena shakes her head,

"You're mad Ever"

"Completely bonkers" agrees Caroline.

Suddenly strong arms go around me and a chin comes to rest on my shoulder,

"What's this about my girlfriend being insane?"

I turn my head slightly so that Sinbad can give me a kiss, when he pulls away I answer,

"They're all mocking my love for Spenny"

Sinbad's eyes widen and he fake gasps dramatically,

"But Spenny's the love of your life"

I throw my hands up in the air,

"I KNOW!"

"It's so obvious. It's fate." Sinbad adds.

"Oh, God, there's two of them" Caroline laughs at us. I poke my tongue out at her.

"So, then, I've missed something have I?" Kelly says, and she looks at Stefan and then Sinbad. Not just looks either, but she quite obviously checks them out.

Elena clears her throat,

"Uh, yes, this is Stefan" she places her hand on Stefan's shoulder.

"And this is his insane brother, Sinbad" I say gesturing at my boyfriend.

Kelly's eyes light up in a disturbing way,

"Brothers, eh. Nice find girls" she says to Elena and me.

Yeah, found is probably the wrong word. More like thrown into the path of.

Kelly buys a ticket then and thankfully walks away after a very cringey comment about one the bachelors and his lack of sexual prowess.

I catch sight of Alaric, he takes one look at me and Elena and then swiftly walks away. I can't blame him. What do you say to your dead wife's secret illegitimate teenage children? 'Uh, hi…..so, you came out of my wife….how was that for you?' See, it's awkward.

….

Later on when Damon and Alaric are on stage things really kick off. Alaric looks so uncomfortable that I cringe internally for him. Jenna is sitting with Elena, Sin, Stefan and me.

Carol talks into the microphone,

"Last, but certainly not least, Damon Salvatore" she looks down at the card she's holding, "We don't have much on you"

Damon tilts his head from side to side,

"Well, I'm tough to fit on a card"

Uh, lets see-vampire, oldest brother of three, broken hearted, over a hundred forty-five years old, one complicated fucker, likes to drink (a lot), is handsome as the devil himself, likes old rock music, plays piano, has a thing for the classics (I saw him reading Pride and Prejudice unapologetically the other day), is bad to the bone…most of the time. Some of that could go on a card. Maybe leave the vampire part off though.

"Do you have any hobbies? Like to travel?" Carol asks Damon, she thrusts the microphone into his face.

Damon speaks into the mic,

"Oh yeah, L.A, New York, a couple of years ago I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke campus actually" Damon glances over at Alaric, "I think Alaric went to school there. I know his wife did"

Uh, oh, where are you going with this Damon.

"I had a drink with her once. She was…. she was a great girl"

It starts to click for not only me, but Elena as well. She sits up in her seat and stares at Damon. Ah, shit. Please Damon, not this, anything but this.

Sin and Stefan start to shift uneasily and I share the feeling with them.

Damon continues,

"Your wife….she was….delicious"

I turn to Elena, she looks about ready to burst and I ask her,

"Are you ok?"

Jenna frowns at looks over at us. Elena starts breathing hard and suddenly she gets up,

"I just need some air" she pushes past us and legs it outside.

I make eye contact with first Stefan and then Sinbad.

"Stay here Sin, keep an eye on Damon" I whisper to him and he nods.

I gesture for Stefan to follow me outside after Elena.

When Stefan and I get outside Elena is there, pacing.

"Elena-" Stefan says.

"He killed her" Elena stops and looks at both of us in turn, "Damon was the vampire that killed her?"

It is one hell of a coincidence.

Stefan shakes his head,

"I don't know. Alaric said that they never found the body"

"Oh my god, Stefan, Ever" Elena says, she runs a hand through her hair. I step forward and take Elena's hand in mine,

"I know" I say, "I'm sorry"

"I wanted to tell you" Stefan says, "But I just, I wanted to know more first"

Stefan was right not to say anything before he was sure. In fact I wish we'd never found out anything at all. Because now Elena is upset, which makes me upset too. My twin has been through so much, she doesn't deserve this.

Elena makes an incredulous sound. She pulls her hand out of mine,

"I was feeling sorry for him. I was hoping that this whole Katherine thing would change him. I'm so stupid"

Stefan shakes his head,

"He doesn't know about the connection to you and Ever. Sin and I talked about confronting him, but he's already so on edge-"

"Why are you and Sinbad even protecting him?" Elena all but yells.

I understand why perfectly though, I meet my twin's gaze,

"Because you're not the only one hoping that he'll actually change. Sin and Stefan didn't want to upset us Elena, they're doing the best they can" and I truly believe that.

Elena calms down slightly then and nods, but she still looks like she wants to kick someone, most likely Damon. Suddenly Elena freezes, her eyes trained on something over my shoulder,

"That man, I saw that man outside of Trudie's" she says.

Stefan and I turn around, and there he is about ten feet away. Great, just what we need, another creepy guy who stares a lot.

"Let's go back inside" Stefan says to us. Elena and I do as he says. Being stared at is starting to get real old for me.

As we walk back in Elena bumps into Damon. Oh, not good. Elena glares at him and he smiles down at her, then at me,

"Woah there, buy a ticket like everyone else"

"Did you enjoy that? Rubbing it in Alaric's face?" Elena asks, scorn dripping from her words.

Damon throws me a questioning look, and I have no idea what to do. I'm not angry. At least, I am, because Damon is the reason Elena is upset. But I'm not angry the same way Elena is. I know Damon has killed people, and in no way am I saying I'm ok with that. But finding out Damon may have killed Isobel is the same to as if I was told he killed some random stranger.

It's not right, and I should feel differently, I know that. But I don't, and I refuse to pretend otherwise. I'll be angry on Elena's behalf, and hopefully she won't hate me for it. I look back at Stefan desperately, even though I know there isn't anything he can do.

"What?" Damon asks, his expression now one of complete confusion.

Elena all but scoffs,

"Just when I was starting think there might be something redeemable about you"

I step forward then and I place a hand on her arm,

"Elena" I say in warning, The Grill is hardly the place for this kind of scene.

Sinbad comes up behind Damon and Damon looks between him and Stefan,

"Did I miss something here?" he asks.

Before Stefan can say anything, Elena continues,

"Did my sister tell you about our birth mother? Her name was Isobel"

Damon's entire face changes in that instant, his eyes go to mine seemingly out of reflex. I see something on his face akin to shock,

"What?" he asks, incredulously.

Elena is practically buzzing with anger, like a bumble bee. A very angry bumble bee. Ok, this is so not the time brain.

"Go ahead" Elena says, "Reminisce about how you killed her"

Elena pulls away from me and storms back outside. Damon's eyes haven't left my face since the moment Elena said our birth mother's name was Isobel. I shake my head and let out a deep breath. Damon makes a move towards me, but Stefan and Sinbad are by my side before he can get any closer.

Damon's eyes narrow at his two brothers. If I don't get us all out of here soon, then there's going to be a Salvatore fight, I can just feel it.

I tare my eyes away from Damon's, which is a hell of a lot harder than it should be considering everything I've found out today.

"Come on, lets go" I say to Sin and Stefan, then all three of us follow after Elena.

Sinbad pulls me close, not letting me get anywhere near Damon, and I don't look back at the oldest Salvatore even though everything in me is screaming for to do just that.

When we get outside Elena is there, looking upset and angry still. I go up to her and pull my sister into a hug. Sinbad says,

"Come on, let's get you home"

But then that man Elena pointed out earlier comes to stand in front of us. Sinbad and Stefan pull us back closer to them protectively.

The man looks at Elena and then at me, he says,

"I have a message for you"

"What?"

"Who the hell is this guy?" Sinbad asks, I look up at him and shrug.

"Stop looking" creepy 'stares too much' guy says, "Isobel doesn't want to talk to you. You've got to stop looking. She doesn't want to know you"

Good, neither do I. Ha, my birth mother and me have something in common. Goodie. Now I feel all warm inside.

"Do you understand?" creepy asks.

"She's alive?" says Elena.

"Does that mean she's a vampire?" I ask, oh great, a vampire mother, as if life couldn't get any weirder.

"He's on compulsion" Stefan says to Elena and me.

Ah, right.

"Do you understand?" creepy repeats.

"Yes" Elena and I say at the same time.

"Good" creepy says, he looks out at the road then back at us, "I'm done now"

Creepy steps back into the road and gets hit instantly by a car. Elena screams and jerks back into Stefan's arms. I turn around and grip on to Sin's jacket, he wraps his arms around me instantly and I press my face against his chest.

This has not been a good day.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Stefan and I walk in on Damon sitting down with a drink and Alaric on the floor, dead, with a stake in his chest. Stefan takes in a shocked breathe, he rushes over to Alaric. I glare at Damon,

"What the fuck did you do now Damon?"

Damon shrugs in annoyance. Oh right, he's annoyed.

"He attacked me" Damon replies.

I go to kneel down beside Alaric next to Stefan and pull the stake out. I look up at my oldest brother,

"Damon, you prick. Stop killing people! It's irritating. "

Damon rolls his eyes,

"All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore. It's not my fault he couldn't handle it."

Stefan shakes his head,

"Like you've been handling Katherine"

Woah, low blow Steffy.

Damon finishes off his glass of bourbon and says,

"I'm handling it fine."

I sit down on the floor, a sudden realisation coming to me,

"You think Katherine sent Isobel to you"

Damon shrugs,

"It can't be a coincidence"

Stefan gives Damon an incredulous look,

"Stop it. You don't have to keep looking Damon. It's over"

Damon says nothing for a moment, then he stands up and glances down at Alaric's body,

"I assume you'll take care of this" he says to us.

"Take care of what?" a voice comes from the door way.

Oh, shit.

Ever comes into the room and gasps when she see's Alaric's dead body on the floor. Her wide eyes go from me, to Stefan and then finally to Damon.

"What have you done?" she says to him, her voice practically cracks at the end. Suddenly the urge to beat the shit out of my oldest brother gets even harder to ignore.

Stefan looks pretty pissed off too, but he holds onto my arm in warning. He's right, that isn't what Ever needs right now.

Damon is staring at Ever like his whole world has just shattered all around him. Like he wants to take everything bad he's ever done back. I see it then, for the first time, I really see it. Damon does care. I was right. He cares about Ever. He cares about upsetting her. He cares about her hating him.

Ever crosses her arms and shakes her head at my oldest brother,

"Just leave Damon"

Damon's jaw tightens, and he looks desperately like he wants to argue, to say something,

"Ever, I-"

"Damon" Ever whispers, and that gets to Damon better than any amount of shouting. Without another word Damon leaves the room, as he passes Ever he slows and tries to catch her eye, but she won't look at him.

Once Damon is gone, Ever clears her throat and comes to sit on the other side of Alaric's body. Stefan and I share a glance and then we both look at Ever. After a moment she says,

"Elena said she wanted to be alone, so I thought I'd come talk to you about….everything. I'm sorry"

I frown and Stefan asks,

"Why, what are you sorry for?"

Ever's shoulder slump and her gaze darts between us, she laugh nervously,

"I don't know. Busting into your home like it's mine. I'm spending too much time here, invading your Salvatore space, I'm-"

"Woah, stop right there" I shake my head. I can't believe she would even think something like that.

Stefan nods in agreement,

"We want you here Ever. You can come busting in any time you like"

"Yeah, baby, you're my girlfriend. I love you. I want you here all the damn time. Don't ever be sorry about that" I say honestly.

Ever smiles openly at both of us, she seems about to say something when suddenly Alaric jerks upwards gasping. Ever jumps,

"Oh my God, did Damon turn him?" she asks us.

I shrug and Alaric's eyes bounce around all three of us,

"No, he didn't turn me"

Stefan shakes his head in disbelief,

"He must have"

Alaric rubs his chest where Damon stabbed him,

"I just went for him and then he stabbed me"

"Someone must have slipped you vampire blood-"

"No…." Alaric looks down at his hand and we all spot the big ring, "Isobel. She gave me this ring"

Oh, fuck. Now we have a 'magical' immortal ring? What is this, Harry Potter? I exchange glances with Stefan and Ever. Things just keep getting weirder around here, and I'm getting the feeling that things aren't going to be getting normal any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again this is a long one, in fact it's the longest chapter I've written so far. 
> 
> So, is Ever's reaction to finding out about her birth mother fair, or should she feel more like Elena does? How about her 'friendship' with Stefan and Damon? Or her relationship with Sinbad?
> 
> Give me feedback here people, I need it, and I want it so much. Xxx Thanks xxx


	25. Down Goes The Neighbourhood-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One for Dever fans x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-fifth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Jeremy would teach me how to draw more than just stick figures and fishes with top hats. ;) x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Down Goes The Neighbourhood-part 1

Ever's P.O.V

"Damon still hasn't said a word to me since the whole thing with Alaric" Sinbad answers with a shrug. He can tell I'm worried about Damon. Even though by all rights I shouldn't be. Damon really crossed a line the other night, although I have no reason to feel somehow let down by it.

"Do you think he's still trying to find Katherine?" I ask, and again it shouldn't bother me if he is, or at least not for reasons it actually does bother me.

Sinbad shakes his head tiredly and I feel bad for asking about Damon all the time. Elena asks Stefan the same questions, although hers are tinged with more sarcastic dislike than mine. Since finding out what Damon did to our birth mother, Elena has been less than sympathetic towards Damon, which is fair enough really.

I still haven't talked to him since that night I walked in on a 'sort of dead' Alaric. You know, I'm getting far too comfortable with finding dead people all over the place. They aren't guinea pigs, they're human type thingies, I should be more disgusted, or shocked, or Elena-y about it.

But I'm not. And that's why I'm the idiot with a weird attraction to Damon friggin' Salvatore and she's in love with the good guy, i.e. Stefan Salvatore. That's karma right there people, pure sweet karma.

I'm lucky that Sin still loves me after all the thing I've put him through lately. Its good Sin and I are so alike, otherwise we probably would have broken up by now from sheer dramatic effect alone.

Sinbad sighs,

"My big brother waited one hundred and forty-five years only to find out that bitchzilla never gave two shits about him"

I can't help but smirk slightly at my boyfriend from my place next to him on the boarding house sofa,

"You've been telling him that for years"

Sinbad rolls his eyes and sighs fake dramatically,

"I KNOW. But nobody ever listens to me around here"

I make a face at him and blink rapidly,

"Wait, what did you say? I wasn't listening"

Sinbad narrows his eyes at me and flicks my nose,

"Ha, ha, Ever, you're so bloody hilarious I can barely stand it"

I flick him on the cheek and soon, far too soon for a couple who should be mature enough to bicker without physically abusing each other's faces flick-wise, we descend into a full on flick fight to the death. That goes on for a good ten minutes before Sinbad calls a ceasefire and lye's back in defeat as I flick forth victorious yet again.

"I've got to go meet Alaric" Sinbad says with a wink at me.

I give him a suggestive look,

"Sin, have you made a new friend?"

Sinbad smirks right back at me,

"You bet your bottom dollar I have. His name is Alaric, he's a history teacher, and….wait there was something else….oh right, yeah, my brother turned his wife into a vampire"

"So you're over the whole 'stake gun' thing now?" I ask. Sinbad went on more than just one rant about that. The other day after we had sex and were trying to sleep Sin suddenly said 'Who would build a stake gun? Who are these people who have nothing better to do than find new and inventive ways to kill me?'

To which I replied simply, 'Uh, maybe they started an 'I hate Sinbad Salvatore club', and you know the reason why, BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T SHUT UP AND LET THEM SLEEP! '

Sinbad shakes his head,

"I will never be over that, but I'm learning to let go and move on with my undead life as all evil vampires such as myself should"

I nod and reach up to kiss his neck, letting my canines glide across his skin teasingly. Sinbad raises an eyebrow at me and I say,

"Ah, alright, just remember to ask Alaric about that club I mentioned the other night. Tell him I want in"

Sinbad gets up from the sofa, but not before pulling me into a long hot kiss that could have easily led to some R rated scenes on the sofa if Sin hadn't finally pulled away and poked me in the side where he knows I'm ticklish. I jump away from him on reflex and he laughs at me as he walks out of the room.

Irritating vampire boyfriend, he's just lucky he bought me more ice cream yesterday. And that he's got the most perfect ass ever. Otherwise I would so fire him from the position of vampire boyfriend, or maybe I'd just demote him to desk work alongside Stefan and Elena.

I enjoy my time at the boarding house completely alone for a while, just laying back with a book and some very old bourbon, which if anyone asks was completely and one hundred percent already open when I found it hidden in one of the boarding house book cases.

But about half an hour after Sinbad left I'm confronted by two people I'd really hoped never to see again in this life time. Or any other life time I may be presented with.

Anna, and her mother who is looking decidedly less wrinkled and groddy than the last time I saw her. So, you know, props for that. And yes, I did just use the word groddy, because no other word reflects exactly what a desiccating vampire looks like.

I didn't even hear them come in; they just appeared in front of me, which is even creepier than it sounds. I almost dropped my super duper expensive alcoholic beverage. And my copy of Pride and Prejudice, I say mine, I stole it from Damon and replaced it with Twilight.

By the way, Pride and Prejudice is one hell of a weird book. I know it's a classic and all that, but this Mr. Darcy bloke has a branch stuck so far up his ass that I'm surprised leaves aren't growing out of his mouth. Jeez, I'm glad I wasn't alive then, I'd have hated it. So much fancy pantsy stuff. But then I think about how the Salvatore's were actually alive around that time and my head starts to hurt.

I wonder what it would have been like if I'd met them back then. What would I have been like? What would the Salvatore's have been like? Or I should say, what were they like back then, considering the fact that they were actually there.

Anyway back to present with little miss creepy vamp Jr. and not so little miss creepy vamp senior. They both stare down at me, what is it with vampires and staring at people, did no one teach them how rude that is.

Anna's mother tilts her head to the side and looks me over with something akin to awe,

"You look so much like her. It's fascinating." Anna's mother's voice is pristine and polite, which probably has something to with her last conversation with someone outside of the tomb being over a hundred years ago.

I shake my head and stare right back, as I don't want them thinking I'm intimidated by two vampires who could oh so easily tare me apart. I am, but that is hardly the point. Good news is that I have a second bat for the Salvatore house. I figured I'd need it at some point.

"I don't think fascinating is the word I would use to describe it. More like weird. Really, really weird. And creepy. Creepy and weird. Those are words I would use" Well now I'm just babbling wubbish at them, like that's going to keep me alive. Unless I can babble them to death.

Creepy senior smiles slightly,

"You have the same brave heart"

I make a face,

"Please don't compare me to bitchzilla-eh-Katherine" I keep slipping up with that, God knows what would happen if I actually met the woman.

Creepy Jr. laughs, she seems much more confident and less angsty than when I last saw her. I'm not sure if I like it. We'll see. She smirks at me and says to her mother,

"I told you, Sin's always had a thing for the funny ones"

Hey, hey, enough of this 'Sin always' business. I'm not jealous exactly, but that doesn't mean I want to be reminded of Anna's old relationship with my boyfriend. It brings about images. Unpleasant ones. Me no likey the images.

"That he did" Creepy senior all but whispers, her eyes still boring into me with an intensity that makes my whole body tense to full capacity. "We have yet to introduce ourselves. My name is Pearl, I am Annabel's mother"

Again her tone is so polite, but I'm not buying it. I think she kills people bloody and with cold efficiency. She just has that look about her. So, not wanting to offend the scary vampire lady, I crack a smile and reply

"Uh, hi, I'm Ever"

Creepy senior looks me over slowly, her face completely impassive so I can't even speculate as to what she's thinking. Actually, maybe I don't want to know if the answer is 'wow, she looks tasty'. Finally she says,

"You're every bit as beautiful as Katherine, it's uncanny"

I frown,

"Alright, obviously I'm an incredibly attractive creature, but I'd still rather not be compared to her"

Creepy senior seems about to reply when suddenly she stops and a smile spreads over her face. Not a good smile either. It's a 'let the games begin' kind of smile.

I see why a few moments later when Damon comes into view. His eyes dart to me and I meet them. It's been days since I've looked him in the eye, I didn't quite imagine this kind of situation being the first time I would, but then, nothing is ever normal or expected with me and Damon.

After what feels like hours but was probably only seconds Damon tares his gaze away from me and over to the creepers. His expression is casual, or at least it may seem that way to someone who doesn't know Damon, but I do, and I can tell he's as tense as I am right now.

"Hello Damon" Creepy senior says, that strange smile still planted firmly on her face.

Damon tilts his head to one side and raises a dark eyebrow, although all traces of humour seem to have been wiped away completely,

"You ever hear of knocking?"

"An invitation wasn't necessary"

Well apparently not, no, because unless there are some ghosty types hanging around then they let themselves in. Rude. And creepy.

I cannot reiterate enough how creepy I find both this situation and them.

"I'm surprised that not living person resides here, is it just you and your brother?" Creepy senior asks Damon, but her gaze shifts to me momentarily and I do my best not to fall off the sofa like the prat that I am.

"Yeah" creepy Jr. adds unhelpfully, "How do you keep out unwanted vampires?"

Damon smiles sweetly in that 'I'm about to hurt someone' way and replies simply,

"I kill them"

He vamp speeds forward and grips creepy senior by the neck. I jerk back on the sofa and then stand up so that I can move away from the splash zone. Damon's hold seems to have no affect on creepy senior, she wraps her hand around his wrist and twists his hand away from her neck. Then she shoves him to the ground hard enough to make me wince.

On complete instinct I rush forward and fall to one knee beside Damon. His eyes immediately connect with mine and he gets up quickly, pulling me up with him and putting himself firmly in front me. Creepy senior definitely clocks both of our reactions and it only makes her smile wider,

"Ah, interesting" she says, seemingly to herself.

Anna snorts and rolls her eyes,

"More like pathetic"

Pearl ignores her daughter's words and continues,

"Feel free to take a seat Damon, I was hoping we could have a word"

Damon stays where he is, his hand coming around to touch me, as if reassuring himself that I'm safe. On impulse and because I really do feel uncomfortable as hell right now, I find myself taking hold of Damon's hand. He twines our fingers together and holds on tight. A happy spark of pleasure rips through me at the surprisingly intimate contact.

"Go ahead. Or as the children say these days, 'spill it'" Damon drawls, again so casually that you'd have no idea he just failed at strangling someone. I roll my eyes at his words and let my head fall against his shoulder, "You're such a mentalist Day" I whisper under my breath, but I know his vampire hearing will pick up on it.

I can't see it, but I'm pretty sure I can sense that Damon is smiling, amusement most likely sparking in those gorgeous pale eyes of his. Damn him for being so attractive and….other things too that I will not go into right now with the creepers staring two members of Supernaturals United/Team Salvatore.

"We've taken up residence in a farmhouse just outside of town. It'll suffice for now" Pearl answers, her tone still as formal as ever. It's actually really unnerving having someone be so polite and threatening at the same time.

"All twenty five vampires?" Damon asks.

Pearl dips her head slightly,

"Not all. Some. I imagine that a few have already left town. Others are probably still in the woods."

"How'd they even get out the tomb?" The question comes flying out of my mouth before I can stop it. Again, when I get nervous, I also get mouthy.

It's Anna who answers me,

"I think the witches screwed up that part of their hocus pocus"

Yeah, I'm still pissed over that. Grams died because of that bloody tomb, and I'm about to say so when Pearl says instead,

"I understand from Anna, that the town still has a secret council"

"And you're a part of it" Anna adds.

I fight the urge to groan, this is not sounding good at all.

"I'm pretty sure Damon being on a vampire hunting council is one sign of the impending apocalypse. The irony alone is staggering"

But, as usual, my highly intelligent observations are ignored. I swear me and Sin are just wallpaper to these people even though we're the only sane ones. Oh, aright, maybe sane isn't the right word, but you know what I mean.

"Don't be ridiculous" Damon says. If that's his idea of lying then we have much bigger problems than I thought.

Or alternatively less, depending on how you look at it.

"I've been in Mystic Falls since the comet Damon, I'm up to speed" Anna says. Oh, Damon, thwarted at the first hurdle, and we were so close. Not.

"And so am I" Pearl adds indignantly, "And now that you've infiltrated the council. I'll need to know everything they know. Starting with a list of names of all the council members and their families"

"And everyone you've supplied with vervain" Anna says.

Damon glares at the Anna, I can't actually see it, but I can feel his body tensing in a glary type fashion. I think I know too much about Damon's body, and it's too bloody late to unknow it. Damon's grip on my hand gets tighter and move just a little bit closer to him.

I can see this conversation going down hill fast if they're going to try and boss Damon around.

"That'll have to stop immediately" Pearl says, obviously referring to the vervain.

"What exactly are you trying to achieve?" Damon asks.

A question I'd like to know the answer to as well thank you very much creepy one and creepy two. They're the creepy family. Kind of like the Adams family, but creepier. And vampiy-er.

Pearl seems to stand up a little straighter, as if she's about to give a sales pitch,

"This is our home Damon. They took that from us. Our land, our home, it's time we rebuild"

Whoa, hey, lets not get all pre-modern Germany on this. To rebuild first you need to wipe out, destroy, and I'd rather leave Mystic Falls and it's residence very much intact.

Damon seems to share my view,

"What are you crazy? That was 1864. Wake up woman, the world has moved on"

"As a reward for your help, I'm willing to give you what you want most"

"I want nothing-"

"Katherine"

My whole body stills, time seems to freeze in place.

Damon doesn't say anything so Pearl continues,

"Katherine and I were best friends Damon long before we ever came to Mystic Falls. I know how she thinks, I know her patterns. I know where to find her"

And the world starts to tilt on it's axis, or at least mine does. I try to pull my hand out of Damon's grip, but he won't let go. I try to fight him, but damn, the man's freakin's strong. Damon finally replies,

"I no longer have any interest in finding Katherine. And I'm certainly not going to be your little minion"

Pearls eyes dart to me and suddenly I'm being yanked away from Damon, a hand wrapped around my throat. Pearl holds me against her, I struggle, but it's pretty useless. I am useless right now. I NEED MY BAT! I'm just a lousy human without it. But with it, well I'm still human, I'm HUMAN WITH BAT! Now, doesn't that just sound more frightening?

Damon growls low and threatening, the sound coming from somewhere deep inside of him. It's purely primal and almost animalistic. His eyes show an emotion bordering on rage.

Pearls grip on my throat tightens and I fight to breath,

"I'm not asking for your help Damon. Finding Katherine was just a mere gesture of kindness. The rest is non-negotiable. If you don't want Katherine anymore, then maybe I can find a good place to hide this one, would you be interested in finding her?"

"Hurt her and you die" there's a steel edge to Damon's voice that I've never heard before, it's chilling and also somehow comforting to me. And if that's not the most fucked up thing ever, then I don't know what the hell is.

Pearl's grip loosens slightly, but she doesn't let me go. I try fighting her again and she actually jerks in surprise when I suddenly lift my legs up to my chest, causing her to lose her balance and me to fall to the floor. It's a cheap trick, but one that's serves me well more than once.

Before I can even properly hit the ground, Damon's arms come around my body and he pulls me tight against him. His body is still completely in attack mode, he's like a wild cat preparing for a fight.

I grip onto Damon hard, half afraid that Pearl will snatch me right back and that then there will be a game of 'pass the Ever'. I do not like that game. I've played before with vampires and it doesn't end well.

I almost got stuck in a tomb. That is the epitome of a game gone wrong.

Pearl meets Damon's gaze and snaps, still very politely actually,

"Do as I've said Damon. Or Ever will pay the price for it"

With that the creepers vamp speed out of the boarding house and I'm left clinging to Damon like a barnacle. After a pause I say,

"Damon"

Damon sighs heavily and replies,

"Yeah, Ev's?"

I take a deep breath and then say,

"There once was an ugly barnacle. The barnacle was so ugly, that everyone died. The end."

Oh yeah, I went there with a SpongeBob joke.

Damon and I crack up, both of us laughing so hard that we fall over onto the sofa. I end up practically in Damon's lap, but I barely notice as we're both still laughing like a couple of idiots. We are a couple of idiots.

Eventually our laughing died down and I do realise I'm sitting on Damon, and that he's still holding onto me pretty damn tightly. If Sin can in now and saw us, then he's be fucking pissed off, and he would have a right to be.

Damon meets my eyes, and I can still see the protectiveness in his gaze. He reaches up to play with one of loose curls, the back of his hand brushing my face. All the blood in my body rushes to the surface and I feel about twenty degrees hotter than I did about ten second ago.

I let out a breathless sigh and Damon smiles. It's that real smile again. The one I've missed more than I'd ever admit, even to myself. Damon seems about to say something, but then someone does walk in, it's just not Sinbad. How neither of us heard Stefan coming is beyond me. It must have been all the laughing and then the intense mind fuck-worthy staring.

Stefan clears his throat quite loudly and practically leap off of Damon. The oldest Salvatore doesn't react at all and instead decides to spread out for comfortably on the sofa and ignore his brother's presence entirely.

My eyes meets Stefan's and I see a question in them. No, more than that, I see anger. Real anger. I figure he's pissed that it looked very much like I was about to cheat on his brother….with his other brother. I try to tell him with my eyes that I wasn't, which is true.

It is.

I know I have unresolved feelings for Damon. I'm not going to deny something that is so obvious. But there's a big difference between thinking about something and actually doing it. I'm still Sin's girlfriend and I love him. My feelings for Damon are…actually I have no idea what they are. Apart from the fact that they are stupid. And reckless. And one risk I'm not sure I'd ever want to take.

Damon is a risk, everything about him screams it. But what logic is yelling at me and what every other part of me is whispering are two completely different things.

"Hi, Stef. Pearl was just here" I say finally.

That seems to knock Stefan for a loop. He steps forward and walks towards me, his eyes on my neck all of sudden. I frown at him, but then he reaches out and touches my neck softly, it hurts and I realise I have bruises on my neck. That's what he's looking so worried and angry about. Well, at least the anger has shifted away from me and Damon.

"Seems our new local vampire homeless shelter mistress wants to know some details about the founding families council…thing" Damon is trying to sound flippant, playing it off as not a big deal. Even though I have a horrible feeling that it is.

"What the hell is going on?" Stefan asks, his agitation rising, and I can't blame him. His eyes are still firmly fixed on me, and I can feel our bond buzzing with strong emotions, coming from both of us most likely. My heart still isn't beating normally after all that.

Damon and I explain to Stefan the basics of what happened with Pearl, leaving out the bits involving hand holding and such. The three of us come to one conclusion we all agree on; we're fucked. Again.

Vampires. So not like Twilight or True Blood. The Werewolf diaries makes it look so easy. It's not.

There's really only one thing left to say…..I NEED ICE CREAM!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think of Ever and Damon in this chapter, it's really a chapter that centers around them quite a bit. Spoiler for next chapter, it will revolve quite a bit around another couple. Xxx
> 
> Or just anything about my story is welcome, I live for these reviews you know ;) xxx


	26. Down Goes The Neighbourhood-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sinbad loses control. Ever is the fifth wheel until an univited sixth joins their group x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-sixth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would have a night out with Bonnie and Caroline every Saturday. xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Down Goes The Neighbourhood-part 2

Sinbad's P.O.V

I was on my way home when Jeremy texted for me to come over. We haven't seen much of each other for a few days so I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal. WRONG, because the moment he opened that door everything about him called to me.

It's was like not seeing him caused my body and senses to miss him. I can hear his heart beating just a little bit more erratically, I can feel the heat coming off of his body, and more than anything else I want so badly to bite him. I've never felt so drawn to someone's blood before.

Certainly there have been times when I've preferred the blood of someone I am more attracted to. But I have never craved it quite like this. It's impossible and undeniable. So when he invited me in every logical part of me screamed that I had to leave or I was going to do something I'd regret.

My self control has always been relatively good, as both a human and a vampire. That look in Jeremy's eyes though….it got to me. Again. So I walk past him into the house. Those damn eyes of his. They're so big and brown and so fucking pretty. I have a thing for the pretty ones, that has been the case with me since I was fourteen years old and first realised I was attracted to one of the other founding families boy's.

Back then everything was so uncertain regarding that kind of thing. I was attracted to girls too, so it was confusing for me. My father would have said the part of that fancied boys was the evil darkness inside of me, the temptation from the devil himself. He wouldn't have been completely wrong either, touching other boys, and then young men, had felt bad, naughty, but in the best possible way. I'm not ashamed to admit that it was one of the biggest reasons why I did it.

Obviously, as I got older and times changed, it wasn't quite the same feeling. But even now there's an air of forbidden about it that I like.

"You know, you can come and sit next to me on the sofa, if you want. Unless you'd rather stand in the hallway all night" Jeremy arches an eyebrow at me, his eyes scanning me all over.

Since he answered the door Jeremy has been looking at me differently, almost as if he's trying to work something out inside his head. I have no idea what he could be thinking about, and the look he keeps giving me is….intense. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

Jeremy gestures to me to come sit down next to him, and after shouting at myself internally for about the millionth time to leave, leave, leave damn you, leave, I go to fall down next to the youngest Gilbert.

I smile at him and he smiles right back, making my non-beating heart pulse inside my chest. I can't ever remember being so affected by just being near someone. It's driving me crazy just thinking about all the reasons why this could be happening to me.

I tare my eyes away from Jeremy to look at the TV screen, what I see has a whole different smile spreading over my face. My eyes flicker back over to Jeremy and I am unable to hide my smirk. Jeremy realises a second too late and goes to grab the remote and change the channel.

But I grab it before he can and hold it out of his reach,

"Jeremy Gilbert…..are you watching The Werewolf Diaries?"

Jeremy blushes a deeper crimson than I ever seen and I have to fight the blood lust that is kicking and screaming to be let loose. Jeremy shakes his head in denial,

"No! It was just…..on"

I raise an eyebrow at him,

"Jer, come on, you shouldn't lie, it's naughty" I wink at him and Jeremy blushes even more, something I didn't think possible.

Jeremy tries to steal the remote out of my hand, but I hold it far away from him. Jeremy huffs out a frustrated breath,

"It's Ever's fault, she and Elena make me watch it with them"

Oh, ho, nope, not buying it.

I kick Jeremy's ankle lightly and smirk wider at him,

"Ah, but you see Jer, there's one problem with that excuse…..Ever and Elena aren't here"

Jeremy mock glares at me and makes another grab for the remote, this time practically throwing himself at me.

"Shut up Sin…I had a weak moment, don't hold it against me"

Jeremy is practically in my lap trying to get the remote back from me. On impulse, and because I want to see blush more, I twist my body at the perfect angle so that I can flip both of us over. Now Jeremy's led down on the sofa and I'm balancing above him, our bodies quite a bit closer than I first anticipated.

I've braced myself over him, his head between my arms, and one of my knees in between his legs. I'm all but pinning him to the sofa. It's like all the air has been sucked out of the room as Jeremy stares right up at me. He seems to have stopped breathing and for a few brief seconds I enjoy having Jeremy beneath me like this.

But I have to stop. Otherwise I'll touch him, I'll bite him, and probably fuck him while I'm at it. Oh, fuck, be gone bad images. Well, not bad, but still very, very bad. When Jeremy tilts his head back and bares his throat I get hard instantly, it's fucking ridiculous. I sit up and move away from Jeremy before I do something insane.

Good, good, good, bad, bad, bad.

I haven't been this conflicted about wanting someone since the early twentieth century….yeah, maybe leave thoughts about the Originals in the past where they belong. It's not like that'll ever come back to bite me in a place like Mystic Falls.

After a long pause Jeremy sits up and I hand him the remote. I don't look at him as I say,

"Go on then, lets watch The Werewolf Diaries….and after that we can have a Twilight marathon"

Jeremy hits me over the head with a pillow and we both start laughing, letting out all the tension from only moments before.

Ever's P.O.V

"So, uh, Matt, how do you like working here?" Elena asks my Matty after a sensationally long pause.

This is awkward. Like, remember when I said that dinner with Bonnie was awkward, yeah well, this is worse. A lot worse. Elena and Stefan insisted I come out with them and Caroline and Matt. I didn't want to at first, I mean, who wants to be a fifth wheel.

I am the spare tyre of this outing should someone cough Elena cough ruin it by enticing Matty with her niceness and…other suff I'm sure. I would have dragged Sinbad along, but he texted to saying he was over at my house with Jeremy. I didn't want to take him away, Sin's really been a big influence on Jeremy. My little brother seems so much more comfortable in his own skin lately and not as moody either.

But anyway….this is awkward.

I think I really might need to sing this time. Or hum. Oooohhhhh I could hum the Kim Possible theme tune,

Ooohh yeahh yeah  
I'm your basic average girl  
And I'm here to save the world  
You can't stop me  
Cause I'm Kim Pos-si-ble  
There is nothin I can't do  
When danger calls  
Just know that I am on my way

It doesn't matter where or  
When there's trouble  
If ya just call my name  
Kim Possible

Stefan sends me an amused look, but Elena just kicks me under the table. Rude. I was having a childhood flashback moment thank you very much evil twin.

Matt shrugs and answers Elena's question almost hesitantly,

"Uh, it's not that bad. "

I smirk at Matt, he catches my eye,

"He wuvs it. This is after all his dream job. He gets to serve me, what could be better than that?"

Matt snorts out a laugh,

"Oh, yeah, that's what I've been working towards my entire life"

"And now….you've reached your ultimate goal…who says dreams don't come true"

Matty rolls his eyes and continues,

"The wait staff keeps up pretty good. They can't keep a bar tender to save their lives, but….I actually put my mum up for the job"

Holy son of a beanie baby.

"Ah, how's that been, having Kelly back?" Elena asks, she leans back in her seat and looks over at Matt sympathetically.

Matt tilts his head from side to side as if considering his answer,

"You know, the same Kelly, uh, she's trying sort of"

"So she's being a pain in the ass" I supply. If it had been anyone else saying it then Matt probably would have gotten all defensive and shit. But I'm the only one Matty lets that sort of stuff go with.

I've seen Kelly at her very worse, not on purpose, but still, it formed a weird thing between me and Matt that even excluded Elena. I love my sister, and she's a really good person, better than me most of the time, but sometimes there's such a thing as being too sympathetic.

Matty's always honest with me about his home life crap, and in turn I'm always honest with him about what I think about it.

It's a strange dynamic that formed over time. Or at least it started the night his mom almost died from alcohol poisoning when we were fourteen. Her 'boyfriend', and I use that term loosely, at the time was useless.

Matt froze up pretty badly and I called the ambulance. I stayed with him at the hospital too. It was a crazy few days, but it bonded Matty and me in a way I could never be sorry for.

Matty lets out a short laugh and when our eyes meet we share a moment of understanding.

To ease the mood a little I say to Stefan,

"Kelly and our mom were best friends growing up. That's how me and Elena first met Matty"

Elena laughs,

"Yeah, we shared a crib together"

"It was pretty damn cramped" I add with a wink at Matt.

Stefan looks between all three of us in disbelief,

"You're kidding" he says.

Matty smiles at that,

"Yeah, we've known each other our whole lives"

"Yeah, lucky, lucky Matty" I say in a sing song tone of voice.

Caroline is looking down at the table with a 'someone ate the last bowl of cereal' look.

"Yeah lucky" she mumbles under her breath, but I catch it.

Caroline is still insecure about Matt, and I guess I can understand why. Matt was so in love with my twin, and everyone knew it. I was almost sick a couple of time because of it. The whole 'lovey dovey' thing, yeah, that's really not me.

…

"Well, at least they're happy" Caroline comments. We all look over at where Damon, Jenna and Kelly seem to be intent on getting plastered out their minds.

Damon catches my eye and winks at me. I poke my tongue out at him. I don't know what that was earlier today, when I was on his lap. It felt like there was no one else in the world but us. That's the stupid effect Damon freakin' Salvatore has on my stupid brain. When we're alone there are moment when he completely consumes me, and damn if that isn't scary as all hell.

I turn back to our game of poole, catching Matty's eye and smiling reassuringly. I lean close to him and whisper,

"If worse comes to worse we'll throw these balls at them. Then they'll be dead, and we won't have to suffer any more embarrassment at their hands." I look down at the pool game we're winning and then back up at Matt, "Or even better, we'll jack in school and go on the road. We can stop at every bar and hustle pool for money. Ah, life on the road with you Matty would be sweet."

Matt cracks a smile and nudges me with his hip, I nudge him back and we both laugh,

"I'll hold you to that Ever" he whispers back.

"They're drunk" Elena replies to Caroline. I catch Caroline looking over at me and Matt. I move away from him a bit, not wanting to get the evils from her the same way Elena does every time she even looks at Matt.

Matt frowns at me, having noticed my sudden movement, but at Elena's words he smiles and says,

"Remember when Elena's parents busted us here after homecoming?"

"Oh my God, yes" Caroline goes into a fit giggles.

"Yeah, I remember that night, we were all wasted. I blame Matty" I poke him on the arm hard. He pokes me back. Oh, rematch me thinks.

I SHALL COME FORTH VICTORIOUS AS THE TRUE NINJA POKE MASTER!

"Oh, it was the first time I ever got drunk" Elena adds making a face, but still smiling.

"They're parents got seated at the next booth" Matt shakes his head. We continue to poke each other.

"Matt and Ever had me pretend I was choking so we could get away" Elena is laughing now at the memory and so are me and Matt.

"Hey, that was Matty. It was my plan just to leg it twin" I poke Matty hard in the side and he nudges me again before poking me in the same place.

"Except her dad was a doctor so he jumped up to save her"

"Elena and me ran, she failed us both by slipping on the wet floor, and we both went down" I explain to Stefan who by now is looking very faintly amused.

"Epic fail" adds Elena and we share a grin.

"We were banned from seeing Matty for a whole week after that stunt" I shake my head at Matt, "You dirty, dirty delinquent you"

By this point we're still poking each other, obviously. VICTORY SHALL BE MINE!

Matt shrugs and smiles at both me and Elena in turn. It was one of the many moments that bonded all three of us as friends for life.

Suddenly Caroline stands up a little straighter and says,

"I'm going to restroom" on her way she pulls on my top a bit and gives me a 'come on' gesture.

I shrug and give Matty a final poke in the tummy before running away. HA, win. I shall always and forever be the ninja poke master. I do my victory dance all the way over to the bathroom. I catch Damon watching me again, but I don't acknowledge him. I'm too worried he'll actually come over, because a drunk Damon is even more impulsive than ordinary Damon.

Ordinary Damon is quite reckless enough as it is thank you universe.

When I come out of the toilet stall and wash my hands I see that Caroline is leaning against the wall looking pensive. I turn around and she fixes me with a look that I don't quite understand until she says,

"Well, what are you doing?"

I shrug,

"Uh, well, I'm washing my hands like a good little human. It's very important, the sign says so" I point at the 'please wash your hands' sign.

Caroline huffs in exasperation. Wow, I'm just irritating everyone today.

"Ever, I'm serious. What the hell are you playing at out there?"

"Blondie say what now?" I really don't get what she's on about.

"The whole point of this was to show Matt how much Elena cares about Stefan. Not to hop scotch down memory lane or to have poke fights or to whisper to each other all night" Caroline says, as if I'm an idiot and she's spelling it out slowly for me.

I cross my arms,

"Well sorry, I wasn't invited to the battle plan meeting so I wouldn't know"

Caroline rolls her eyes,

"Ever, seriously, it's bad enough that I have Matt comparing me to Elena, I don't need him comparing me to you as well"

Woah, where the hell did that come from?

I sigh, not wanting this to turn into a stupid fight, there's been enough drama lately as it is,

"I was just talking to Matt, Caroline, you know, trying to lighten the mood a bit"

"Well try less" Caroline snaps before she strides out of the bathroom.

Oh hell no, that did not just go down right here. This night is going worse than I thought. Being the fifth wheel sucks circus balls.

I walk out of the bathroom after Caroline only to be stopped by a man I've never seen before. He grabs hold of my arm. I stiffen when he says the name,

"Katherine?"

I turn to him and do my best polite smile,

"No, sorry, you must be thinking of some other incredibly attractive person"

I pull out of his grip, although I get the strangest vibe that this guy is vampire. I'm not sure why. Hey, maybe I've gone all Bonnieish and can sense the damn things.

"Sorry, my mistake" the man says, but the way he leans in to speak creeps me out and I swiftly move away from him and back over the pool table. I don't turn back even though I can feel the man's eyes on me.

"How's it going over here?" I ask.

"Matt's cheating" Stefan accuses jokingly.

Matt grins,

"I don't need to I'm awesome"

I scoff,

"What he really means is he's got me on his team"

I take out my phone quickly and text Damon about the man who just called me Katherine. He immediately looks over at me and I nod in the direction that the man was. Then really casually I show Stefan and Elena the same text I sent Damon. I nod again at Stefan and Elena to show them where he is but when we look, the man is gone.

Oh, the creepy factor just went up tenfold. Excellent.

….

Stefan and I talked about calling it a night, but Elena said she wanted to have one normal night without any vampire drama and I kind of agreed with her. One night without all this would be nice….but ignoring it isn't going to do any good either.

Then the worst thing that could ever possibly happen, happened. Damon decided that it wasn't safe for me to be alone with some of the tomb vampires running around all free range style. I tried to persuade him that I would be fine, but as usual he was his stubborn as hell self.

We all go back to the boarding house. Elena is giving me hard looks as if it's my fault Damon is here. It is, but that isn't the point. I have no control over Damon Salvatore, even though she seems to think that I do.

"Man, I've always wanted to see what it looks like in this place" Matt says in awe as he looks around the massive living room. I've gotten used it so it doesn't seem so intimidating to me anymore, but I reacted much the same the first time I saw it.

Damon leans down close to me, he seems remarkably more sober than he did before at the bar,

"Why did I just let blondie and boy wonder into my house?"

I hit Damon in the stomach, not that it has any affect because he's basically made of solid rock, I whisper to him,

"Behave Day. Rule number one, if you can't think of anything nice to say, then piss off, got it"

Damon smirks down at me playfully and I can't help but let a small smile shine through. He twists one of my curls around his finger,

"Oh, but I don't like to behave, it's boring"

I bat his hand away and narrow my eyes at him,

"Yeah, well…..I know. But I mean it, be at least half way decent towards Caroline and Matt if you're going to stick around"

Damon tilts his head and shrugs. I figure that's the best I'm going to get out of him.

Stefan keeps looking over at us and frowning. I can't blame him, between what he saw earlier on today and the way Damon is acting towards me now, it doesn't exactly look good.

"Yeah, I know it's a bit much" Stefan says with a nod.

"I feel like I've been here before" I hear Caroline say to Elena and I internally cringe. I move away from Damon a little. Caroline just reminded me of all the reasons why caring for Damon is a very bad idea.

But Damon being Damon, he just reaches out and tugs on my hand until I'm practically pressed up against him.

"Do you guys want to watch a movie or something?" Elena asks suddenly.

"Whoa, these are great" Matt wonders off to a case of model cars. I've talked about them with Stefan before. It's a bit of a hobby of his. I've always had a thing for old cars. I'm not a crazy person who knows everything about the makes and models, but I can recognise a real quality car when I see one.

"You like cars?" Stefan asks Matt.

Matt smiles,

"That's an understatement"

Damon leans down to whisper in my ear,

"Seriously, now I'm bored of playing nice"

I elbow Damon and give him a hard look, but he just smirks down at me in that infuriating way that makes me want to both kick him and kiss him. I have no idea which would win out by this point.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I barely notice when Stefan takes Matt off to see one of his cars. Elena and Caroline follow after them. I start to go as well, but Damon holds on to me and won't let go. I spin around and fix him with a glare.

"You shouldn't frown like that, it'll give you wrinkles when you're all old and stuff" Damon drawls, he's looking down at me now with a mixture of amusement and something else that I refuse to name right now.

"Shut up Damon, let me go so I can-"

"What, go be the fifth wheel with four of the most boring date partners ever. Nope. We're going to stay inside and have some fun"

Before I can argue Damon sweeps me up into his arms and vamp speeds me to his room where he drops me hazardly on bed. I lay down and refuse to get up because my head is swimming from being vamp speeded all over the damn place.

Moments later Damon falls down next to me on the bed, I look over at him and arch an eyebrow at him sardonically,

"You, are such an annoying bastard, you know that right?"

Damon smiles at me and my heart flutters the way it always does when he smiles for real. I hate it and I love it at the same time. I didn't even know it was possible to feel that way about something. Or someone.

"I know" Damon replies, "You love it" he winks at me.

I roll my eyes and shift to get comfortable on the bed. The most wrong part of all of this is that it doesn't actually feel wrong at all. It feels wonderfully right in a way that I cannot for the life of me explain. Which of course means there is something seriously mentally wrong with me, on so many levels.

"Idiot" is all I say in response. But there's a smile that I cannot deny on my face.

There is a pause and then suddenly Damon says,

"By the way, thanks for the burning material"

I look over at him and I'm about to ask why, but then he picks something up from behind him and shows it to me. I start laughing, unable to stop myself as Damon thwacks me on the forehead with the Twilight book I replaced his Pride and Prejudice with.

"Who's the annoying one again?" Damon asks with an arches eyebrow aimed at me.

I snatch the Twilight book out of his hand and throw it onto the floor,

"Be gone foul demon!" I shout at the book.

Damon start snickering, which sets me off too. But then our eyes lock and suddenly we aren't laughing anymore. The intensity of his pale blue eyes draws me in. I remember comparing him to a fae prince when I first saw him. I still think that now.

Damon reaches out and hooks his thumb into the waist band of my jeans, he pulls me closer until my body is pressed flush against his. My breath hitches and his eyes flicker to my lips, he looks me over almost as if he is fascinated by my existence.

He pushes some stray curls away from my face and the back of his hand smoothes over my cheek. I shiver and close my eyes. I expect him to kiss me, but he doesn't and I'm grateful. Damon rests his forehead against mine, and I allow that intimate touch. I won't let him kiss me, because that's just not the sort of person I am. I'm not Katherine, and I never will be. But this I allow, because I want it, and so does he, and in this moment that is all that matters.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Right, roast beef, turkey, what do you want?" Jeremy asks as he takes a few things out of the fridge.

After that insane moment on the sofa passed the night descended into pretty much just normal stuff between me and Jer. We talked, we laughed, we actually watched The Werewolf Diaries and I declared that TV has gone to shit. Although I did think the younger brother of the main girl, Jamie, was hot.

Now we're making sandwiches in the kitchen. The only thing I have noticed as weird is that Jeremy is still giving me these looks when he thinks I'm not looking. It's still like he's working his way up to asking something.

"Uh, lets do the works Jer, pile it up so high we'll need snake mouths to eat the damn things" I answer.

Jeremy laughs and nods at me,

"Alright, best way to make a sandwich, I like it. Grab the bread for me?"

I smile at him and he returns it,

"Yeah, ok" I turn around to get the bread from the other counter top.

"Ah" I suddenly hear Jeremy gasp out in pain. Then the smell of his blood hits me and I almost double over with the need to taste him.

I turn around slowly to see Jeremy holding his wrist, there's a big cut on his hand. I blink fast, trying to keep the hunger buried as deep as I can.

"What's going on Jer?" I ask through gritted teeth, the need and hunger getting stronger by the second.

Jeremy shrugs,

"It's just a cut, could you hand me that towel over there" he gestures at a dish towel near the sink.

I have to seriously debate with myself about what I should do. I can't go over there, I won't be able to control it if I get any closer to him.

I shake my head at Jeremy,

"I can't Jer"

Something shifts in Jeremy's expression and it makes me uneasy,

"You got a problem with blood Sin?" he asks, although there is a hint of something else to his question, like he doesn't quite believe the idea of me having an issue with blood.

Damn, I knew something was up with him tonight, I should have followed my better judgment and not come in at all.

I shake my head and swallow hard. But then Jeremy starts moving towards me and I can barely stand it.

"What's the matter Sin, it's just a little blood"

"Fuck, Jer, stop. Stop now" I can barely get the words out, my gums ache with the need to let my fangs loose.

But Jeremy doesn't stop, he just keeps getting closer. There's nothing I can do about it that doesn't end with me biting into Jeremy.

My eyes flicker down to his as he gets closer. I can see determination in his eyes, and I cannot look away from those eyes. We're only a few inches apart when I finally loose it.

I grab hold of Jeremy's throat and slam him up against the opposite wall. Hard. I can tell that my face has changed, my fangs are out and Jeremy's staring down at me with a mixture of fear and awe.

"What the fuck are you doing Jer?" I shout at him. The need to take his blood is almost impossible to ignore now and I feel like I'll die if I don't taste him. I need it, I need it so damn much that it hurts.

"I knew it" Jeremy says, which would be surprising to me if I weren't so busy trying not to fucking bite him.

Then he says something I could never have expected,

"Go for it", he holds out his cut hand to me.

It's too much, too fucking much.

I bite into his hand and start sucking out the most delicious blood I have ever tasted in my life. Nothing compares to it, and I practically moan from the ecstasy it causes me to feel all the way through my body.

Jeremy whimpers when I pull myself away from his hand, I slide my fingers into his hair and make him meets my eyes. His expression is still a mixture of fear and awe, but now there's satisfaction in there too. I can barely concentrate on that though as the hunger and desire rips through me with an intensity that threatents to consume me completely.

"You shouldn't have done this Jer" I choke out and then I yank his head to the side, my fangs bite into Jeremy's neck a moment later, in the exact same spot where I bit him the first time. As Jeremy clings to me, making all these sweet noises that have me so fucking hard, an outrageous thought comes into my mind. Mine.

Mine

Mine

Mine

Mine

I want him. He's mine.

And I'm about to take him when I hear the phone ring through the haze of pleasure. I force myself with every bit of will power I possess to pull away from Jeremy completely.

Our eyes meet and I choke out the words,

"I'm sorry Jer"

Jeremy is still panting and clinging onto me, his pupils are wide as they lock onto mine,

"I'm not" Jeremy whispers right before he blacks out.

…

About an hour later Jeremy wakes up on his bed. I'm leaning against his desk wanting to ask him what the fuck he was playing at. Just thinking about what I could have done to him, I….fuck.

Jeremy sits up slowly and when his gaze fixes on me he doesn't seem all that surprised. I'm starting to wonder if Jeremy can somehow sense me too, because he's never surprised when I'm around, and he somehow always knows where to find me.

I can't decide if that would be a good thing or a bad thing right now.

"I could have killed you Jeremy" I practically growl at him.

Jeremy rubs his eyes and looks up at me,

"Yeah, but you didn't"

Oh well, that makes it all ok then doesn't it. He has no idea how close I came to completely losing it. To taking him, and making him mine. It was instinctual, always has been with me. Biting and sex…and claiming. Although I've never seriously don't that with anyone but….Ever. Fuck. No, not right now, I'll feel like a piece of shit later. Right now I have to knock some sense into Jeremy.

"I was so fucking close Jeremy, I almost….fuck, are you insane. You just offered yourself up to a vampire. What is going on inside that head of yours Jer?" I demand, because it's been plaguing me for the last hour.

"Aren't you going to ask how I know?" Jeremy asks, his eyes still wide and curious. He's like a damn beautiful kid who's just asked why the sky is blue.

I shake my head,

"I'm gonna go ahead and say Vicki. Then Anna"

I'm not a moron, obviously my compulsion only stretched so far. Anna probably let him see her vampire face or something. Just one more reason to kill her I swear.

Jeremy nods solemly,

"So, Vicki was one of….like you, right?"

I take a deep breath and cross my arms over my chest,

"Yes. She was one of them. Emphasis on 'was' Jer"

"She's dead" Jeremy's face twists into something akin to complete and utter grief. My heart aches for him and I can no longer just stand there and watch him suffer like that.

I walk over to Jeremy and sit down next to him. I cleaned up his blood and got him to drink some of mine so that he would heal. But the temptation still spikes through me from memory alone. Somehow though Jeremy's inner pain grounds me and I am able to concentrate on just him.

Jeremy allows me to pull him close, he rests his head on my shoulder and I hold him tightly. I don't want Jeremy to be upset, it pains me to feel this much anguish coming from him, because I do feel it. Through the bond that we have, for whatever reason, I feel him completely.

I explain everything to him then. About me, my brothers, Vicki, his sisters and Anna. All of it. Stefan will probably blow a gasket when he finds out, but I don't give a shit right now. Jeremy takes it rather well, much the same way Ever did actually. Although he gets pretty pissed off about me having compelled him.

It takes a while to calm him down from that one. But eventually we end up led on his bed with him tucked up against me and sleeping. Strangely enough, even though everything about it is insanely wrong, I've never felt more content in all my life than I am right now with Jeremy's head resting on my chest and my arms around him.

Life…..is fucking weird.

Ever's P.O.V

Stefan comes in after saying goodbye to Elena. I'm sitting on the sofa with Damon. Stefan gives Damon a hard look when he comes into the living room and I stand up to make a swift exit, as I can see an argument might be about to erupt between them.

Damon rolls his eyes,

"Don't look at me like that" he drawls at his brother.

"Are you crazy?" Stefan asks.

"Well, that's really a redundant question isn't it" I add "Of course he's crazy Stef, just look at him. He's got the mad eyes down pat"

Stefan cracks a smile at me, but he's still shaking his head in annoyance at Damon.,

"Must you always be so difficult?"

Damon stands up,

"Hey, don't give me a lecture. I-"

Then suddenly someone comes crashing through the window and I fall to the floor on instinct.

Holy son of an Austen novel!

The vampire from the bar earlier comes at Stefan with a big piece of glass. He stabs it into Stefan's chest and I gasp. Damon shoves the vampire off Stefan and I instantly go over to him. He's got a big piece of glass still stuck deep inside of him. I brush my hand over his forehead,

"Oh, shit, Stef, what can I do?"

"Get…out…..safe…Ever" Stefan gasps out. I know he wants me out of here, but I can't leave him life this. I shake my head and take hold of the glass shard, it digs into my hands, but I don't care. I pull on it, trying to get it out. Meanwhile I can hear Damon fighting with the vampire who attacked Stefan.

Finally the shard gives way and I pull it out. Just in time for another vampire to come crashing through the now broken window. Stefan swiftly gets to his feet and shoves me behind him protectively.

The new vampire comes at Stefan and he grabs hold of her, trying to get her away from me. But the female vampire is strong and she throws Stefan to the ground. One of the crashed chair legs looks like a pretty good makeshift stake to me. I make eye contact with Stefan and let my eyes flicker to it. Stefan gets it, and as the vampire comes after him, he grabs up the stake and slams it into her.

I turn only to see Damon throw the other vampire across the room. Damon and Stefan are instantly at my side, ready to fight to protect me. The male vampire who called me Katherine stares at the three of us. Then he vamp speeds out of the very window he just smashed through less than a few minutes earlier.

"Damn it" Damon curses and glares after the vampire.

"I remember him, that was the guy from the bar. Is he a tomb vampire?" I ask looking between the two brothers.

Stefan nods,

"Yes, he was"

"Are you two alright?" I scan them both for any outstanding injuries.

It's them that Stefan gasp and takes a few steps back from me, his face changing. I blink in confusion until Damon grabs hold of my wrists,

"Your hands, Ever"

I look down to see them bleeding pretty badly from where I gripped the shard of glass. Damon eyes stare down at me with a frantic worry in his eyes, he takes every bit of me in, looking for any other injuries. When he doesn't find any, Damon bites into his own hand and offers it to me. I bring my mouth to his hand without question and drink down a few gulps of his blood.

I can feel my hands start to heal.

Why do these things always happen when Elena isn't here? It's always me who gets attacked by the vampires. I am the jinxed twin obviously. Damn Elena and her evil twin powers, the good looking bitch probably cursed me.

Damon pulls me against him when I stop drinking his blood. He holds me hard, his strong arms even lifting me off the floor slightly. I turn my face into his neck and exhale a long held in breath,

"Thanks" I murmur.

Damon's hold gets tighter and for a moment it's just us again in the world. Until Stefan clears his throat and I pull myself away from Damon with some force, both physical and mental. But he still holds onto my hand and I let him.

Stefan comes closer to me again, his face having gone back to normal. I reach out to touch his cheek gently and ask,

"You sure you're alright now, that glass got you pretty deep?"

Stefan smiles slightly and turns into my touch almost instinctively. Our bond buzzes with a deeper connection than ever before and I find myself looking between the two older Salvatore brothers and saying,

"What the hell are we going to do now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so for this chapter, I hope you all picked up on the subtle Originals mention. I've known since I started writing this that Sinbad would have some involvement with the original family. Please feel free to speculate which original family member fell for Sin Salvatore and then has their heart broken by him…..Sin was once the great heartbreaker of the three Salvatore's ;)
> 
> Also, let me know what you think about Jeremy/Sin, or Jerbad and of course Dever (Damon/Ever). I really want to know what you lot think of their chemistry and their scenes together. Or just about Sin and Ever on their own as characters.
> 
> Any other comment would make my day, so don't hesitate to do so ;) xxx


	27. Let The Right One In-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two special moments and a kidnapping!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-sixth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would so go hunting with Damon x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Let The Right One In-part 1

Ever's P.O.V

Damon finishes off hammering nails into the replacement board, it covers up the window that some crazy ass vampy people smashed. They made a mess. I tell you what, these vampires aren't evil, evil I could respect, they're just rude.

Damon turns around to face us all and says,

"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night"

Stefan crosses his arms and nods,

"Yeah, and then what, we turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say 'ooops sorry'"

Sinbad makes a scoffing sound,

"No, of course not Stefan, that would be ridiculous. Obviously, we'll kill all of them too."

Damon nods in agreement and aims his hammer at Sin,

"I like that plan"

"I can't believe you made a deal with her" Elena exclaims in exasperation at Damon. I sit down on the edge of the sofa and Sin reaches over to rub my arm gently in reassurance, I smile at him and lean into the touch.

Sin told us what happened with Jeremy, and that he told him everything. Predictably Elena and Stefan were pretty pissed about it. Damon was faintly amused as per usual, and I…..well, I trust Sin. If he says he had to tell Jeremy the truth, then he had to tell Jeremy the truth, end of.

I figured Jeremy would be pissed of at us, but somehow Sin has managed to calm him down a lot, how he did that is mystery to me. But I am grateful for it, and Elena will be too once she gets her head out of her ass and realises she can trust Sin.

Damon shrugs,

"It was more of a helpful exchange of information"

Sinbad snorts out a laugh,

"As if you had a choice, she would have ripped you apart with one classy little finger nail brother"

Damon meets my eyes, obviously remembering Pearl's threat towards me. My body stiffens, but I don't look away, it's becoming more and more impossible to control the way I behave around Damon.

Damon makes a face at Sinbad and says,

"What can I say she's….scary"

"And creepy….very, very creepy" I add. Pear worries me, or at least her gang of vampire tomb buddies do. They break windows, which makes them practically vandals with fangs.

"What did she even offer you?" Elena asks, she puts her hands on her hips and semi glares at Damon. My twin is still holding a grudge about the whole turning our birth mother into a vampire thing. She's so sensitive. Or maybe I'm just not right in the head….yeah, that's sounds more likely. I mean, I am the one with a thing for Damon; that makes me mental institution material all on it's own.

Damon tilts his head to the side, his eyes flicker over to me as he answers,

"She's going to help me get something I want"

"Katherine you mean" Stefan says with a sigh.

Sinbad rolls his eyes,

"Oh…goodie. My nightmares are coming to life before my very eyes. I knew I should have killed that bitch"

I tare my eyes away from Damon and studiously refuse to look at him. It bothers me that he still wants Katherine back, I'll freely admit that, but it doesn't mean I'm going to let Damon know it. He's far too arrogant as it is, no need to add petrol to the inferno fire that is Damon Salvatore's over developed ego.

"Which one, Pearl or Katherine?" I ask Sin with a smirk, he just taps his nose suggestively.

Elena lets out a frustrated huff,

"Oh of course she is. Damon gets what he wants as usual no matter who he hurts in the process"

Ohhhh, I'm kind of liking this new bitter side of my twin, it's feisty.

"No need to sound so snarky about it" Damon drawls with one of his trademark smirks aimed at Elena. He keeps trying to catch my eye, but I pointedly ignore his attempts. I will not be his distraction until he gets bitchzilla back, no way, no how. I think more of myself than that, even though most of the things I've done so far regarding Damon might not suggest that.

Now Elena is full on glaring at Damon, she snaps,

"I woke up this morning to learn that my sister and my boyfriend were attacked by tomb vampires. I've earned snarky"

She's earned snarky. If my twin has earned snarky for just finding out about it, then what have I earned from actually living through it? Irony? Sarcasm? An unlimited supply of ice cream for life? I should bloody well think so.

Damon comes to sit down on the sofa, he sighs and looks up at Elena,

"How long are you gonna blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"

Forever…and then maybe a few years more than that too if he's lucky. My sister may be the nice one, but she can hold one hell of a grudge when she wants to.

Elena shakes her head and walks closer to Damon,

"I'm not blaming you Damon, I've accepted the fact that you're a self serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities"

Ah, BURN! Go Elena! Maybe I should give her my spare bat.

Sinbad throws his hands up and gestures at my twin and then Damon,

"Well, that's not gonna work Elena, I've been telling him that since I was ten"

Damon narrows his eyes at Sin and places a hand over his chest,

"Ouch brother, my feelings"

Sin barks out a laugh,

"You don't have feelings, don't lie to me"

Damon smirks at him,

"No, but if I did, they'd be really hurt by that comment"

Sinbad smirks right back,

"Good, because you're a shithead too", and in that moment they look so similar that I almost pass out from the sexiness levels in the room having gone sky high.

Stefan, ever the rational minded one, says,

"This isn't being very productive. We're going to figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the tomb vampires, yeah?"

Damon smiles mockingly at Stefan and then stands up to leave the room. He glances at me as he goes and I mouth the words 'don't sulk'. He smirks at me and I allow myself to smile back at him, even though I'm still annoyed with both him and myself for everything that happened between us yesterday.

Elena makes an exasperated sound and says,

"I'm sorry, he just makes me so cranky"

"He makes everybody cranky, it's his way" I say with a sigh.

"It's because he's a shithead" Sinbad adds and I can't help the laugh that bursts free when he winks at me.

I've missed Sin and me connecting like this. I've missed us just talking more than anything else about our relationship. No matter what happens, I never want to lose Sin from my life, he makes me happy.

Stefan pulls Elena into a hug and he holds her close. I meet Stefan's eyes and say,

"So, what are we going to do?"

"Damon, Sinbad and I are going to handle everything, I promise" Stefan replies, causing Elena to jerk away from him.

"Well what about me and Ever, we can't just sit here and do nothing" Elena shakes her head and crosses her arms in defiance.

I make a disgruntled sound,

"Eh, eh, excuse me evil twin, speak for ones self thank you. I am very happy to sit here and let the vampires deal with the other vampires. What do you think we can do? Throw sticks at the vampires who could tare our heads off. No, because that would be stupid. So unless you want us to offer ourselves up as bait…we're basically useless"

Please, please, tell me Elena won't offer us up as bait. She would though, I know the woman better than anyone, and she would put our lives on the line if she thought it might help. But realistically, it would be better if Elena and I don't get in the way. She won't see it like that though.

And that's why she's the evil twin.

Sinbad's jaw tightens and he says,

"Yes, you two are going to stay out of it because that is what will keep you both alive"

YES! I'm so on Sin's side with this one.

Elena shakes her head,

"It means nothing if you two aren't safe as well"

Well, I wouldn't say it means nothing….

"Fine, then Ever can come" Sinbad says with a shrug.

AHHHH, Ever will do what now? Obviously I'm going to have to create my own side, the side that says 'no getting Ever killed'. I like that side.

I stand up and narrow my eyes at him,

"Boyfriend say what?"

Sinbad looks between Elena and me,

"If she wants one of you to be involved, then it's Ever"

"Why?" Elena demands in annoyance.

Sinbad replies simply,

"Because she'll listen when we tell her not to do something stupid and reckless"

Oh, no, that just earned him a lifetime of bad Elena juju.

Before Elena can say anything Stefan says,

"We'll be fine, you and Ever stay safe, my brothers and I can deal with it by ourselves"

Sinbad nods and adds,

"Yeah, they may have three times as many vampires as we do, but we have the self serving psychopath on our side. Automatic win"

Elena rolls her eyes,

"Well that's comforting"

"Is it? Because I'd say it's more ridiculous" I say with a shrug.

"Shut it Ever, you're ruining kill tomb vampires day for me" Sinbad pulls me against him. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my shoulder tenderly.

"You worry me Sin, you're such a weirdo." I whisper into his ear.

Sinbad smiles and waggles in eyebrows,

"I worry everyone, and I'll have you know that being a weirdo is my natural state"

"Mine too" I reply with a nod.

"I know, that's why you're my favourite" Sinbad whispers back.

"Does that mean I get ice cream?" I ask.

Sinbad mock sighs dramatically,

"Yes"

I grin at Sin,

"Excellent"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"So, this bracelet you gave me protects me from being compelled?" Jeremy asks, he looks down at the bracelet and fiddles with it.

I nod,

"Yeah, it has vervain laced through the inside. As long as you're wearing vervain or you've got it in your blood then you can't be compelled"

Jeremy and me are at the Grill, he wanted to know more about the 'whole vampire thing' as he called it. I figured the more I tell him the less trouble he'll get in by trying to find out from somewhere else, especially if that somewhere else is Anna.

"That's so cool" Jeremy says with a grin on his face that I will fully admit has me grinning right back.

Elena and Stefan we're pissed that I told Jeremy everything, but I didn't care then and I don't care now, especially as Jeremy seems to be taking every new bit of information so well. Ever understood, because she trusts me, which made me feel a bit shitty after biting and then almost fucking her brother.

I keep noticing the way Damon and Ever are looking at each other too. You'd have to be bloody blind not to notice the intense 'sex me' stares. They're the completely different to Stefan and Elena's 'I'm gonna wuv you for ever and ever' stares. I have no idea what I look like when I stare at Jeremy, I imagine it isn't a clean sort of stare.

"Cool, right, whatever stops you from ever taking it off Jer" I say with an amused look at Jeremy. He keeps looking at me with something akin to awe. It makes me hard, and that's really frustrating, because now that I've tasted him again I find it even harder not to bite him, even in public.

I can feel him all around me when we're together, everything and everyone else gets drowned out until it's just me and Jeremy. I am a bad person. A bad boyfriend. But ironically not a bad vampire. Although that really does depend on your definition of a bad vampire.

When I found out how close I came to losing Ever it almost tore me apart. My brothers protected her and I'll never be able to repay them enough for that, although by this point I'm pretty sure their intentions are at least half way selfish. Especially on Damon's part.

I don't know what Damon's deal is with Ever. Is it because he can't have Katherine? Or does he really feel something for my girlfriend? Whether me and Ever stay together or not, I still worry what might happen if she allows Damon into her life in that way.

He'd hurt her, of that I am certain, but part of me thinks just maybe Ever could be the one girl on this earth who could handle it. I have every confidence in her strength as a person, but Damon drives everyone insane, even good people like Elena.

"Why does vervain stop vampires being able to compel people?" Jeremy asks, still fiddling with his bracelet, it's become a new habit of his, whenever I'm around him he's always touching the bracelet every few minutes. I don't think he even notices he's doing it.

"Ah, some hocus pocus witchy stuff", I've told Jeremy about witches, but not that Bonnie actually is one, that isn't my secret to tell. Besides I like the little witch, and she's a Bennett, no vampire would piss off a Bennett if they know what's good for them.

Jeremy looks up at me and says,

"Sin…..are you gay? I mean, like, I know you're with my sister, so obviously you're not completely gay, what meant was-"

"Have I fucked men?" I supply, which causes Jeremy to blush like crazy. God, I love that blush, it looks so attractive and sweet on Jeremy.

"Uh, yeah, um, yeah" Jeremy practically stammers out the words and I feel bad for teasing him.

I smirk at Jeremy and reply,

"Yes, I have always been…interested in both sexes"

Jeremy frowns at me, I can feel another question coming,

"Does Ever know?"

I nod and answer,

"My oldest brother told her as a way of trying to mess with me"

Dick.

Jeremy laughs suddenly at my expression and asks,

"Why?"

I shrug and let out a long drawn out sigh,

"Because he's a shithead with mental problems. But then, he's my big brother and I can't imagine him being any other way than a psycho with bad taste in women"

"You mean Katherine? The one Stefan and Damon both fell in love with"

I shudder dramatically,

"Don't say her name out loud like that, it might call her forth like the demon she is"

Jeremy chuckles behind his hand and then says,

"You really hate her"

I run a hand through my hair and think about it for a moment before replying,

"Nah, I just want to rip her heart out. That's not hate, it's just good sense. Something my brothers apparently didn't have"

Something Damon still doesn't have apparently. Idiot.

Without even realising I've done it my hand is now covering Jeremy's. I can feel the heat coming off his skin and the sound of his heart beat getting faster and faster the longer neither of us pulls away. Our eyes meet and I swear for just a moment I see my own desire reflected in Jeremy's brown eyes, before his eyes flicker away. I remove my hand from his and will my hunger to stay down, along with my cock.

I take that back, I'm the idiot.

Ever's P.O.V

Damon is fiddling with the clock when I walk in. I'm about to walk right back out again when suddenly Damon is right there in front of me. He looks down at me and I narrow my eyes at him,

"Would you vampy people quit doing that, it's really annoying"

Damon takes hold of my wrist and spins me around so that he's almost pinning me up against the wall. I gasp in shock at the sudden movement, my eyes locking onto his. But before I can say anything, or even attempt to shove him away, he practically growls,

"Why are you avoiding me Ev's?"

I flatten myself against the wall so there's less chance of us touching, but even being this close to Damon has my heart beating ten times faster than it was a few moments ago.

"I'm not avoiding you Day-"

"Bullshit" Damon snaps. He actually seems pretty pissed off at me, which pisses me off because he has no right to be angry.

I glare up at him,

"It's not bullshit Damon, I have no reason to avoid you" Lie. I have every reason to avoid him. The way my body reacts to him alone is enough, you add in the emotion crap and that makes it one hundred times worse.

Damon's eyes burn into me with an intensity that threatens to take my breath away,

"You do know why I made that deal with Pearl"

I grit my teeth,

"Yes, to get information about Katherine. Now move damn it"

I try to get around Damon, but his arms are on either side of my head, I'm completely boxed in by him, and there is that scary part of me that doesn't want to move away at all. Damon slams his fist against the wall and I jump,

"You know that isn't true. I did it for you, to protect you" 

I shake my head,

"So? Even if that is the reason, what does that have to do with anything?"

Damon's jaw twitches and I can tell he's fighting not to get any angrier than he already is,

"You're avoiding me, why?"

I clench my hands into fists and refuse to meet Damon's heated gaze. But I can feel it on me and that causes my entire body to tingle with a deep routed fire that just keeps getting bigger and brighter.

"Answer the damn question Ever!" Damon can barely keep the steel edge out of his tone, and I shiver when he reaches out to grab my chin, he makes me meet his eyes and I can't turn away from him.

"No" I whisper.

Damon's eyes widen in surprise,

"Do you really hate me that much Ever?"

I don't know how to respond at first, what can you say to that? I take in a deep breath and then let is go slowly,

"I want to hate you. I should. But I don't, and it's all your fault"

Damon is about to respond, but then he stops and very suddenly he pulls away from me completely. Without another word to me he goes and starts messing around with the clock again. I don't understand until a few seconds later when Stefan comes in.

"Hunting party?" Damon says. His voice is so casual that you'd never guess he just had me pinned up against the wall, asking if I hated him and looking at me like he actually really cared about my answer.

"That guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me, I've got to get my strength back" Stefan replies, he smiles at me when he walks past. But then stops suddenly, our eyes meet and it's like he knows exactly what was going on in here only seconds ago.

Our bond buzzes with awareness. His eyes are questioning and he asks,

"Do you want to come?" the question seems to surprise him just as much as it surprised me.

I pointedly don't look at Damon as I reply,

"Yeah, ok, just promise not to confuse me for a bunny and eat me"

Stefan laughs,

"I promise…..bambi on the other hand….."

I hit him on the shoulder,

"Shut up Stef, I do not look like a cartoon deer"

"Yeah, you kind of do" argues Stefan with a rare grin on his face.

Through all this I can feel Damon's eyes on me again, but I stay focused on Stefan, which is surprisingly easy considering the affect Damon has on me pretty much all the time these days. I think it's our bond, it grounds me whenever Stefan is around, like it's my one constant through all the chaos and insanity. Damon is the chaos and Sinbad is the insanity.

Stefan and me head out, Damon calls after us,

"Be sure to give my regards to the squirrels"

I detect an angry note to his tone, but I still don't look back at him. Damon is going to drive me mad, I can feel it taking me over every time our eyes meet, or he touches me, or we connect over something, whether it be trivial or deeply meaningful.

…

Stefan and I aren't out in the woods long before Stefan asks,

"Do you think Damon really still wants to find Katherine"

I try very hard not to stiffen too noticeably as I answer,

"Well, you would know better than me, he's your brother"

Stefan turns to look at me, his eyes searching mine for something, but I have no idea what. Finally he says,

"I'm not so sure about that, you two seem to have gotten rather….close"

I open my mouth to deny it, but then I realise Stefan would know, and more to the point I don't want to lie to Stefan, it wouldn't feel right somehow.

"It's confusing Stefan….I feel like such a bad person sometimes for even thinking about it. I don't want to be Katherine"

"Hey" Stefan stops me by placing a hand on my arm, he looks into my face and says, "You are nothing like Katherine. She was selfish and cruel. You are neither of those things Ever. I know you care about Sinbad and Damon, despite everything he's done, and that doesn't make you a bad person"

I smile up at Stefan. The good brother. The nice one. The kind vampire. He's such a good person, it's like it comes from somewhere deep inside of him. I'm glad that Stefan is in my life now, it feels really good to be able to depend on someone like this. I reach out and touch his face gently, our gazes still locked as I say,

"You too Stefan. I care about you. I care about all three of you, I don't want to mess with your brother's heads the way she did. I don't want to be that person"

Stefan's grip on my arm tightens as he replies,

"You're not, and you are a good person Ever Gilbert. I care about you too. I want you to be happy."

"I know" I let my hand fall away from his face, but our bond still pulses between us happily.

Stefan opens his mouth to say something, but my eyes widen as I see the vampire who attacked us only a few feet away from Stefan.

Stefan stiffens and pulls me close protectively, having sensed him and other tomb vampires now surrounding us. One of them rushes forward and tries to take me, but Stefan grabs hold of the vampire and flings them away with a barely human growl.

But then all the tomb vampires come at us and Stefan can't fight them all in such a weak state as he hasn't fed yet. The one who attacked us stabs Stefan with something I can't quite see as I'm being held at a different angle by another vampire.

Fifth time I've been grabbed by a vampire folks. Not even fucking funny.

I gasp as Stefan grunts in pain and falls to the floor. I try to go to him, but the vampire holding me just tightens his grip. The vampire who stabbed Stefan looks over at me suddenly and says,

"We take them both"

Oh, shit on a stick, not again.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I got Jeremy to check, he says neither of them are with Elena" I say to Damon. The panic rises inside of me, "You know what this means, right?"

Damon's jaw clenches,

"Fucking tomb vampires. I think it's about time we pay Pearl a visit, we do owe her one after all"

I nod in agreement and without another word Damon and I set off to the farmhouse Pearl and her little soon to be dead minions are residing in.

Damon told me the moment I home that Stefan and Ever went out and haven't come back. At first I thought he was over reacting, but as time went past I got more and more worried. I tried calling her, but she wouldn't answer, or couldn't more likely because those assholes have her.

I swear I am going to rip them apart if they've hurt Ever or Stefan. They would have taken Stefan because they know he's weak from being stabbed and not having fed. Apparently that's what they were out trying to do.

Why Ever was out with Stefan on a hunt is another question that I have filed away for later.

It's raining like all hell when we get to the farmhouse. Damon strides up purposefully to the door, with me right beside him. He knocks on the door heavily and shouts,

"PEARL OPEN THIS DOOR OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL BUST IT OPEN AND RIP YOUR HEAD OFF"

I haven't seen Damon this genuinely angry, and underneath it all upset, in a very long time. The door is opened by someone who is definitely not Pearl. The vampire only opens the door a little bit and says through the crack,

"Pearl's not here"

"Oh, too bad. Now where the hell is my girlfriend and our brother?" I snap, all of my instincts want me to rip this guy's heart out.

The vampire dickhead opens the door completely and calls back,

"Billy"

Billy, who the fuck is…..

Suddenly an in pain Stefan and a pissed off Ever get dragged out into the hallway from another room. My hands clench into fists and the urge to go to them only just wins out from tearing every single vampire inside this house apart. I can feel Damon tense beside me, his own jaw locking to control the rage in his eyes.

Ever's head snaps up at the sight of us, she calls out,

"Damon, Sin, fuck, get us out of here, these morons keep stabbing Stefan and-" one of the vampires hits her across the face, making her go quiet.

"You are dead!" Damon practically growls and tries to go through the door, but he's stopped by the invisible barrier that keeps vampires out of homes they haven't been invited into.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Senior twatwaffle says with a smug smile that I just want to punch right off his face ten times over, "You haven't been invited in. Miss Gibbons?"

Suddenly a middle aged looking woman comes to stand next to major twatwaffle,

"Yes, Fredrick dear?" she asks, obviously having been compelled.

"Never let these bad men in" head vampire twatwaffle says to her. The woman nods in that dazed way all compelled people do,

"I'll never let them in" she says sweetly and then walks away.

Head twatwaffle glares at us,

"One hundred and forty-five years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Katherine's infatuation with the Salvatore brothers"

Ah, ah, I think he shall find it was just two of the Salvatore's who held her interest. If he's insinuating I had a thing for Katherine, then that is possibly the most insulted I have ever felt in my entire life.

Twatwaffle continues unfortunately,

"For the first few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire, the kind of pain that can drive a person mad"

"Well boo hoo for you dickhead!" Ever calls out, and despite everything, I kind of want to laugh. But I don't. There really is no woman on this earth like Ever Gilbert.

Twatwaffle glares back at her, and she just glares right back unflinching, he turns back to us after a moment and chuckles darkly,

"I think we'll keep her for a while, she could be fun and it's only fair considering your brother killed my girlfriend. Your brother is going to feel some of that pain we felt inside that tomb, before I kill him"

Oh, that guy is gonna burn.

He slams the door on us and I look over at Damon. I can tell he's using every bit of his will power not to fucking lose it, which is technically progress.

"We need Alaric" Damon says finally.

….

We find Alaric at the school. He freezes in the corridor at the sight of us. Damon smirks at him,

"Well, don't you look…alive"

"You can't hurt me" Alaric says.

Oh, mistake.

Damon glares harshly at him,

"Trust me, I can hurt you"

"Alaric, we need your help" I say, and Alaric turns a more civil look on me.

Alaric leads us to his classroom where I explain the situation.

"We can't get in because we're vampires, you on the other hand…"

"Are completely expendable. We like that about you right now" Damon drawls, I give him a hard look which he pointedly ignores.

"I know about your ring" I say.

"What about it?" Alaric looks down at his ring and then back up at me suspiciously.

Damon comes closer Alaric's desk and says,

"Well, let's re cap, you tried to kill me, I defended myself, you died. Then according to three eye witnesses, your ring brought you back to life. Uh, am I leaving anything out?"

"Yeah, the part where I try to kill you again, only this time I don't miss" Alaric stands up from his chair a makes to go over to Damon.

I hold a hand out to stop him,

"Alright, enough. Damon, stop being a dick for five fucking seconds, for Ever and Stefan's sake at least"

I get Alaric to meet my eyes and say,

"Come on, Ric, it's Ever, she needs us"

Alaric still looks hesitant and I vaguely consider thwacking him over the head with a heavy object, but Damon interrupts my train of thought by saying,

"Plus, the woman in charge of the vampires can help you find your wife"

I jerk in surprise and frown at Damon.

"You're lying "Alaric says after a moment's pause.

"Am I?" Damon asks, in that annoying tone of voice that makes it sound like he's mocking the person he's talking to. Sometimes I swear I could just thump him with a rock.

"Why don't you ask her for yourself?" Damon adds, his eyes daring Alaric to say no.

After a long pause Alaric finally sighs and under both mine and Damon's scrutiny he says,

"Alright, fine, I'll go"

Excellent, looks like 'Supernaturals Untied' has a new member.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter, we have a little of Jerbad and Dever, tell me what you think of their scenes in this one, and of course Ever and Stefan have their own special moment. Please tell me what you think of that-do you like it, does it bother you, and ask any questions you like about any of the pairings.
> 
> Also any comments about this chapter, the story or the characters in general would be really great, thank you all so much for reading! Xxx ;)


	28. Let The Right One In-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE MIGHTY RESCUE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-eighth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Alaric would be teaching me how to build a stake gun x
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Let The Right One In-part 2

Ever's P.O.V

"Vervain on the ropes" Dickhead says all super duper creepy-like.

Stefan and I were dragged down into the basement of the farmhouse. The tomb vampires have tied me to chair, it hurts like a motherfraker. But then again it's Stefan who's now shirtless and hanging from the ceiling by ropes. Ropes with vervain on them apparently.

Stefan chokes out in pain when they hoist him higher, his skin making that burning sound. I wince and then resume my glaring at Dickhead vamp. He is a very angry tomb vampy man. It's probably because he was locked starving inside a tomb for over a hundred years, but it could also be because he's fat and looks like the lead guitarist of a failed rock band full of middle aged men.

My perceptions may be coloured by the fact that he kidnapped me, but not by much.

Dickhead vamp pulls on Stefan's hair so his head is tilted back,

"If that hurts, then you'll love this" Dickhead vamp uses this eye drop thing to squeeze vervain water into Stefan's eyes.

I grit my teeth so hard that they almost crack. Stefan makes horrible pain filled breathing sounds and I can't stand to see him being hurt like that anymore,

"Stop it! Stop hurting him you assbandits. You being locked in a tomb wasn't Stefan's fault, let us go damn it"

Ok, not my most compelling argument I'll admit, but give me a break, I'm under considerable pressure right now.

One of the female assbandits gives me another thwack across the face and it hurts. Like it really fucking hurts. You see people get hit in movies and you think it's not that bad, but it really, really fucking hurts. Especially considering my cheek is still sore from being hit the first time.

"Don't touch her" Stefan manages to get out despite the pain. He sounds pretty intimidating too for someone who's tied up.

Dickhead vamp just laughs though and drop some more vervain onto Stefan,

"I think I'll kill her slowly, make you watch her die"

"Stop! This isn't right" comes the voice of my new favourite person from behind me.

A vampire I haven't seen before comes striding in looking pissed off.

Dickhead vamp stalks towards my new favourite person and points dramatically at Stefan,

"He killed Beth-Ann"

Who? When has Stefan even had time to kill…oh right, the vampire who he stabbed the other night.

He continues to get in my new favourite person's face,

"He killed one of us Harper. And don't you think for a second he wouldn't kill you too"

Excellent, my new favourite person's name is Harper.

"Pearl says we're not here for revenge right. Well I say, that's exactly what we're her for" Dickhead vamp moves back over to Stefan, knife in hand.

Ugh, does this guy ever shut up?

"Starting with this" No apparently he doesn't. Dickhead vamp slices the knife across Stefan's chest and the burning sounds start up again. The knife must have verain on it. Damn. There's vervain on everything these days. It is not a vampire friendly world we live in folks.

Stefan grunts, the unimaginable pain obvious on his face. Dickhead vamp grabs hold of Stefan's neck,

"And then we'll kill his brothers. And then their little bitch who looks like Katherine. And anyone else who gets in our way"

Oh fuck, I made the 'must kill' list again. Hey, and I thought he said he'd make Stefan watch me die, he's changing the details of his torture and kill plan...that's not good, it'll confuse everyone.

Harper rushes forward and tries to take the knife way from the lunatic who keeps hurting Stefan. I am liking this guy more and more.

"This isn't right!"

Dickhead lunatic vamp turns around and throws Harper off of him,

"Touch me again and you'll die too"

"Miss Pearl will be home soon" Harper snaps indignantly.

Dickhead vamp smiles smugly and says,

"Miss Pearl is no longer in charge. Tie him up"

Shit! A few of the other vamps grab hold of Harper and tie him up in a chair next to me.

…..

I can honestly say that this whole being tied to a chair and waiting to be killed thing is starting to get old. When you think about these situations you never imagine they'll actually become tedious. But even waiting for death can get boring, who knew?

Or maybe I've just been almost killed too many times now.

"Ever, are you alright?" Stefan can barely get the words out, but it means a lot that even now he's thinking of me first.

I shrug, or at least I try to. It's actually really hard to shrug when you're tied to a chair.

"I'm fine Stefan, forget me. How about you? You're the one being stabbed every few minutes."

Stefan manages to choke out a laugh,

"I…have survived…worse" he says inbetween heavy breathes.

I laugh too, and it's a surreal moment. None of this is funny, but it feels good to laugh anyway. I turn to look at Harper and say,

"Thanks for trying to help by the way. You probably should have had a battle plan in mind first though. Dickhead and the gang seem pretty pissed."

Harper nods, although he's lost a lot of blood from being staked so it's more of a head lull,

"They just needed someone to blame. Someone to punish"

I open my mouth to speak when suddenly the door crashes open and I think this might be it. But then Damon comes into view and my heart soars.

"Ever" Damon breathes in relief at the sight of me.

Sinbad comes in right behind him and for the first time since being tied to this chair I feel hopeful that we might actually get out of this alive.

Holy shit, miracles do happen after all.

Damon comes round to me and lifts a stake to kill Harper.

"No, Damon, do not kill my new best friend"

"I thought Stefan was your new best friend" Sinbad says to me as he goes about getting Stefan down.

"No, Stefan is my best friend, he is no longer new, obviously. You people never listen to me"

Damon snaps the ropes tying me down with his bare hands and then yanks me up into his arms. He holds me tight and whispers,

"If he's your new best friend, then what am I?"

I have no friggin idea. I'm sill trying to work that one out myself.

Sinbad hisses in pain, and I wince,

"Sorry, the ropes have vervain on them" I pull away from Damon and he lets me go reluctantly.

I move past Sinbad and undo the ropes. Damon and Sinbad catch hold of Stefan so he doesn't fall. I quickly move to his side and cup his face in my hands, checking if he's really alright. Stefan tries to stand up straight and looks at me,

"Get Ever out of here, now" he chokes out.

I'm in full support of that plan.

But first…

I go over to Harper and pull the stakes out of his legs.

"Thank you" he murmurs to me and I smile.

"You're very welcome new best friend"

Sinbad wraps a jacket around Stefan and I go to his side again, making him loop his arm around my shoulders. Sinbad has him on the other side. Damon checks outside the door and then motions for us to come out.

"Can you get out ok with him?" Damon asks me.

I nod,

"Yep, let's just get out of here"

"Alright, go, Sin and I will distract them" Damon says. Sin nods in agreement and he moves away from Stefan. Damon meets my eyes and for a moment he seems conflicted about leaving me and reaches out to touch my face, but then Sinbad pushes him into the other room. Sin kisses me on the forhead and whispers,

"Be careful my love"

Then he goes after Damon.

With all of Stefan's weight on me we move a little slower, even though I can tell Stefan is trying really hard to walk by himself.

Stefan and I make it all the way out into the woods, but then we trip and fall to the ground. It's really dark and I can't see much around me. I'm not even sure what direction we're going in. I notice a pretty deep cut on my hand as I get up, and Stefan notices it too.

"Are you alright, Ever?" he asks, although I can tell he's struggling with the sight of my blood. I wrap my arms around Stefan and help him to his feet.

"I'm fine Stefan, we have to keep moving" I say desperately.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Alright, I'm going to enjoy this.

Damon and I head off in different directions to confuse the vampires around the house. I run into one pretty quickly and stake him through the heart. I slam the vampire down onto the dinning room table for one of the other vampires to find.

I hear crashing from another room and rush out to help Damon. He's fighting with Head twatwaffle. They're crashing all over the place.

Five other vampires come out of various rooms and I cover Damon by fighting them off. It's surprisingly easy. I've always been the best fighter, not when I was human, but when I became a vampire I really honed the skills well.

Sometimes Stefan and I would talk about what it's like being vampires. I know there is a deep routed part of Stefan that hates it, but that's mainly a control issue. If he would just agree to learn how to drink blood in moderation then he wouldn't lose it the way he does. But Stefan is stubborn, and far too convinced that he either has to stay off blood completely or go on a ripper binge. There is no half way with my brother.

I kill three of the vampires pretty quickly, one of them I throw at another vampire and they both go down hard. I turn back to Damon for a moment to see him pinning head twatwaffle to the ground and punching him repeatedly in the face. Venting his anger.

I don't think I've ever seen Damon so frantic than he has been for the past few hours. He hides well behind a wall of 'wit'. But I can see past that. Damon really cares. More than just cares actually.

I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand I can't blame him because Ever is…special, I've always thought that since the first time we met. Falling for Ever felt as natural to me as breathing, so I can see why Damon has gotten pulled in by her as well.

Alaric got in by pretending he needed the phone. He killed one of the vampires and then got Miss Gibbons to the door. Obviously she'd been compelled to not let us in. So Damon, in true Damon fashion, snapped her neck, therefore making the whole vampire barrier thing a moot point.

We left Alaric by the door and headed straight inside to find Ever and Stefan. When we found them and I saw Ever tied to that chair I felt more relieved than I can ever remember feeling in my entire life. I could barely constrain myself from pulling her into my arms and never letting go again.

Damon kind of beat me to it. Again, I have no idea how to process that. Wanting the same girl has always been my brothers thing. I've never been in that situation with either of my brothers, so I don't know how to react to it.

I'm not pissed off about it….well, I am, very pissed actually, but it doesn't bother me as much as it probably should.

Two vampires try to go after Damon as he beats the shit out of twatwaffle. I tear their hearts out before they can even blink. I've kind of missed this in a weird way. It isn't the first time Damon and I have taken on a group of vampires. Although my time with Damon has usually always been during my darker periods.

I've only ever shut off my emotions once since I became a vampire….it revealed things about me that I'm still trying to sort through and accept.

Whilst I'm stabbing one really strong vampire, I see another go after Damon. I call out to him but I know it'll be too late. I hear gun fire and the vampire who just tried to kill Damon from behind is thrown back. Damon and I both look up, and we see that standing by the front door is Ric with a FUCKING STAKE GUN.

A vampire saved by a hunter with a stake gun….that's got to be a first.

And of all the vampires in the world, Damon, that's some cosmic humour going on right there. The universe must really like itself some badass irony.

In that moments pause though, twatwaffle escapes.

Fuck!

Alaric takes down another vampire that comes at him from the side with a vervain dart thing. I'm impressed, the hunter has moves.

Damon, Alaric and I walk outside the front door to go out and find twataffle. Or alternatively Ever and Stefan. Shit, I hope so much that they've found the car and are driving away right now.

But when we get outside we see at least ten vampires coming towards the house. Damon turns to Alaric and asks,

"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?"

Alaric makes a face and answers,

"One"

Damon shakes his head,

"Yeah, not gonna be enough"

I snort out a laugh and look at both of them,

"Damn pessimists, you're bringing team 'Supernaturals United' down with that attitude"

All three of us head back inside of the farm house and shut the door behind us. We prepare for the vampires to come inside.

Alaric looks at Damon and says,

"So what you said to get me to do this, about my wife, that was a lie wasn't it?"

Damon shrugs and replies simply,

"Yep"

My brother is such a dick sometimes. Remind me to say that more often if we live through this.

After about ten minutes I hear Pearl's voice on the other side of the door saying,

"Stop! What's going on here?"

My whole body tenses and I feel Damon's do the same next to me.

Pearl comes in with Anna behind her, she looks around at the carnage of dead vampires littering the floor and glares daggers at us,

"What did you do?" she demands of us. I have to suppress every instinct running through me right now to stop myself from ripping her heart out.

"Us" Damon says indignantly, "Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing our brother. They kidnapped Ever and hurt her…I swear I wish I could have made their deaths more painful for that"

Damon moves closer to Pearl and she looks up at him,

"Trust me, the parties responsible will be dealt with"

I scoff out a harsh laugh that I hope conveys my scepticism,

"Just keep them the fuck away from our brother and the Gilberts"

"This little arrangement won't work if you can't control them" Damon snaps, the anger so very prominent in his voice.

"This wasn't meant to happen" Pearl argues.

"Well it fucking did" I say in irritation.

Damon and I walk past Pearl to the door. My oldest brother stops suddenly and turns back,

"If I had a good side, not a way to get on it" he says.

Alaric follows us out. I'm still having to force myself not to go back inside that house and kill Pearl and Anna. If they can't get those vampires under control then I'm taking them out. I will not allow anyone to threaten my family, my girlfriend and my fucking town.

Ever's P.O.V

With a whole lot of effort on both of our parts Stefan and I find the car that we assume belongs to our rescuers. Even if it doesn't, right now, we really don't care.

"Come on Stef, just a few more steps yeah" I can barely get the words out, it's cold and I really want to rest, but we can't. Not yet.

Stefan can't speak at all because he's so weak. I'm really worried about him, I keep talking so he has something to concentrate on, but I don't know if that's helping or not.

When we reach the car I try the door and almost scream in relief when I find that it's open. I lower Stefan into the passenger seat carefully and then go round to get in the drivers side. If we're the get away car then I want to be prepared damn it.

I see a key on the dashboard next to a stake and I grab it. But when I try to put it into the ignition I see that it's broken. I frown for a moment and turn to Stefan,

"Stefan I think-"

But half way through my sentence the passenger side window is smashed. OH FUCK IT'S THE VANDALS BACK FOR MORE WINDOW SMASHING ANTICS!

A vampire yanks Stefan out of the car and throws him down to the ground. I get out of the car on instinct just in time to see Dickhead vamp start hitting Stefan in the face.

It's times like this when a girl really misses her bat. Two strong vampire brothers would also be helpful right about now. Where are Damon and Sin?

But I don't have time to worry about what might have happened to them because I'm too preoccupied trying to think of a way to help Stefan.

Stefan tries to get up but Dickhead vamp just kicks him hard enough to make him flip over on the ground. My heart beats erratically and I frantically try to think of some way to save Stefan from being killed by this bald asshole lunatic.

Suddenly Dickhead vamp grabs Stefan by the throat and lifts him up into the air.

"This is for Beth-Ann" Dickhead vamp hisses into Stefan's face before he slams a branch into Stefan's chest.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh-wait a damn second.

I look back at the car and sure enough there's that stake still on the dashboard. I fling open the door and grab it. Before I can even think twice, I rush up behind Dickhead vamp. He pulls his hand back to kill Stefan and says,

"And this is for the tomb-"

"NO!" I shout and I stab the stake right into his back. It's done in less than a second and I can barely believe I've just stabbed a vampire.

I pull the stake out and step back, letting Dickhead vamp fall to the ground making choking noises. I don't waste time thinking about him.

I fall to my knees beside Stefan.

"Oh shit Stefan" I yank the branch out of him and he groans in pain.

He's not responding to me, I keep saying his name over and over but it makes no difference. When he closes his eyes I'm about ready to scream.

"Stefan please" I sound hysterical now I know, but I can feel him slipping away from me, like I can literally feel it. 

I hear groaning sounds from behind me and when I look I see Dickhead vamp's hand twitching. Oh fucking hell, what now?

I look back down at Stefan and start shaking him,

"Stefan, please, come, don't die, don't die, don't die! Not here, not death by tree, that's so ridiculous! You deserve a way more impressive death than this" It's really not funny, none of it is, but I can't handle it if this is real. I cannot let Stefan die. I cant, I can't, I can't.

I won't.

I cup Stefan's face, trying to lift his head up,

"Do not die, please get up Stefan, please" and that's when I notice the blood from the cut on my hand. An idea hits me and I waste no time thinking about the damn consequences.

Oh my GOD, the worst has happened, I'm….I'm…..ELENA!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

If Stefan dies that'll mean two awful things have happened today.

I press my hand to Stefan's mouth, the blood runs over his lips,

"Here you go, Stef, drink the tasty blood and please don't die"

Stefan frowns and turns his head away from my hand,

"Ever, run. Please run" he whispers.

"No fucking way" I whisper back, and I press my hand to Stefan's mouth again. He turns away again,

"Run, Ever, don't"

I shake my head and pull my sleeve back, baring my wrist,

"Come on Stefan, drink from my wrist, you need it."

Stefan still refuses, so I lean in closer and cup his face in my hands, forcing him to meet my eyes as I whisper,

"I trust you Stefan. Remember what we talked about. You trusted me….so I trust you"

I hold my wrist out against his lips again, he still looks so reluctant. I put as much trust and truth in my eyes as I possibly can. I can feel our bond, and I try somehow to tell him how much I trust him through our bond.

It seems to work because Stefan bites into my wrist, he doesn't take his eyes off mine though. I'm concentrating so hard on helping Stefan that I barely notice the sting of his fangs. Our gazes stay locked as he starts to drink blood from my wrist.

Stefan's face changes and he grabs hold of my arm so that he can drink more earnestly from my wrist. It hurts, but I trust Stefan to stop. He won't kill me. I know he won't.

I trust him. I trust Stefan.

Just when I start to feel light headed, Stefan does stop. He pulls away and I sit back, trying to get my breathing under control.

I hear Dickhead vamp moving behind me again and I whisper to Stefan,

"Are you strong enough to take him?

Stefan breathes heavily for a few seconds and stares at me, but eventually he nods. I get up and go to hide behind a not to far away tree. My wrist aches, but that's all secondary to worrying about Stefan being able to kill Dickhead vamp.

After a few minutes Dickhead vamp gets to his feet and stalks over to Stefan. He picks up a branch on the way. He's standing over Stefan and for a moment I panic that Stefan isn't actually strong enough.

But then Stefan vamp speeds to his feet and grabs hold of Dickhead vamp. He slams him up against a tree and snarls into his face full on vampire style. I look around my tree to see Stefan stabbing Dickhead vamp with the tree branch he picked up.

Stefan brings the branch back and stabs Dickhead vamp again, this time in the heart. I rush out from behind the tree and over to Stefan.

I touch his arm and he growls at me. I glare at him,

"Calm it Stef. I'm your best friend, remember. I'm the one who fed you, ring any bells?"

Stefan stops and shoves away from Dickhead vamps dead body. He's shaking and I move closer to him. I place a hand on his face, and after a few moments it returns to normal. He's still breathing hard and so am I. The adrenaline rushes through me, and all I can feel is relief that Stefan is alive, or as alive as a vampire can be.

Stefan covers my hand with his and our gazes lock again. Tentatively I pull him into an embrace, and eventually Stefan wraps his arms around me and hugs me close. I allow myself to relax against him and we stay like that for a while, our bond alight with an even stronger intensity.

….

I'm looking out of his bedroom window when Damon comes in. When I turn around and see that look in his eyes, I just can't stop myself from going to him. I fling my arms around his neck and Damon tugs me tight against him.

Since Sin, Damon and Alaric found us, Sin has barely let me out of his sight. He seems hyper aware that someone might come along and steal me away again. But then about ten minutes ago he got a text from Jeremy, saying he needed Sin and that it was important. Sin said he didn't want to leave me, but I could see that he wanted to go. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually I got him out the door.

I wanted to see Damon alone anyway, which sounds awful. Sinbad is my boyfriend. Elena is with Stefan right now at our house, he's explaining to her what happened to me and him. We both agreed not to say anything about him drinking blood from me. It just doesn't make sense to worry her over nothing.

Stefan didn't hurt me, so it doesn't matter.

Damon holds me for a while, his face buried in my neck. Suddenly I can feel his lips trailing up my throat and then across my jaw. My whole body comes alive and the only way I can think to describe it is like being hit by lightening. It's intense and completely undeniable.

Damon runs a hand through my hair, his eyes meeting mine. His eyes are so pale and full of want. He smoothes my cheek with the back of his fingers,

"I wanted to tear them apart for touching you"

I let out a dark chuckle,

"From what I hear, you kind of did"

Damon smiles down at me, but the intensity in his eyes does not waver. He strokes my jaw with a feather light touch from his thumb. Damon stares right down into me and I swear he can see everything I crave from him.

One of Damon's hands is on the small of my back, and he holds me close, our bodies touching all over. The fire in my core heats to an almost impossible level. Damon's other hand cups my face, tilting it upwards,

"They shouldn't have touched what doesn't belong to them" Damon whispers, he lowers his face closer to mine.

Our lips brush as I whisper,

"Who do I belong to?"

I can feel that Damon is about to answer, and in this moment I know exactly what I want his answer to be. But then my phone rings. It's in my back pocket and it starts to buzz. It breaks through the thick tension in the room.

Damon growls, and it's a real one that vibrates all the way through both of us. I try to pull myself reluctantly away from Damon. But he holds on tight. So instead I reach round to take the phone out of my pocket. I'm all for switching it off until I see who's calling.

It's Matt.

I frown and answer the phone. Damon pulls away from me slightly, and I can see the annoyance in his eyes at us being interrupted. It had better be important or Damon might just kill my Matty.

It is important. Vicki's dead. I mean, I already knew that obviously. But Caroline found her body by accident when she got stuck out in the storm. Now Matty knows. Fuck.

I say to Matt that I'll be right over. Convincing Damon is a little harder, but eventually I get him to drive me to Matt's house. When we get there I say to Damon that he can come in with me if he wants. But I think we both realised how horribly inappropriate that would be.

I get out the car and watch Damon drive away. He said that if I need him then all I have to do is call and I believe that he'll come if I call. I can't help but think to myself, when did I start to depend on Damon?

I walk right on in to Matt's house. When I see him he's coming out of Vicki's room. My heart clenches at the look on his face. It starts to crumple at the sight of me and I rush towards him. He pulls me into a tight embrace and I rest my head on his shoulder. I smooth his back and whisper calming words as he breaks in my arms.

I see Caroline staring at us from inside Vicki's room. They must have been talking before I came in. I mouth at her 'are you alright?' But Caroline turns away from me, anger and upset aimed at me that I don't understand in her eyes.

I hold onto Matt and try my best to comfort him. His grip on me is tight and I can tell he's crying even though I can't see his face. I knew it would destroy Matt if he found out Vicki was dead, and I was right. I can't help but think about my own grief over my parents.

My life is so damn complicated that it makes my head hurt just thinking about it.

But right now all that matters is Matt, everything else can wait.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm holding Jeremy on his bed, his face is red and swollen from crying. They've found Vicki's body and I know it's tearing him up inside. I feel so awful for not being able to save Vicki, because now Jeremy is breaking and there's nothing I can do.

I already told him Vicki was dead, but finding her body just confirmed it for him. I think he was still hoping I was wrong or something.

When Jeremy texted me saying he needed me, my first instinct was to go to him. But then my brain kicked in and I realised leaving Ever after everything that happened to her today would be selfish and wrong. But it was Ever who convinced me to leave. She's so damned understanding that it breaks my heart to feel like I'm not being the kind of boyfriend she deserves.

I got in through Jeremy's window. He was tearing up his artwork and smashing things when I got here. Calming him down took a long time, but eventually I got him to lay down with me. Jeremy is led between my legs, his cheek resting on my chest.

I'd be lying if I said this didn't feel so right in a ridiculous amount of ways. I want to hold Jeremy. I want to comfort him when he's upset, although I'd prefer it if he never got upset at all. It makes my heart ache to see him hurting like this.

I can hear Jeremy's heart beating steadily in his chest and it calms me, the sound of Jeremy's heart beat always does. I'm stroking his hair gently, and I think he's asleep, but suddenly he murmurs,

"Why does everyone have to die on me Sin?"

That brings tears to my eyes, and I blink them away as I answer strongly,

"They don't Jer. It's not your fault. Your parents or Vicki, them dying is not your fault, don't ever think that. Sometimes bad things happen, and there's no reason for it. I don't know all the answers Jer, and I wish I could make things better for you somehow. All I can say is that I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here if you need me"

There is a long pause and for a moment I don't think Jeremy is going to reply at all. But then Jeremy lifts his head to look up at me and whispers,

"Promise"

I smooth some hair away from his face and meet his eyes when I say,

"I promise with all my heart and soul Jeremy Gilbert, that you'll always have me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, quite a bit happens in this chapter I think. There was a Dever moment, which was short, but I'd say it was a major development even though it may not seem like it now. We also got a sort of bitter sweet moment with Jerbad, and I hope you liked it because I spent a long time on it. Also obviously Stever had a moment, which can be interpreted in many different ways.
> 
> I'd really, really, like to know what you think of all that.
> 
> Also, some of you might be annoyed that I cut off the Dever moment right when it was about to get 'good', but my response to that is-Ever is mad and she uses humour to cope with difficult situations, she also has a lot of passion, which you've probably guessed by now, but at her core Ever will always put her friends and the people she loves first. No matter what it costs her. Ever also has a big thing for trust, which will come into play big time in the future with all her relationships-both romantic and platonic.


	29. Under Control-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salvatore bonding! x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the twenty-nine chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Damon and Stefan would be helping me with all this bloody work I've got to do. xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Under Control-part 1

Sinbad's P.O.V

I walk in with Damon to see our brother doing pull ups, and it disturbs me. When I got back from the Gilbert house the night they found Vicki's body, Damon and I found Stefan drinking from a blood bag. I almost fucked right over at the sight of it.

Damon rolls his eyes at me and I shrug in response. I lean against the door frame and cross my arms, just watching Stefan try to exercise his problems away. Damon goes over to the stereo, which is playing far too loudly and says,

"Could you turn it up a little, it's not annoying…yet"

"I'd argue that the sight of him exercising is much more annoying. It's so….healthy and…humany" I pull a disgusted face, Damon and I share a smirk.

Stefan's only reaction is to say,

"Sorry" and carry on…..'working out'. Ugh.

Damon turns off the music, causing Stefan to drop down from the ceiling.

"When are you going back to school?" I ask him.

Stefan drops down and starts doing push ups. Why?I don't like this, Stefan is showing all his signs of falling off the wagon. We have enough problems with the tomb vampires without Stefan going all apeshit ripper on us.

Damon makes an irritated sound and goes to kneel close to Stefan,

"Oh, come on, drink already. This self detox thing isn't natural"

"Plus, it's depressing and boring" I add helpfully. Damon nods in agreement.

Damon offers Stefan a glass of blood, Stefan gets up and moves away,

"Don't bring that stuff near me Damon" he mutters in annoyance.

"How long did it take for you to wean yourself off of it the last time you indulged?" Damon asks.

Stefan doesn't answer, so I do,

"A bloody long time. Too long if he wants to keep dating Elena"

"That's not good" Damon comments, he stands up and looks over at me. I shrug again helplessly. I've been in this situation before with Stefan, he's stubborn as hell, and there's no way he'll listen to Damon.

Stefan huffs in irritation at both of us,

"I'll be fine. It just takes a little bit of time"

I make a flipping gesture with my hand,

"A little bit, a few decades, same diff right Steffy"

Damon shakes his head,

"I don't get it. You don't have to kill to feed. That's what blood bags are for. I haven't hunted a human in….gah, way too long"

"Yes, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we are all thoroughly impressed" I arch a sardonic eyebrow at Damon and he rolls his eyes at me in response.

Damon shrugs,

"It's completely self serving"

I gasp dramatically,

"Shocker. Damon did something for selfish reasons, alert the freakin' media folks, this ones making the front page of everything. I don't think the nation is going to be able to handle this new completely unforeseen development"

"Shut up Sin" Damon growls at me, "Like you've spent the last one hundred and forty-five years doing things for the greater good of humanity. You're more of a selfish dick than I am sometimes"

I nod,

"Yeah, but I make it look cool my brother"

Damon smirks at me,

"Yes, Sin, you are by far the most badass Salvatore brother. Stefan and I should be ashamed"

"I know, and don't you forget it Mr. Anger management"

"Whatever you say Captain rent boy" Damon mock salutes at me and I wink back at him.

"Are you two finished?" Stefan asks us.

"Kill joy Steffy" I say.

Damon sighs,

"I've been trying to get the town off the trail of vampires, which isn't easy considering there's an entire tomb of them-"

"Vamping around" I supply. Damon gestures at me with his drink and nods,

"Exactly"

Stefan stands up and faces both of us,

"What are we planning on doing about that?"

"We're not going to be doing much of anything if you don't have your strength" Damon remarks. He moves closer to Stefan and offers him the glass of blood again, "There's nothing wrong with partaking in a healthy diet of human blood, from a blood bag"

I can see this logic is having no effect on Stefan, it never does. I've tried it more than once over the years.

"You don't have to kill anyone Stefan" I say, "We can help you if you'll just let us"

Damon turns to me and raises an eyebrow,

"Us?" 

I give him a hard look,

"Yes, us. As in you and me Damon, the two of us, helping our brother"

Stefan shakes his head and moves away from Damon,

"I have my reasons" is all he says.

I'm about ready to punch the wall in frustration by this point. Stefan drives me crazy with all his self righteous shit, it's why we can't spend too much time together without me wanting to murder him. I've got too much of Damon in me.

"Oh yeah, and what are those holier than thou reasons Stefan?" Damon asks, sounding profoundly pissed, "We've never actually discussed that. You know, I'd love to hear this story"

"No, you really wouldn't, it's incredibly boring. I've heard it already" I say.

Damon makes an affronted noise,

"Hey, why does he get to know and I don't"

"Because, I'm his favourite brother….duh" I reply.

"Ah, yes, I forgot. You're my favourite too" Damon nods at me.

"Of course I am. I'm everyone's favourite"

Stefan looks between us incredulously,

"You're both enjoying this, aren't you?"

Damon smirks at our brother,

"Very much so"

I shrug,

"It amuses me on some level. But then so do cat videos, doesn't mean I want to buy a cat. In the same way, I find it funny to watch you struggle like a stubborn idiot, but that doesn't mean I don't want to help you"

Damon snorts out a laugh,

"I just….find it funny. No ulterior motive required."

Stefan sighs in that long drawn out way that says he's had just about enough of us,

"Well, I hate to burst both your bubbles, but I happen to have it under complete control"

I frown at him,

"Yeah, and Damon's secretly a good person, and I'm actually the Easter bunny in disguise"

"I'd believe that" Damon says to me.

"Good, didn't you hear Stefan, if he has his blood lust under complete control, then the Easter bunny thing is definitely true as well. They're both of the same likelihood." I reply with a firm nod in his direction.

Stefan crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at both of us,

"Would you two shut up and leave me alone"

I glare at him,

"No, who do you think we are, your friends? Friends you can tell to go away, but we're family, you're stuck with us forever. And ever. And ever. And ever."

"You done?" Stefan asks, and I can tell he's getting more and more agitated, which makes it twice as amusing for me.

"No. And ever. And ever. And ever. And-"

"Sinbad!" Stefan just about yells in frustration.

I throw my hands up,

"Ha! Third strike Stefan. First strike, you drank from a blood bag, second strike, you're exercising obsessively, now your third strike is getting extra pissy like it's your time of the month"

Damon's been watching us in amusement, suddenly he says,

"I've really missed our family time"

"Me too" I agree.

"I hate you both" Stefan grumbles, but there's no real heat behind it this time.

"And we hate you….see, like I said, family. That's what it's all about"

Damon smirks at me and then Stefan,

"I know I feel it. Team Salvatore for the win"

"Hell to the yeah. Can anyone say ring power?" I pump my fist into the air, Damon and I share an amused look.

"Salvatore ring power!" Damon gets up and walks over to me, we high five on our way out, leaving Stefan staring after us in both amusement and exasperation.

Ever's P.O.V

"Come on Jeremy, I'm going to school, walking out the door now" Elena says. I'm right behind her. I call out to Jeremy,

"Jer, move your ass, I don't want to be alone with miss bossy pants"

Elena turns a glare on me and I smile widely at her. She shakes her head and sighs. I move around her to open the door and-

Oh fuck.

"Uncle John" Elena says lamely.

"Elena, hi" John replies looking far too chipper for my liking.

I narrow my eyes at him,

"Piss off" I snap, which is my first reaction and I'm rolling with it.

"Ever, good to see you too" he says as if I actually greeted him in a nice way. I did not. I never have, and I never will.

Uncle John is a dick of the highest order. And I say that having met Damon Salvatore.

Aunt Jenna comes up behind us, she frowns at Uncle John, he smiles at her though and says,

"Jenna"

Jenna sighs and forces a small smile,

"John, you made it"

"I said I'd be in by noon" John replies and then proceeds to push past me and Elena into the house.

Ugh, why can't there be an invisible barrier for annoying relatives like the ones for vampires.

"Yeah, well, what you say and what you do are typically two very different things" Jenna says.

Jeremy picks that moment to come down the stairs, he stops at the sight of John and says,

"Uncle John, what's up?"

"Hey-" Uncle John starts, but Jeremy walks right on past him, only stopping to slap his shoulder all man-communication-like.

I still maintain that if you took away the jeans and ability to speak then all males are basically monkeys of some kind. Even the smart ones…monkeys, monkeys, monkeys I say.

Jeremy has actually taken finding Vicki's body a lot better than I thought he might. I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with Sin. They've connected on a level I'm not even sure how to describe. But as long as it keeps Jeremy happy, then I'm all for it.

Uncle John turns to us (unfortunately),

"I had some business in town, and I thought a visit was in order"

"How long are you staying?" Elena asks him.

I narrow my eyes at her and then at John,

"What my evil twin really means is….go away, we don't like you. And I mean that, from the bottom of my heart."

Jenna tries to conceal a smile behind her hand, Elena doesn't quite manage to hide hers.

"I don't know how long I'll be staying yet"

I sigh, maybe I'm being too subtle here. Should I show him my bat?

I grab hold of Elena's hand and say,

"Well, me and my evil twin have schoolish things to do, so we better be off" I share a look with Jenna and she shrugs. I pull Elena with me to our car.

School or Uncle John, it's tough choice, but I'm afraid school wins this round of 'what would you rather suffer through', for the first time ever.

…

"He said his trip is open ended, which is upsetting for me and anyone else in this town who's ever met John before" I say to Matt. We're by his locker.

"Uncle John" Matt says, "Yeah, I never really liked that guy"

"Of course you didn't, nobody who's ever met anybody else would like Uncle John. He's a first grade twatwaffle and a half" I say with an irritated sigh.

"Well, I'm here for moral support if you need me" Matt offers kindly.

I smile broadly at my Matty,

"Oh Matty, I do wuv you so. But I would never put you through the torture of Uncle John. Bleegh. You've been through enough as it is without having my drama added on top."

Matt suddenly stops trying to stuff things from his locker into his bag, he meets my gaze as he says,

"Thank you by the way, for just….for everything you did at Vicki's funeral. I couldn't have done it without you."

I put my hand up to stop him and then place it on Matt's arm,

"Don't be stupid, I wanted to do that for you Matt. You know I'll always be there for you no matter what if you need me"

Matt nods and gives me a grateful smile, which I return.

I chuckle under the my breath and ask,

"So, is Caroline still baking for you guys around the clock?"

Matt shakes his head and shuts his locker,

"She finally went to her dad's, which is a good thing because, my mom was going to strangle her if she dropped off one more lasagne"

Matt and I start walking to class and I look over at him,

"Aha, righto Matty" I still think about that look Caroline gave me the night Matt found out about Vicki. I keep turning it over and over in my head, she seems pissed with me and I don't understand why.

…

At lunch time I stop into Alaric's classroom. I knock on the door frame to get his attention, he looks up me, seemingly surprised. But he gestures for me to come in. I do and shut the door, just in case. I don't want anyone to overhear our conversation.

Alaric comes round to lean against his desk and I do the same on one of the student tables. We just look at each other for a long moment before I say,

"I wanted to say thank you, for helping rescue me. I've been busy what with Vicki's funeral and everything. But I did want to say thank you….so…..thank you Alaric Saltzman for taking on the super duper evil vampires. I hear you had some pretty impressive moves too"

Alaric cracks a smile at that and says,

"You're welcome. Although I wish you didn't have to thank me for that kind of thing."

I nod and pull a face,

"Yeah me too, but it seems my life is destined to be insane no matter what I do"

There's a pause, where tension is thick for some reason. Then Alaric stands up from his desk and moves around it, he looks back up at me and says,

"I think Sinbad and Stefan are good guys….but, uh, at the end of the day, they're still vampires"

I think about how to reply to that. I know how dangerous the Salvatore's are, I'm under no allusion that by choosing to have them in my life I'm also choosing to put myself in potential danger. But at the same time I trust them to keep me safe no matter what happens.

I bite my lip and run a hand through my curls. My eyes flicker up to meet Alaric's, he seems quite curious actually to how I'll respond. Finally I say,

"I know it's hard to understand. But Stefan and Sinbad…..they would never hurt me, or Elena. I truly believe that they wouldn't ever put me in harms way on purpose"

I decide not to bring up Damon with Alaric as I know he's a sore subject, which is fair enough. But I do say,

"I can't turn my back on them, I'm in too deep. I care about them too much"

Alaric sighs, but nods in acceptance,

"I don't think I've ever met anyone like you Ever Gilbert"

I bark out a laugh,

"Count yourself lucky then"

Alaric laughs too and suddenly the tension between us is gone. I just hope it stays that way, I have enough tension going on with the other people in my life as it is.

…..

After school I head over to the boarding house. Sinbad and Damon are out, but Stefan is home. Elena's been complaining to me that he's been avoiding her. Even last night when he came over she said he almost lost his shit whilst they were making out. I've spent a lot of time at the boarding house since the night I let him feed from me, and even I haven't seen much of him.

Sinbad says he's struggling though. I would feel guilty, but I refuse to feel bad for saving us both by giving Stefan my blood. Stefan needs to learn to deal with his cravings, or we'll all suffer for it. But more than that, I just don't want Stefan to lose himself and be in pain, I care about him too much to let that happen.

I find Stefan in the living room. He jerks in surprise at the sight of me and moves away almost warily.

"Stefan, how are you feeling?" I ask, eyeing him suspiciously.

Stefan nods, although it's stiff and I can tell he's uncomfortable,

"I'm fine. Feeling much better actually. I'm still a little jittery, a bit on edge, but, uh, I'm gonna be ok"

I nod mockingly for a moment before narrowing my eyes and storming over to him. I hit him, I actually hit him, well, slap him, I don't want to break my hand. But Stefan seems shocked by it all the same, which was what I was going for. I stare right up at him,

"Cut the bullshit Stefan. You think Sinbad and Damon haven't told me how much you're struggling. Now, tell me the truth or I will tell them what really happened that night"

Stefan stares down at me for a few long moments, he seems so on edge that I worry he might lose it at any second. But I don't back down, because I still believe he won't hurt me. Eventually Stefan sighs and goes over to sit on the sofa. I follow and sit down next to him, he looks over at me and clasps his hands together,

"I'm trying to get it under control, that's the truth. But it's hard for me"

I sigh and nod in understanding,

"That's fine Stefan, it's ok to find it difficult. You don't have to be perfect you know. You're a vampire who's struggling to cope after not drinking people blood for ages. But lying and pretending everything is alright isn't going to help anyone, least of all you. It's dangerous as well, what if you hurt someone by losing it. You have to be honest, talk to someone, let someone help you. Like Sin, or even Damon"

"Or you?" Stefan says almost absently.

My eyes widen slightly. I place a hand over Stefan's clasped ones, they're shaking, but after a few moments they relax under my touch. Stefan meets my gaze and I see the desperation in his eyes. I make a decision then, one I'm not sure is the right one, but I'm making it anyway. It's probably the most unElena-y thing I've ever done.

"Alright. I'll help you. We'll talk and if you need anything, you come to me"

Stefan seems sceptical, but I let him see the truth of what I'm offering in my eyes. Stefan and I are friends damn it, he needs me and I'm helping him. I will not feel guilty for this. But there is one more thing,

"Stefan, I'll help you, and….we don't even need to tell anyone about it alright….I hate lying, but if having everyone involved is going to make things worse then we won't tell anyone. But….you have to learn to drink blood in moderation. Obviously this whole cold turkey thing you've been doing doesn't work, so-"

Stefan jerks away from me and stands up suddenly. He takes a few steps backwards, his eyes wide and uncertain as he stares down at me,

"No. I can handle this Ever, I just need to-"

Stand up then as well and aim a glare at Stefan,

"What? Risk everything because you're too stubborn to really try and control your bloodlust. You know what, no. Either you agree to actually try and get it under control, or that's it. I will tell Elena and you will have to go down to the cellars and stay there until you can handle it. Two options Stefan, pick one"

Stefan expression is pained and I can tell he hates this. He hates lying to Elena as much as I do. He hates that he feels this way, he hates that even now he wants to feed on me. I can feel all that through our bond, I don't know how I instinctively understand how he feels, but I do, and for now I'm not questioning it.

I move closer to Stefan and place a hand on his arm, our eyes meet and I try to convey through our bond and my eyes that I trust him enough to do anything I can to help him. Stefan slowly intertwines our fingers and nods,

"Ok, I'll try it your way Ever"

And with that, I know something new has just begun. All I can hope is that I've made the right decision by trusting Stefan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's update is a little shorter than pervious ones, and I'm sorry for that, but I've got so much work on at the moment. So please forgive me, the next one will be longer.
> 
> I put a lot of humour into this one, especially with the three Salvatore's, I always love writing their brotherly scenes because it's fun. 
> 
> Ever also made a big decision that will affect the whole story quite a lot. I don't want people to get annoyed with the Stever relationship, they really are just friends right now with a bond, as for in the next few seasons…anything could happen, that's all I'll say for now. The bond thing is important, but we don't find out why for a while yet. 
> 
> Spoiler-More Dever and Jerbad scenes in the next chapter. And a Dever scene that I think all Dever fans will really like ;) xxx


	30. Under Control-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy! xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirtieth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would fire at least half of the writers who write the script for this show. Seriously, they need new people in. xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY

Under Control-part 2

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this scene-Slacker by Son of a dork)

"Come on Ever, we're going to be late for the Founder's Day 150 Year Anniversary Kickoff" Elena calls to me from somewhere.

I sigh and let my head smack against my bedroom door.

"I don't care! I've never cared! Why do you always say these things as if you think I should care? It's like you don't even know me." I call back to her in annoyance.

I really hate these social eventy type things. But as a Gilbert I'm expected to attend. Elena actually likes them, even though she pretends she only enjoys them ironically. Inside Elena there's a secret little part of her that's full on Caroline.

"Ever! Hurry up!" Elena is shouting now, and sounding quite irritated. Good.

"GO AWAY!" I yell back, by this point I'm only doing it to annoy her. Of course I'm actually going. The Salvatore's are going to be there, and so are the council members, I can't risk being thrown out of the loop if I don't stay involved.

Besides, Stefan and I made a deal. If I'm going to help him then I actually need to be there to help in the first place. It's basic logic. Ugh, logic. My teachers all say I lack the ability to separate my imaginary world from the real one. I say….Math sucks and I'm too busy thinking about Damon….the Salvatore's in general actually…..and Ice cream.

That's not all obviously. Sometimes I think about cake too.

Some people (Elena a.k.a bossy pants with knobs on) may say that I'm shallow. I say she listens to bands like My chemical romance and Evanescence too much. People who listen to that kind of music always think anyone who isn't serious all the time is shallow. People who listen to Paradise Fears and Bowling for soup, now those are my people. We like all kinds of shit and apologise for nothing.

No one should be offended by my music taste. I can dance to anything. Seriously, anything. Put in some Bullet for my valentine and I'll dance to that too. In the rain. Zero umbrella required.

Suddenly Elena bursts into my room, quite rudely actually. I fall over onto my ass because I'm standing right behind the door when she comes in all bulldozery. I lay down on the floor for a few moments before attempting to sit up. Then I see Elena the bulldozing evil twin looming above me all disapproving and I lay back down again.

I hear her sigh, but I still don't get up.

"Ever, stop being so damn difficult. We're going and that's final" Elena says firmly.

I ignore her.

Ignore.

Ignore.

Ignore.

Ign-

HOLY SHIT!

"LET GO OF ME WOMAN!" I shout at full volume.

Elena has grabbed hold of my foot and is dragging me out of my room. Otherwise known as the gateway to my danger box. It's right next to my bat collection.

I start kicking out, but Elena's hold on my ankle is tight, like a baby koala. When we get to the stairs I wrap my hand around the bottom of the banister and refuse to let go.

"Ever, stop being stupid!" Elena demands all high and mighty-like.

I hold onto the banister with both hands,

"NO! YOU SHALL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

Elena scoffs in irritation,

"You being alive, is not a requirement. You just need to be there. Sinbad and Stefan are meeting us at the party. We have to go, now COME ON"

Jeremy suddenly comes out of his room and I look up to see him staring at us with something akin to vast amusement on his face,

"What happened?" he looks down at me, "Did Elena tell you she ate the last of your ice cream?"

I freeze and crane my neck to make eye contact with the traitorous happiness thieving bitch.

"You stole my ice cream! You gorgeous witch with a b instead of w! That's it, you're going down evil twin of mine!"

I let go of the banister and at the same time Elena lets go of my leg. I sit up and my twin and I stare at each for a long moment. Dead lock time folks.

I spring to my feet and Elena screams as I chase her down the stairs. We almost fall a couple of times, but we make it relitively unscathed and I chase her all the way into and around the kitchen. She slides over the counter and I follow right after her.

Eventually I tackle her down onto the sofa. Good thing Aunt Jenna and Uncle John left early for the party, or this could have gotten complicated.

…

When we do actually arrive at the party, Jeremy in tow, I spot Sinbad and Stefan right away. But I don't see Damon, and that worries me. Damon told us what happened at the meeting John graced his presence with. I don't know what my Uncle is up to, but I do know that if I had the choice between trusting him and trusting a frog…

I'd choose the frog.

Every. Single. Time.

I go over to Sinbad and Elena heads towards Stefan who is near the bar, we lose Jeremy at some point, but I have no idea where's he's shimmied off to. Sinbad is on the other side of the room to Stefan and when I reach him he pulls me into a deep kiss right in front of everyone. I smile against his lips and then lean back

"What was that for?" I ask him.

Sinbad winks at me,

"I had family bonding time again…Stefan is a lot less on edge than before. What'd you do to him? Did you hypnotise my brother?"

"Well, yeah, with my…pluck. What's he said?" I say with a raised eye brow.

Sinbad sends me an amused look,

"First of all, pluck? Did you have that Downton Abbey dream again?"

"Uh, no, I'm not a dork Sin" I reply as I hit him on the shoulder.

"You're such a dork wannabe Ever" Sin says now looking thoroughly amused.

"Shut it Captain rent boy. Stay on point, what has Stefan said?"

Sin frowns at me,

"You've been talking to Damon about our family time again"

I make an exasperated sound and Sin smirks at me,

"Sin, I swear, this is not the way to go about getting lucky"

"I am very lucky" Sin argues, his smirk getting broader. I'm about to punch him again when he continues more seriously,

"Stefan has actually agreed to try and drink blood in moderation. From a blood bag. It's a freakin' miracle. I've been trying to convince him to do that for…most of our lives actually."

I smirk at him,

"You must be awful at giving sales pitches then"

He looks mock affronted at me,

"How very dare you woman! I happen to be the best vampire sales man in the business. Just last week I convinced a vampire to let me rip his heart out"

I arch an eyebrow,

"Convinced was it?"

Sin shrugs and tilts his head from side to side,

"Alright, my methods are harsh, but you can't deny, I get good results"

I shake my head and sigh, but I can't hide my grin either. After a short pause I look up at him and say,

"Sin…..Elena stole my ice cream"

Sin gasps dramatically and fakes almost falling over, he swings back up to stare at me with wide eyes,

"That stunningly beautiful bitch!"

"I KNOW!" I throw my hands up.

Sin and I burst out laughing. He wraps an arm around me and settle against his solid chest. Sinbad really is very tall, he might even have an inch or two on Stefan. I look up at , and as soon as our eyes meet we start laughing like idiots all over again.

"At least tell me got your revenge on" Sin says.

I nod enthusiastically,

"I did. I was so mad that I…..I….flicked her IN THE FACE"

Sinbad holds his hands up in front of him, as if warding off a demon,

"Woah, woah, that's pretty harsh….I mean….in the face"

"I regret nothing" I say firmly, which sets us off laughing again.

I swear Sin is like my soul brother sometimes.

Wait a damn second…..brother?

When did I start thinking of Sin in any capacity as my brother?

Oh, I'm so fucked.

…..

Later on I go to find Stefan. I need a friend talk. I guess I should talk to Elena about this stuff, and I normally would. But I don't think she'd get it, not if told her I was even considering pursuing something with Damon and delving into my feelings for him a bit more.

I know that I've barely scratched the surface of who Damon Salvatore really is, but I want to know more. And every time I see him that need to truly know him gets stronger. I'm sick of feeling guilty for how I feel. It's tiring as hell.

At the very least I need to talk to Sin about our relationship. I refuse to believe it's one sided. Sin and I are alike in a so many ways; he must feel that something has changed between us. I just don't know exactly what.

I still love him, that hasn't changed. It's different than it was a month ago. It isn't the same love I feel for Matt, or Jeremy…or even Stefan. It's just…something else. I never want to lose him from my life, and I honestly would do anything for him, that hasn't changed.

But something has, and I won't ignore that just because it would be easier to do so. That's not who I am. I don't push things away just because they're difficult, I never have before and I'm not about to start now with something that is very important to me. Sin is very important to me. I hope he knows that, even though I'm not the best girlfriend in the world.

I see Stefan dancing. He actually looks like he's having fun for once. I make my way towards him and when he see's me he smiles more openly than I've ever seen him smile before since we met. He's pissed off his head. Good, good, I think a drunk Stefan could be interesting. Or disastrous. Or both. Probably both.

Stefan holds his hand out to me and I take it. He pulls me towards him and we start to dance. That's when I realise, ALL the Salvatore's can dance. I guess that's what you get after over a hundred and forty five years of practice.

We're actually having a lot of fun. Dancing with Stefan….it feels like we've been doing it forever. The way we fit together is perfect, and I can't help but wonder if that has something to do with our unique bond. Suddenly Stefan spins me round fast until my back is pressed up against his front, as we sway like that, Stefan says,

"Thanks for dancing with your drunk sister's boyfriend, Ever."

I smile and ask,

"How are you feeling?"

Stefan shrugs,

"Not great, but safe enough right now that I won't kill anyone"

I nod slowly,

"That's what I like to hear, now you're at the same control level as Damon, the dormant psycho"

Stefan laughs at that and his soft laughter starts me off too.

I want to ask where Damon is, that might be an opener to the conversation I want to have with Stefan about his brothers, but Stefan is pretty drunk right now and liable to give me some drunk advice. For anyone who doesn't know, drunk advice is advice given by to you by drunk friends, it always sounds good at the time, but you realise later that you really shouldn't listen to drunk people.

Stefan spins me out and I accidentally bump into a guy. He turns around angrily and snaps,

"Woah, watch it"

I narrow my eyes at him, but out of politeness I say,

"I'm sorry, my fault, my spinning has a mind of its own"

I expect us to just laugh it off, but assface here has other ideas,

"Then get off the dance floor"

I am aware of Stefan moving behind me, but my attention is on assface,

"Wanna say that again outside?" I snap in annoyance.

Assface looks about to snap something back when suddenly Stefan steps forward and says all quietly threatening-like,

"That's no way to talk to a lady"

A lady? Where? What did that guy say to a lady-

Oh….right. Me.

I've been called a lot of things in my life, but a 'lady' definitely ain't one of them.

Assface seems to feel the same way, because he scoffs like the cool dude he seems to think he is and says the most manly line ever invented,

"Yeah whatever man"

Seriously, guys need a better line than that these days, I mean, that was ok for 90s movies, but, times have changed. It's the twenty first century here people. 'Whatever' is on the same level as the word 'Yo'. It's time we all moved on.

Assface starts to walk away, but Stefan reaches out and grabs hold of his arm, he yanks him back and looks into his eyes,

"I think you need to apologise"

And just like that assface's eyes flicker over to me and he says,

"I'm sorry"

I'm not exactly sure how to react, so I say nothing. Stefan reluctantly lets assface go and he begins to walk away. Then Stefan seems to snap just a little and he yanks assface back, he looks into his eyes again and says,

"Now say it like you mean it"

Assface looks back over at me again and says,

"I'm really really sorry"

I nod,

"As you should be", then I reach out to touch Stefan's arm, he almost instantly relaxes under my touch, "Let him go Stef" I say calmly.

Stefan pushes assface away from us and turns back to me. He seems immediately repentant,

"I'm sorry Ever, I just…..the cravings, they're getting to me. The stuff from the blood bags aren't enough, and I-"

I cut him off by touching his hand, our eyes meet and the all too familiar slip of our bond falls into place, he squeezes my hand tight in his,

"It's alright Stefan, thank you for telling me. If you need to go home, then that's fine, I'll go tell Elena that you-"

"You'll tell me what?" Elena's voice suddenly comes from behind me. Stefan and I let go of each other like we're made of fire and I turn around to face my sister. She's not looking at us in anger though, so she must have missed what Stefan said about his cravings.

My eyes flicker up to Stefan and I'm about to speak when he beats me to it. Stefan steps forward and reaches out to pull my sister closer. He whisper something in ear, and I turn away not wanting to impose on their intimate moment.

After a while I see Elena start to nod and I turn back to them. Elena smiles at me and says,

"Stefan's going to drop me off home and then go back to the boarding house. He's feeling a bit overwhelmed"

I want to say that I know, probably more than she does and that she should demand deeper answers. But I don't, because Elena is Stefan's girlfriend, not me. They have a good relationship, better than mine at the moment, so I cannot pass judgment in any way, shape or form.

I smile back at her,

"Alright then you couple of buzz kills, I'm off to find Sin….or alternatively any of our other friends who should be buzzing around here"

With one last glance at me, Stefan leads Elena away from the dance floor and I leave to find my peoples. They should be here somewhere, unless they've fallen down a metaphorical well. I need to talk to Tyler at some point, we've been getting on better since Vicki's funeral, less bitterness I guess.

Death does that. It wipes the pointless shit away. Just about the only thing I don't hate about it.

…

Eventually I run into Matt and we have fun dancing for a while.

"Who knew I was missing all the fun at these founders parties" Matt says as stagger off the dance floor after one too many spins.

I laugh as Matt wraps an arm around my shoulder to keep himself upright. Matt's a little wasted, but he's not likely to kill anyone, so I feel a little more relaxed about it than I did with Stefan.

"Ha, this is rare, believe me. It's normally boring as hell. You know, I should bring you to these things more often. Sinbad's part of a founding family so he doesn't need a date to get in"

Matt frowns at me thoughtfully,

"Sinbad would be alright with you taking another guy as your date?"

I shrug,

"Yeah, I guess. He wouldn't be best pleased if you tried it on with me, but you're hardly likely to do that"

Matt laughs,

"Any guy would be crazy to go out on a date with you and not try something"

I wink at him,

"Awwww, Matty, you luuurrrvvveee me, I knew it!"

Matt shakes his head and smiles,

"Yeah, like that's ever been a secret"

There's a pause then, but suddenly Matt asks me,

"Do you think it's ok that I'm having fun?"

I look over at him and smile softly,

"No, of course not. I think it's good that you're enjoying yourself Matty. I know you think you should feel guilty, but please don't. You have a right to be happy Matt"

Matt nods and then after a moment he pulls me into a hug. We embrace for a little while, but then Matt pulls back and says.

"Air. I need air"

I laugh,

"Well, take however much you need, I have plenty to share"

Matt smiles at me,

"Come outside with me?"

"Just try and stop me Mattalan" I loop my arm through his and we make out way outside onto the massive deck.

But when we get outside I'm confronted by an image that will forever be burned into my mind,

"Oh, shit in hell"

Matt follows my gaze to his mom and Tyler kissing. Ugh. SO many shades of wrong it's practically grey.

Matt rushes over to them and yanks Tyler away from Kelly, who gasps,

"Matt, I-"

Matt shouts,

"MOM, what the hell?"

I follow Matt over just in time for Tyler to be the biggest douche on the planet,

"Woah, man, calm down" he says, as if it's no big deal that he just kissed Matt's mom.

Matt punches Tyler in the face, and I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a little part of me that cheered Matt on. Tyler so deserved that. I remember when I first found out that Tyler cheated on me. I told Elena and Matt first. Matt immediately went and punched Tyler out. He deserved it then too.

Although this time is different, because this time Tyler fights back, and he fights back hard. Tyler hits Matt so hard that he falls to floor, he then preceeds to keep punching him in the face. I shout,

"Tyler, you asshole, leave Matt alone!"

Kelly has been hit to the floor by Tyler and Matt's fight. I try to get close to them, but I have a feeling I'll be sent flying too if I touch Tyler.

I look around and call out,

"Somebody help us. Tyler stop, you're gonna kill him!"

That's when super hunter Alaric comes running outside and yanks Tyler away from Matt, he slams him up against the wall and tries to keep him there. But all my attention is now on Matt. I falls on my knees next to him,

"Matty, are you alright?"

I help Matt to get up and we hobble over to a seat by the balcony railings. We sit down and I cup Matt's face in my hands, trying to see the worst of the damage and if he'll need to go to the hospital.

"Where is she?" Matt asks, obviously meaning his mom.

I shake my head

"I don't know. Don't worry about that right now Matt. Come on, tilt your head up" I force him gently to look up to stop his nose from bleeding to harshly.

When I get my hands on Tyler I'm gonna beat his ass with my bat! Sinbad already wants to kill him, maybe I could use this to push him over the edge. Damn ex-boyfriend, the fucking idiot. I look Matt over with growing concern.

Ugh, men! If only they weren't so damn attractive and good to have around sex-wise, I'd do away with them altogether I swear it.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You wanna hear the bad news, or the really bad news?" Damon asks me.

I sigh and look him over suspiciously,

"Aw, Damon, who'd you kill this time?"

Damon shrugs,

"Uh, John Gilbert, that's the really bad news"

I frown at him,

"I just know I'm going to regret this, but what's the bad news then?"

Damon glances over his shoulder as if looking for people who might be listening in, the he turns back to me and says,

"The council is back in kill vampire mode"

"Oh, fuck, excellent. I hate your news channel Damon, it's never good" I shake my head in exasperation. There's always got to be shit going on doesn't there? We can't just go to a party and have fun.

…..

"Ah, going somewhere" Damon asks John as me, my brother and Alaric follow him out.

Yeah, turns out John isn't dead after all. Now isn't that just spiffy.

John shrugs,

"I never like to be the last one to leave a party, it's too desperate"

I smile sweetly at him,

"Yeah, I feel the same way. Although I'm very rarely invited to the parties I attend, makes it more fun that way" I wink at him. Alaric can't seem to help but look amused and Damon gives me a derisive snort, but he smirks at me anyway.

John stops suddenly and turns to look between all three of us, his eyes land on Damon,

"You here to kill me again, or are you going to let Mr. Saltzman or you brother do the dirty work"

Alaric sighs,

"Alright, you obviously know who I am"

John nods,

"I do, Alaric Saltzman, the high school history teacher with a secret"

Damon moves closer to John in that threatening 'I'm about to kill you way',

"You sure know a lot for someone's who just gotten into town" he says.

John squares up to my brother, not a smart move,

"More than you can imagine Damon. My knowledge about this town goes way beyond anything any of you, or the council, knows. So, if you were planning on some clever high speed snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die-"

"The world will be a less dickish place" I supply, having had enough of this bull shit for one night. Ever is right, John Gilbert is a dick of the highest order. And my brother is Damon, so I should know.

"Everything I know will go to the council if I die. Including a fascinating tale about the original Salvatore brothers" John continues. He looks at me then, "Except you…..nobody knows anything concrete about the other Salvatore brother, it's all just rumours"

I lift one shoulder and let it fall,

"You know, I'm thinking of making myself a t-shirt with 'The other Salvatore brother' printed on it"

"I've heard some exciting tales about you though. If they are true then I'd say even I have to be impressed" John says. I really am starting to hate his face.

I shake my head and smirk at John,

"Nah, I've lived, well semi-lived, an incredibly boring life"

Damon barks out a laugh and gives me a sideways glance,

"Yeah. Right"

"Shhhhh" I place a finger over my mouth and narrow my eyes at Damon mockingly.

"How'd you get that ring?" Alaric asks.

Thank crikey for Alaric, getting us back on track.

"I inherited one" John says "This is my brother's. I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I knew she was going to give it to another guy"

"So you did know her" Damon states.

"Who do you think sent her your way to become a vampire" John snaps impatiently.

"You sent her?" Damon asks.

"Guilty" John replies.

John gets a smug smile on his face,

"Why, you think someone else sent her. Katherine Pierce maybe"

"How do you know about Bitchzilla?" I ask, genuinely intrigued for the first time today.

"How do I know anything?"John ask.

"Oh fuck a duck, it's worse than we though…he's….he's a bloody cryptic" I mock easily. Ah, time flies when you're having fun.

"What do you want?" Damon snaps in irritation at John.

John looks hard at Damon and suddenly my hackles rise,

"So many questions" he practically whispers, he looks over at Ric and says,

"Nice to meet you Alaric, I've heard so much about you"

Wow, so he's creepy and a jumbo sized dick, this guy has some real skills going on there.

John turns around and walks away.

The three of us look at each other. So. Not. Good. I'm really starting to despise founder gatherings.

…..

"So, Uncle John knows about the vampires, and your brothers, and Alaric?" Jeremy asks incredulously.

I nod and flop down next to him on his bed,

"Seems that way Jer. Your Uncle's a dick, just thought that needed saying."

Jeremy laughs and it zings right through me. I really like Jeremy's laugh, he doesn't let go often, but when he laughs it's like he's a whole different person. I keep finding that there are so many layers to Jeremy Gilbert and I'm fascinated by each and every one of them.

Jeremy lets his head fall against my shoulder,

"Yeah, he really is. He's always been that way, pretentious and shit. Apparently Aunt Jenna hates him because they used to sleep together"

I make face close to complete disgust,

"She must have been drunk every single time, because there's no way someone who looks like your aunt couldn't do better than…..John, I mean, seriously"

Jeremy groans and smacks his forehead,

"Are you actually calling my Aunt Jenna-"

"Hot as all hell, yeah, course I am, it's true" I say without a shred of remorse.

"There's something wrong with you Sin" Jeremy says, he sits up a little so that he can look into my face, "What would Ever say?"

I shrug,

"She'd probably agree with me"

Which isn't even a lie, she probably would. I don't think Ever has ever shown jealously towards me in any way at all.

"Why didn't you come say hi earlier anyway? When I got to the founders party, or any time after that actually" Jeremy asks me suddenly, he sounds serious so I refrain from making a joke.

I meet Jeremy's eyes and for a moment I'm at a loss for what to say. I see something in those big brown eyes of his, it's a spark of…..irritation…anger…..something that makes me hard anyway. But then, just looking at Jeremy does that these days, it's becoming a real problem whenever we're alone like this.

"I was with Ever at first, she is my girlfriend" I say, the words coming out sounding defensive even though I don't mean them to. Because the truth is I wanted to say something to Jeremy. I felt him inside that big house and I wanted badly to go and talk to him….but it's difficult being around him when there are other people, because I can't touch him in even the little secret ways I do when we're alone. Nothing heavy, just little brushes here and there.

Not being able to touch Jeremy in the way I want is slowly killing me and I have no idea what to do. Ever and I have to talk, I'm a shitty person and an even shittier boyfriend. But I can't lose her from my life, I still love her very much, nothing could ever change that.

Jeremy makes face that is very close to pouting when he says,

"Yeah, I noticed, Sin"

Oh, now that spark in his eyes is all too clear. Jealousy. Jeremy is jealous of me talking to his sister and ignoring him. Wow, how the fuck to I deal with that?

I reach out and smooth some brown hair away from Jeremy's face, our eyes meet again as I say,

"I wanted to talk to Jer, you have no idea…..fuck, you have no idea how much" the back of my hands grazes his cheek and Jeremy sucks in a loud breath.

Fuck.

"Then why didn't you?" Jeremy asks sounding a little breathless. Jeremy has long since stopped flinching away from my intimate touches, he even leans into them now. It's a subtle change, but it means so much to me.

Now, how to answer that question.

Eventually I exhale a long breath and whisper,

"Because I've never lost control around anyone the way I do with you Jer. And that scares the fuck out of me"

As soon as the sentence is finished, I vamp the hell out of there.

I'm losing my fucking mind, and it's all because of a beautiful brown eyed boy I met in a graveyard.

Ever's P.O.V

I went to the boarding house to check on Stefan. That's all. No ulterior motive I swear. But the moment I got inside the door I was swept up and vamp speeded away only to be moments later slammed up against a wall by Damon.

He has me trapped in between his arms, his face only inches from mine as he growls,

"Who are you here to see Ever?"

What?

I can barely breathe because he's so damn close to me that it's making me feel light headed.

I stare into those pale blue fire eyes and manage to get out,

"Damon, what the fuck are you doing?"

Damon slams a fist against the wall so hard that it makes a hole. I gape at him wordlessly, anger sparks in his eyes,

"Tell me, who you are here to see Ever, now"

"Why?" I snap, our bodies are pressed together and I can barely think in full sentences, let alone actually speak in them.

Damon tilts his head to the side. His black hair is wild like he's been running his hands through it all night and I ache to run my fingers through the silky strands. Damon grits his teeth, I can feel the rage pouring off his body,

"Answer. The. Question."

I swallow hard and say,

"I don't know"

Not true, not true, not true.

At least, not completely. I've been wanting to see Damon all night, craving it actually, and there may have been a small part of me that hoped he would be here.

Damon shakes his head, he still looks pissed off as hell,

"I've watched you, all damn night. Talking, flirting, dancing, with just about everyone but me. Even Stefan….Sin is one thing, but Stefan? I can't…..I won't be able to handle that. Out of the three us, I could deal with being second choice to Sin, but not to Stefan. I will not stand around and let both of my brothers have you when I can't"

Jesus fucking Christ, what do you say to that?

My heart is pounding so loudly that I swear its going to come bursting right out of my chest at any moment. I reach up to stroke over Damon's hard jaw with the pad of my tumb gently, despite his anger he turns into the touch and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. Us being this close, touching all over, the fire burning and smouldering between us like a fucking inferno. So painfully right.

I meet his gaze and I force him not to look away. He doesn't want me to see the real emotion in his eyes, but I do see it, and I feel it right through my body, in my heart, everywhere that matters knows how right this is.

"What do you want from me Day?" I whisper the words with so much desperation that my heart clenches tightly inside my chest.

I think tears are falling from my eyes, they burn, and I can't breathe again. Damon, he strips it all away, every single fucking wall I've ever built to keep him out with just that one look in his eyes. Damon lets his forehead press against mine, his hands still not touching me, as if he's afraid I'll disappear if he does. And I'm partly glad, because if I feel anything more right now then I think I might really lose it. Then Damon half whispers, half growls out his answer, and my whole world flips unsidown once again,

"Everything. Mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter we got a lot of moments between characters. We got Jerbad, Dever, Stever, Matt and Ever, Elena and Ever even. I really hope you liked it.
> 
> PLLLLEEEASSSEEEE let me know what you thought of this chapter, it took me ages because my computer over heated and almost blew up on me! AHHHHHHHH, technology is against me always. I miss the days of pigeon mail. I could send you all the new chapters by pigeon right? ;) xxx


	31. Miss Mystic Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-first chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Damon would be teaching me how to dance like a pro ;) xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THRITY-ONE

Miss Mystic Falls

 

Ever's P.O.V

"How are you feeling today? About everything" I ask Stefan as he drives us to school.

I stayed over at the boarding house last night, although I spent most of that time with Stefan if I'm honest. I can't think straight around Damon, especially not after what he admitted to the other night.

Sin and I need to speak soon properly about everything, but he's been so stressed for the last few days. I keep waiting for the right moment, although I'm beginning to suspect such a moment does not exist.

Damon hasn't tried to corner me since. Mostly I think he's been busy dealing with the council. But I also get the feeling that he's thrust the ball firmly in my court. Damon has told me what he wants; now I just have to decide what I really want.

It's a lot harder than it sounds. I'm just a girl goddamn it! How can I be expected to know exactly what the right choice is? I've resolved to just talk to Sin and see where he's at. Sin was a good friend before we got together, I can't imagine him not being one after. If we do break up I mean.

Stefan turns to me and sighs,

"Not….bad"

I arch an eyebrow,

"Not good then. Cravings still fucking you up?"

Stefan seems to contemplate the question before answering,

"Honestly, having you around has helped a lot more than I thought it would. But….."

I turn fully in my seat so that I can look at Stefan's profile as he drives,

"But….what? You can tell me Stef, you know you can"

Stefan nods slowly,

"It's just, when you're around, I feel like I can handle it. But as soon as you're not…..I start to feel like I'm losing control again"

I frown in thought. Over the last few days Stefan has been trying hard to get into the swing of drinking human blood in moderation, but the blood bags just aren't enough, and that worries me.

I wish I could tell Elena, but I don't know if she'd make things better for Stefan or worse. She expects so much from him, which isn't altogether a bad thing. The last thing Stefan needs is more stress or more pressure; he's pushing himself to the limit as it is. He's been on the brink enough times. I've had to yank him back so that he doesn't face plant over the edge.

I rest back in the passenger seat,

"Then we'll just go along with the original plan. The moment you feel that it's too much, you text me and we'll meet by the car. Either I'll talk you through it….or we'll go home. Just don't force it Stef, there's no problem with you finding this difficult as long as you're willing to fight it"

Stefan parks the car and then turns to me, he takes off his sunglasses to meet my eyes properly,

"Thank you, Ever, for everything. I would have lost my mind without your help"

I smile up at him,

"That's what best friends forever are for Stef. Besides, you not going psycho is kind of a bonus for all of us"

Stefan smiles back at me, and his expression seems to be less pained than it has been for the last few days,

"Alright then, and as your best friend I want to ask you the same question. How are you feeling today? About everything"

"You mean the garbled mess that is my love life?" I ask, I'd laugh at myself if it weren't so fucking not funny how conflicted I actually feel about Damon and Sinbad.

Stefan chuckles and I hit him lightly in the chest, mainly because the last time I hit him hard I almost broke my own damn hand in the process.

"Yes, I mean how are you feeling about my brothers?"

I groan and squeeze my eyes shut for a long moment before opening them again,

"I….need to talk to Sin. Soon."

Stefan nods in agreement,

"I think that's probably the best idea"

Yeah, yeah, but what the hell do I say- 'sorry Sin I'm pretty sure I have a fatal attraction to your oldest brother even though he's a crazy psycho person'. I can't imagine that going over well no matter how cool and understanding Sin is.

I reach over and squeeze Stefan's hand, he squeezes back and suddenly we are united in our fucked-up-ness. It's great. As horrible as it probably sounds, I am glad Stefan and are closer. Our bond only seems to get stronger the more time we spend together. But I have way too many other things to stress about, besides the bond feels safe and I'm trusting my instincts with this one.

I see Elena coming towards the car and I wink at Stefan. We get out and moments later Stefan is engulfed in a full on hug by Elena.

Waiting

Waiting

Waiting.

Oh, no hug for Ever then! I might as well be a tree! Ever the tree! Here I am with my fucking leaves and my fucking oxygen creating ways.

I'm slowly losing it. I blame Damon completely for this.

…

"Bonnie! Bon bon….bitch with a w instead of a b….wait up!" Elena and run after Bonnie. Ugh, for such a small person that woman moves fast!

She came in late to history, but she wouldn't really look at Elena or me properly, and she gave Stefan one hell of a 'I don't like you' look as well. So we're back to that, is all I could think. I don't get it, she hasn't touched him for ages. Maybe she's picking up on the cravings and the fact that he's struggling to maintain control. I really hope not.

Elena and I catch up to her eventually. She stops and turns on us reluctantly,

"Hey" she says quite unenthusiastically I might add.

"Well hello to you too gorgeous" I say with a wink, which drags a small smile out of her. Ha, a few more of those and she'll have the humour of….Stefan when he's being all stoic-y.

"How are you Bonnie?" Elena asks all concerned-like.

Damn.

"How's your family?" I add.

Bonnie looks down for a long moment and then looks at us when she replies,

"We're dealing. It's been hard"

Elena nods sympathetically and I say,

"We all really missed you...like, a lot. You left me here with Elena and Caroline…..it's been awful"

That earns me a glare from Elena,

"Yeah because it's all about you Ever" she mutters to me.

I pinch her arm and she gasps. I arch an eyebrow at her,

"Don't be snarky and annoying evil twin, that's my job"

Bonnie interrupts our sisterly moment by saying,

"I've just had so much to deal with. Then when you told me the tomb spell failed, I just didn't really want to come back"

Life without Bonnie would be horrible. I'd really be stuck with Elena and Caroline then. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I'd have the Salvatore's and Matty and Tyler….but they're boys. Simply put, they suck. Sometimes literally. I want Bonnie, even if she is upset with us for some reason.

A reason I have yet to divulge. I'll wait for Elena to go away, she'd only ruin my top notch investigation with her politeness and logic. Bleegh. My twin can be so civilised sometimes. It ruins my enhanced Sherlock skills. Otherwise known to the common man as 'extreme nosiness'.

"We understand" I say, "Take as much time as you need, we'll be here whenever you need us"

Bonnie opens her mouth to respond but then another voice comes from behind me.

"Bonnie! Bonnie, you're home" Caroline calls before pulling Bonnie into a tight hug.

Caroline pulls away and says,

"I know we talked every day, but I still missed you"

Woah, wey, hey, she called me back, like, once.

Bonnie smiles at Caroline,

"I'm glad to be back, and I'm trying to keep myself busy"

Caroline practically beams,

"Well, I can help with that. Major wardrobe advice needed ASAP. I need you to help me pick out the perfect dress for the Founders court"

Oh…my…..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Elena looks confused and asks,

"The Founders court. Did I miss something?"

Good. If Elena forgot, then I get to forget.

Like, forever.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I am not over reacting. This is justified.

Caroline frowns at her,

"You know, the Founders court. Miss Mystic Falls. They announced it today, you, Ever and I are on it"

No. No. No. No. No. NO!

Elena nods,

"We signed up for that so long ago, I can barely remember"

"I did no such thing. You people tricked me into signing up, I was against it from the start. There's no way they need two twins! They can have Elena. I am having no part in any of this" I say. They can't make me.

No.

Caroline tilts her head and looks at Elena,

"Are you dropping out too?"

Elena frowns again and shakes her head,

"No. I can't."

Oh, right.

"Our mom is the one who wanted us to enter" I say almost absently. A wave of grief crashes over me and it takes a moment for me to begin breathing properly again.

Elena looks upset too so I loop an arm around her shoulders, she leans into me and we share our grief for a while.

I keep waiting for it to get easier. That's the one thing they promise you when someone you love dies. 'It gets better over time'. Well, it's been 'time' and I still feel broken inside when I think of my parents.

I can't even imagine what they would think of the Salvatore's if they were alive. I wish I could talk to my mom though, she'd know what to do about the Damon and Sin situation. I'm crap at this stuff. I've always been. I'm kinda like a boy that way, I don't do the emotional shit very well.

Damn, I'm just gonna have to wing it and hope I don't fuck up too badly.

…..

"I hate this, I hate it, I hate everything about this moment" I practically hiss at Sin as we learn to dance, or at least I learn to dance, without touching.

Sin smirks at me as we circle each other like geese,

"You just want to have your hands on me you dirty child" he teases.

I glare mockingly at him,

"Yeah, sure, that's the problem here. I want that hot body of yours so bad I can barely contain myself"

Stefan and Elena are doing the weird no touchy, touchy dance right next to us. They're laughing and having what appears to be a great time. I hate them too.

Sin sighs,

"I still don't understand why you're doing this, you clearly do not want to"

I shrug as we have another geese circling each other at mating season moment,

"Elena wants us to do it because mom wanted us to."

"How did anyone even get you to sign up for this?" Sin asks, he reaches over and taps me on the nose, and then continues dancing.

I gasp dramatically,

"Oh, no, you did not just touch me during a no touchy touchy dance, you SWINE!"

What comes after that is a series of pokes, prods and the occasional smack inbetween dance moves from both of us. It is a touch WAR. We are REBELLING!

At one point I see Elena giving me a disapproving look. I catch Stefan's eye and he just smiles at me in amusement. He seems more relaxed this afternoon. He texted me to meet him during the day because he felt like he was losing it. We just sat in his car and talked for a while, he seemed to calm right down.

...

Later on Bonnie comes in with Caroline and I rush over to her. She smiles until she see's Sinbad and Stefan, then her expression goes dead. I think I'm starting to get what her problem is. Instead of asking like Elena might, I simply grab Bonnie hand and pull her out of the classroom so we can talk.

Bonnie looks surprised for a moment until I say,

"I'm sorry Bonnie. I should have realised seeing Stefan and Sinbad would be hard for you"

She nods and sighs heavily,

"I'm sorry too. I don't want to make things awkward for you and Elena. It just feel like-"

"Your Grams died for nothing, and you blame the Salvatore's in some way. I get that Bonnie. But please, don't let that come between us. We don't have to talk to them….they're boys. Give em' a rubber band to play with for a while, and we'll hang out" I say, almost desperately, because I truly don't want to lose Bonnie, and I know Elena feels the same way.

Bonnie looks unsure and she says,

"Just….give me time, ok?"

I can see that she's serious, and I get the whole needing time thing. Although obviously I'm the only who needs a road trip to have 'time'.

"Yeah, alright, but I'm still here if you need me, no matter what

Bonnie smiles then, and it's a real smile this time. She pulls me into a hug, and I revel in how good it feels to have my friend back, or at least semi-back.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Do you think he's actually handling it? Or is it all bullshit?" I ask my oldest brother.

Stefan has been trying really hard to drink blood in moderation and control his blood lust. Or at least he seems like he is. It wouldn't be the first time Stefan has lied to me about how well he's handling his cravings.

Damon shrugs as if he couldn't care less, which I know isn't true at all,

"As long as he's not drawing attention to himself, he can do whatever he wants"

I sigh heavily,

"Damon. I'm worried Stefan will roll right off the wagon"

Damon rolls his eyes at me and pours himself a drink,

"We're not his parents Sin, or his babysitters or his BA sponsors. Stefan can screw up however he wants as long as the council don't catch wind of it"

"BA sponsors? 'Bloodoholics Anonymous'?" I question him.

"Yep" Damon replies before downing a glass of whiskey. The irony of Damon making a joke about AA isn't lost on me.

I decide to play the only card I have that I know for absolute certain will get a real reaction out of my oldest brother,

"All I mean, is that he's on edge, and Ever's been spending a lot of time with him. The last few days they've been practically locked up together. He could do anything to her if he snaps. And you know how easy it is to snap, especially Stefan"

I was right, Damon's eyes snap up to meet mine instantly. Before he can mask it I see very clearly the emotions on his face and in his eyes.

Anger. Jealousy. Panic. Worry. Pain. Hurt. Rage. They all rush over him one after the other and have equal amount of impact. It's insane. I've never seen him react so violently before with so much emotion.

Damn, fucking hell. Forget Stefan for a moment. Damon and I need to talk. Now.

I move closer to Damon and he narrows his eyes at me, all traces of those earlier emotions now wiped off his face. That takes serious skills, and my brother is the master of pretending not to give a shit. So for him to lose control like that even for a moment means something, big time.

"Damon. We really need to talk about something important."

"No" he replies coldly.

I harden my expression and continue,

"We have to talk about Ever, Damon. You-"

"No" Damon bites out the word, "Don't say it like that"

"Like what?" I ask incredulously.

Damon glares at me,

"Like it's all in my head"

I understand what he means, but it still pisses me off. Obviously Ever has some feelings for Damon, I'm not blind, but that doesn't mean she'd choose him in the end. But the fact that he thinks she might, lets me know there is something I've missed.

I may be thinking about talking to Ever about our relationship, but she's still my girlfriend damn it, and if I find out Damon has touched her or manipulated her in some way then I'll fucking tear him apart.

I am not my brothers, there is no way I'd ever share what I consider to be mine. No fucking way.

"Damon, I swear if you've-" but I'm cut off by the doorbell.

I shake my head and gesture for Damon to go answer it. This fight can wait.

It's John. Oh goodie.

"What do you want?" Damon snaps in irritation as John invites himself into our house.

Oh, great, now I'm going to have to bleach wherever he walks.

"You haven't been answering my calls" John says.

I lean against the door frame and smile at him,

"Most people take that as a hint. Now, for the last time, no, my brother will not go to prom with you."

"Sin" Damon drawls in amusement, "It's called the Founders Gala." Damon turns to John and smirks, "But he's right, I never like to take a date to these things, gives off the wrong vibe"

"What is it you and Isobel want John?" I ask, having had enough of this guy being inside my home.

John narrows his eyes at us both,

"Isobel and I share a mutual interest."

Damon makes a winding 'carry on' motion with his hand,

"Which is…."

John pauses for a moment as if for dramatic effect. Wow, I really want to kill this guy, and I'm not just saying that.

"The original Jonathan Gilbert had an invention that was stolen by a vampire. That vampire was then burned alive inside Fells church, or so Jonathan thought. And the invention was lost forever"

"Ooooohhhh fascinating" I murmur.

John continues,

"But the vampires weren't killed were they. They were trapped, and now they're freed thanks to you, which means the invention is retrievable"

"Well, my brother and I are both well and truly intrigued now. What is it?" Damon says.

John shakes his head,

"The only thing that matters is I want it back. And you're going to help me if you want your secret to stay safe"

Woah, did he just threaten me and my brother? Getting close to your third strike John.

Damon frowns,

"Why bring us into it John? We don't know what you're talking about, much less who has it"

"A woman who was friendly with John took the invention?" John says.

"Pearl" I breathe out the word in a rush. I remember now. I remember I was with Anna, we were hiding in one of the rooms and we heard them talking about the invention.

John and Damon are now staring at me, I give John a hard look and continue,

"Pearl took the invention"

John arches an eyebrow,

"So, you know her?"

I'm glaring at him now. That's it I've had it. Damon and I exchange a glance. For now we are in complete agreement,

"We're not playing anymore John. Get out" Damon says, sounding bored now instead of angry.

"It's obvious you don't know everything John, otherwise you'd know Pearl and Bitchzilla were best friends. Now, like my brother said, get out" I shift so I am no longer leaning against the door frame.

John looks between us for a moment before saying,

"I'll tell the entire council what you are"

He's going to regret that threat against me and my family.

Damon shrugs,

"Go for it. We'll kill every last one of them. "

"Then I'll sever your hand, pull your ring off, and kill you too" I add pleasantly.

I move to stand next to my brother, we both stare down John and once again we are united despite everything. I say,

"Do you understand that John? You will die in the next thirty seconds if you don't get the fuck out of our house. Do not threaten us, it will not end well for you"

Ever's P.O.V

Alaric gave Elena, me and Jenna a ride to the Gala. Uncle John tried to stick his oar in so I tripped him on his way out of the kitchen. He face planted. It was hilarious. Probably one of the best moments of my life so far. Now if he'd only get himself punched in the face….my life would be complete.

"Thanks for helping me with this" I say to Jenna as she helps me do my hair. She's curled the big curls into smaller curls, and it looks good so far.

Jenna laughs,

"Don't say that until we've finished, it could still go horribly wrong"

I arch an eyebrow in the mirror,

"Please do, that'll be the perfect excuse not to do it"

Jenna shakes her head,

"I get why Elena is doing this, but why you. I know you hate this kind of thing Ever"

It's true, this sort of thing has always been more Elena's arena if I'm honest. But Elena was right, oh shock horror I hope I never have to say or even think that again, mom did want us to do this. I shrug,

"Mom was so excited about this at the time, and….she and Elena made it sound like we'd all be having fun together. Me and mom….we fought a lot. Her and Elena always got on better, maybe it's because she likes this stuff like mom did, I don't know. But for once I wanted to feel like mom was proud of me I guess"

Jenna smiles sadly and leans down to give me a backwards hug,

"Your mom was very proud of you Ever, she loved you so much"

"I know" I blink away the tears before they can fall. I do not cry in public, it's one of my big 'no no's'.

…..

"Elena Gilbert, escorted by, Stefan Salvatore" Elena squeezes my hand and then walks down the staircase to meet Stefan.

Carol Lockwood gestures for me to move forward, I'm next. Damn, damn, damn. I smile stiffly and move to the top of the staircase. I brush away non-existent fluff from my blood red dress. I heard the lady in the shop call the colour that and I just had to have it. What? I enjoy irony okay. It's long and fitted with a heart shaped neckline. I look pretty damn good in this dress. It's quite a bit like Elena's but….oh alright, it's slightly more slutty. Sexy though, and I do like the colour.

"Ever Gilbert, escorted by, Sinbad Salvatore" I take a deep breath and begin my decent down the stairs to hell.

But when I near the bottom I see that it's not Sinbad waiting for me, but Damon instead. He stares up at me, and the look in his eyes, fuck, it burns right through me. I think my whole body has flushed as red as my dress from that one look alone.

I tilt my head questioningly at him, but I take the hand he offers. His hand touching mine in this moment confirms for me everything I've ever felt for Damon. It's like it rushes through me all at once. I feel everything. The fact that I don't fall over is a bloody miracle within itself.

"Where's Sinbad?" I whisper to him as we begin walking outside all fancy-like.

"We have a problem with John. Sinbad is talking to Anna about something, it's important" he whispers back to me.

Oh, shit, really? We can't go one day without something bad happening around here, it's starting to get depressing.

When we get outside Damon and I turn to each other and I'm caught off guard again by the intensity of his eyes staring right into me. We step forward to bow and I whisper,

"What's going on Day?"

Damon shakes his head slightly,

"Lets get through this and I'll tell you"

I want to ask more, but there is a part of me that also wants to enjoy this moment. Dancing with Damon without any guilt added in.

We begin dancing and I almost ache for the no touching part to be over. When Damon finally does pull me into his arms the breath is almost completely knocked from my body. It all feels so intensely intimate somehow, he touches me so gently, yet firm too. I feel protected in Damon's arms, but I also feel excited. It's an insane mish mash of emotions that confuses me and sets me alight all the way to my very core.

How do people survive this level of attraction?

Not that I'm fooling myself into thinking this thing with Damon is purely physical. If it were then I would find it a lot easier to handle. But I do feel connected to Damon, and it's deeper than anything I've ever felt in my life. He's under my skin so deep that I'm pretty sure nothing would ever be able to cut him out.

But I know all this already. What I really have to decide is if it's worth putting everything on the line. Because that is what I would have to do. I wouldn't be able to do half way with Damon, and I know he wouldn't allow me to. My heart, my body, my soul, everything. That's what he asked for, and that's what I want to give him. But can I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter we got a bit of family unity with Damon and Sin. A Dever moment that, if you couldn't tell, is a major development in their relationship as Ever is finally sorting things out in her head about what she really wants. We got some friend moments, especially with Stever. 
> 
> Spoiler-Next chapter some good Jerbad scenes and Sinever talk!


	32. Blood Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE BREAK UP!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-second chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would be going on secret missions with Damon and Alaric! xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Blood Brothers

 

Ever's P.O.V

"What does it do again?" I ask Damon as he fiddles with the 'device'. Makes it sound kind of scary and medieval-y.

BRING OUT 'THE DEVICE' YOUNG HUBERT!

Sorry, I haven't had much sleep. Too much damn thinking. People say it's good to think before you act, but I'm slowly realising that 'people' are stupid, because thinking about things has made me more confused than I was before.

After the Gala thing, where Caroline won, thank God, Pearl handed over the 'device' as an apology for the vampires running rogue. Apparently it's just Pearl, Anna and my new best friend Harper who are left now.

I reach out to touch it, but Damon slaps my hand away and I glare at him. He waggles his finger from side to side,

"No. You don't get to touch" Damon says.

I cross my arms,

"Why the hell not?"

"Because you break things" Damon replies simply.

"Do not" I argue.

Damon arches an eyebrow at me,

"Do so"

"Give me one example" I say whilst giving Damon an insulted look.

"Last week you broke the oven when you tried to bake a cake" Damon answers quickly enough that I suspect he's been preparing for this argument.

I bite my lip,

"Ummmm, give me two examples"

"Last month you broke your car door. Two days ago you broke Stefan's radio. Yesterday you broke the coffee machine. This morning you bro-"

"Alright, alright. But I won't break the 'device', I'll be super careful"

"No, you're a jinx, and I don't trust you to touch it" he smirks at me.

I make another grab for the 'device', but Damon moves it out of my reach. I'm about two seconds from stamping my foot.

"Damon! Gimmie! Let me touch it"

"Ev's, that's very forward of you" Damon drawls suggestively.

I narrow my eyes at him,

"Shut up you dirty minded man. Now let me touch it! Let me touch it now!"

Damon offers it to me, and I smile smugly at him, but the moment my hand gets within inches of the 'device' Damon swipes it away again.

I sigh heavily in annoyance,

"So, you never answered my question, what does it do?"

Damon shrugs,

"Nothing"

I frown,

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it doesn't do anything"

"Why?"

"Because it's broken"

"I didn't even touch it"

"Lies"

"Idiot"

"Whingey"

"Toss pot"

"Elena"

I gasp dramatically,

"Woah, that was too far. You take that back right now"

Damon makes a face and nods,

"You're right, that was just mean. I take it back"

"Good"

"Fine"

"What is it meant to do then?" I ask.

Damon holds the 'device' out in front of him and studies it for a moment before answering,

"According Sin it is meant to 'reveal the demons of Mystic Falls'"

"Nice…..can I touch it then"

"Nope"

"Why not? You said it's already broken"

"If you want it, then try and take it" Damon teases, his face has that relaxed and amused expression on it that I love.

I smirk at him and make a grab for the 'device' again, he holds it out of my reach, but I don't give up this time. I keep going for it, but then suddenly Damon wraps his hand around my wrist and spins me around so that my back is pressed against his front. My heart immediately speeds up, although it pretty much always races in his presence anyway.

Damon's hand slides over my hip and across my stomach. His other hand is holding the 'device' and he pushes it into my own hand. Damon lets his head fall forward onto my shoulder and then he turns his head so that his face is buried in my neck. He takes in a deep shuddering breath, and it makes every hair on my body stand up.

"You smell so good Ev's. Sweet and spicy mixed together, I like it" Damon whispers into my ear. I shiver and I swear it vibrates through both of us.

There is a part of my brain that is screaming for me to think, think damn it think, but I don't want to listen to that part, not yet. I tilt my head back until it is resting on Damon's chest, the result being that my neck is pretty much bared to Damon. He moves to sweep my hair away, then his lips move softly over the sensitive skin of my throat. It makes me shiver again.

"Damon…..stop…..we can't…" I barely manage to get the words out and the sentence turns into a soft moan.

"Shhhh, I won't bite you, or kiss you. I know you're with my brother. I just want…..I'm just going to touch you, like this. Don't make me stop Ev's." Damon whispers the words, his voice gravelly with pent up emotion. It feels so intimate when his voice goes all deep like that. He never uses that tone at any other time but with me, when it feels as if there is nothing and no one else in this world but us.

I realise one very important thing then, I don't want him to stop, not ever.

…..

"You're not coming" Damon snaps at me, he turns to Stefan who is sitting on the sofa with a glass of scotch looking pretty damn relaxed,

"Tell her Stef, she's your best friend"

I narrow my eyes at Damon,

"I'm coming" I say a bit more forcefully.

"Are not, you are going to stay here. I'm not asking, I'm telling you. Stop being whingy" Damon says, a firm note to his voice.

"Alaric, tell Damon St. Bossy boxers that I'm coming with you guys" I look over at Alaric and plead with him silently to back me up.

But Alaric shifts nervously,

"Maybe it would be better to stay here with Stefan and just let Damon and I go. It'll be safer"

"And quicker" Damon mutters with another smirk at me.

Ohhhh, sometimes I just want to hit him over the head with my shoe…I might do that actually. I go to take off my shoe, Damon's eyes flicker down and he drawls,

"Stefan, your best friend is about to hit me with her shoe!"

"Good" Stefan calls over "About time someone did it. I'm in full support of her actions"

I smirk at Damon,

"Ha! Your brother so likes me better than you"

Damon flicks me on the nose and I gape at him in mock outrage,

"Vamp bad boy wonder did not just flick me!"

Alaric rolls his eyes,

"Both of you stop being ridiculous. Ever, for once Damon is right, stay here and we'll call you if we find anything"

I have to use a hell of a lot of will power not to huff like a seven year old.

"Fine, but I expect updates, regular ones, or Stefan and I will come after you"

"Deal" Alaric agrees.

Alaric has found this address thing that might be where Isobel is, they're going to check it out. I want to go….just in case. I don't know if Damon and Alaric teaming up is the best idea considering how much anger Alaric still has towards Damon and how Damon can be….so…..Damon-y.

It's a match made in hell.

As Damon and Alaric leave I catch Damon's eye and mouth, 'be careful'. His expression changes and becomes more intimate. He nods in silent acceptance of my request. The moment becomes something just between us. He seems almost surprised every time I express in some way that I care for him, which leads me to believe that a lot of his dick-ness is for show.

Yet another layer to the paradox that is Damon Salvatore. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to see all of them.

Once Damon and Alaric are gone, I flop down next to Stefan on the sofa. Elena is at Caroline's house, she got roped into helping sort some stuff out for the Founders day…..thingy. I'm really not good at remembering all the town's events. Caroline tried to get me to help too, but I escaped by pretending to be on fire.

Not my best excuse, but I definitely deserve an Oscar for the my performance. Right up until I tripped over that bin and face planted onto the ground, during which time Caroline realised I was indeed not on fire.

But up to that point it was a full proof exit plan.

I turn to Stefan,

"You feeling alright today? Apart from this morning"

Stefan almost lost it a little this morning, but I talked him down from the edge. He even went full on vampire face, but it didn't frighten me, which again says far too much about my own mental state. It's just that I trust Stefan not to hurt me. Since the moment we met there has been a core instinctual part of me that trusts Stefan. It's a two way thing, he trusts me too, which is good for both of us.

Stefan looks over at me and our eyes meet,

"I'm honestly feeling a lot better than I was a week ago, or even a few days ago. But it's still better when you're around especially when we….."

He trails off, but I know what he means. When I touch his hand, or his arm or sometimes even his face he calms down twice as fast. It's our bond, it has to be. I can feel it buzzing between us even now. There have been so many times when I've almost brought it up, but somehow I don't think I need to. I'm almost certain Stefan feels it as well, and surely if he knew the reason he would tell me. In fact, I know he would.

"I know Stef, as long as you're feeling more able to handle things. It's not an overnight fix up type of situation, I get that. It'll take a long time, which is fine, because we have time. Don't rush it, ok" I hold my hand out with my palm facing up. Stefan links our fingers together and I feel every muscle in his body relax, even his mind seems to wind down.

Our gazes lock together again as he says,

"Thanks Ever, for everything. I'd have gone off the rails way before now without you"

I smirk at him playfully,

"I know"

After a pause I say,

"Stef?"

"Yeah"

"Tell me a secret"

He frowns slightly,

"A secret"

I nod,

"Yep, tell me something that nobody else knows about you"

Stefan furrows his eye brows and seems to be thinking deeply for a long moment. Then suddenly he says,

"You remember when I told you I wanted to be a doctor, back when I was human"

I smile,

"Yeah, you would have made an epic doctor Stef"

Stefan smiles too, but it's kind of a sad smile, almost wistful,

"Well, the reason I wanted to become a doctor was because of a boy I knew as a human. He was my best friend. We were always there for each other, and I trusted him completely. But one day we were playing in the woods at night, we weren't meant to be out that late, but we didn't want to go home yet because we were having so much fun. Anyway, my friend climbed a tree because a crow was caught in the branches, he freed the bird but the branch snapped and he fell. He ended up with a massive cut on his arm and one on his head too. I remember ripping off some of my shirt and wrapping it around the wound on his arm to keep pressure on it and some more for his head too. His leg was pretty bad as well, so he had to lean on me all the way home. When we got back, our father got my friend to see a real doctor and the doctor said I'd saved my friend's life by doing what I did. And then later when I went to sit with my friend on his bed he said to me that I should be a doctor, that he thought I would be really good at it. After that my friend always supported and encouraged me to become a doctor, even when I thought it was impossible. He never gave up on me"

I got completely caught up in the story, it showed me a new side to Stefan that I'd never seen before. A more hopeful side. I can now imagine him as a young boy, and a young man, who wanted to be a doctor one day so that he could help people the way he did his friend that night.

Then something clicks inside my head and I say,

"That was a pretty amazing friend you had there…..who was it?"

Stefan smiles at me and laughs quietly,

"Thought you'd catch on Ever. He was Damon. My best friend was Damon. He's the reason I wanted to become a doctor"

Best friends. Stefan and Damon. Sinbad has told me more than once that they used to be close as humans, but I could never quite imagine it until now. It makes me feel sad that they aren't that close anymore, and all because of one woman.

Wow, no wonder Sin calls her bitchzilla.

Stefan arches an eyebrow at me and squeezes my hand, I squeeze back and he says,

"Right, so tell me something about you then. Tell me a secret of yours Ever Gilbert"

I make a face,

"Uhhhh, no. I have no secrets, I am an open book"

Stefan narrows his eye at me,

"Well that's not true. Come on, be fair. I told you something, now you have to tell me something"

I sigh heavily and grit my teeth for a moment before finally saying,

"Alright, but I swear to whoever invented ice cream that if you tell anyone this I will pull out your fangs with tweezers, got it"

"Got it" Stefan says with a nod.

I squeeze my eyes shut and say in a rush,

"My full name is Everlyna. As in Ever-lee-na"

I crack open an eye to see Stefan desperately trying not to laugh, I pick up a pillow and hit him in the face with it,

"STEFAN! You are so not allowed to laugh!"

"I'm not laughing" Stefan says right before he does burst out laughing.

I hit him with the pillow again, but a moment later I start laughing as well. Stefan hits me back with a pillow, and soon we are having a full on pillow fight whilst laughing our asses off.

Sometimes, just sometimes, pillow fights really do make life better.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"So, Jonathon Gilbert created a device that would reveal who all the vampires in Mystic Falls were" Jeremy says thoughtfully.

"Still might do that, if it actually works" I lean back against the tree a little more. Jeremy is led down with his head resting on my lap. We're in the woods somewhere, I remember this place from my childhood.

I run my fingers gently through his hair. It's an intimate moment, although these moments are simply becoming the norm between Jeremy and me. I don't quite know how explain our connection as I've never felt anything like it before. The closest I can get to describing it is all consuming and electrifying.

I'm drawn to Jeremy. Everything about him calls to me, it even scares me a little, and after the life I've lead, that's really saying something.

"Are you worried?" Jeremy asks, his big brown eyes flickering up to meet mine.

I shrug,

"Nah, worst that'll happen is we all die"

Jeremy barks out a laugh,

"Oh, that's all is it?"

I smirk down at him,

"Hey, I've died before, it wasn't all that bad"

Jeremy sits up then and turns to me, his eyes go from chestnut to almost black when he says intensely,

"I don't want you to die. You promised you'd always be here for me, remember. No backing out now just because you've found a device that could potentially expose you to everyone in town"

I smile fondly at Jeremy and reach out a hand to brush the back of my fingers down his cheek. Jeremy leans into the touch and he shivers when my thumb moves to trace the outline of his bottom lip.

Fuck, I am not handling this well.

Whenever I'm near Jeremy all I can think about is him. His eyes, his smell, his blood, his body, and all the delicious and incredibly dirty things I could do to it. Makes me hard as a steel pipe just thinking about Jeremy in that way, let alone actually touching him like this.

To try and distract myself I say,

"You know, I used to play here as a kid"

Jeremy seems to jerk out of the daze I've lulled him into with my intimate touching and he looks around the part of the woods we are in.

"It's so cool to think that you were here all that time ago. Has it changed a lot?" he asks, that familiar spark of interest lighting up his eyes once again.

Jeremy really is a curious bastard. He asks so many questions sometimes that it's hard to keep up. But I enjoy seeing him light up like that, so I try to answer as many questions of his as I can. Making Jeremy happy makes me happy, I don't know exactly how that works, but it does.

I think for a moment,

"In terms of the actual woods, no, not a lot has changed. I always like it here, it gave me space to do my art"

Jeremy's eyes widen, and I realise what I've just admitted to without even realising it.

"You draw? Seriously?"

I run a hand through my black hair and sigh,

"Yeah…I do. Sometimes. It relaxes me"

Jeremy's shocked expression turns into a full on mega watt grin. A grin that I love with everything in me to an almost ridiculous level,

"Me too. What do you use?"

I laugh low and answer,

"When I was a kid, I would steal coal and use that, but these days I tend to use either pencils or actual pieces of kohl, although occasionally I will still use coal, just to roughen it up a bit"

"That's amazing, you have to show me your stuff, I really want to see it" Jeremy says, sounding excited now, and I can't deny the happy zings of excitement that go through me because of that anticipation in his eyes.

Without either of us even realising it seems we've intertwined our fingers together. When we both notice at the same time I feel the mood around us change instantly, it's as if the whole forest has suddenly turned electric. Every touch and every look means something more than it did a moment ago, and it's almost too much for me to bear.

He doesn't pull away. Neither do I. And in that moment, I know what I feel for Jeremy is real, and that I will never stop wanting him.

Ever and I need to talk, it's not fair on either of us anymore. Even if Jeremy doesn't feel even remotely the same about me, I can't allow Ever to suffer for it.

Ever's P.O.V

I'm in the living room alone when Damon comes in.

"Did you find anything?" I ask him, Damon shakes his head and gets a drink for both of us before sitting down next to me. He hands me a glass of bourbon and I take it, immediately taking a sip. Damon on the other hand practically downs the whole thing. If he was human I'd honestly be worried about him being an alcoholic.

"No. It was pointless" Damon says. He lifts my legs and then puts them down so they are led across his lap, and he pulls me closer so that I'm one move away from actually sitting on his lap.

"How about bonding time with Alaric?" I ask curiously. Alaric texted me, so I know he's not dead, which I believe is progress.

Damon does smile at that,

"I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis"

"Good, good, all in a days work then" I reply with a small smile of my own. I put down the book I was reading and look over at Damon.

He notices I'm staring at him pretty quickly and his pale blue eyes flicker over to meet mine. They're as intense as ever when he asks,

"Come on, out with it, you have a question, ask away Ev's"

I've been thinking over and over how to ask this question, but there doesn't seem to be a right way of doing it, so I decide to just give it my best shot,

"Why did you turn? I know why Sin did, and Stefan's told me what happened with your father. But why you?"

For a moment I think he's actually going to blow up and throw me off his lap in a fit of rage, I can feel the strong emotions practically emanating from him. But after a few moments he reaches over and takes both of my hands in his. His grip is firm and yet almost tentative as he begins his story,

"I wasn't going to change. I was fully prepared to die. I thought Katherine was dead and that I had nothing left to live for" Damon snorts dismisevlly, "It was pathetic. I was….pathetic and…broody, ugh, I was practically a Stefan wannabe"

I laugh a little and tighten my grip on his hands, then I pull one hand away to cup Damon's face, forcing him to look at me and meet my eyes as I say,

"You weren't pathetic Damon, you were hurting, it's not the same thing"

There is a long pause where Damon just searches my eyes. I'm not sure exactly what he's looking for. Honesty, maybe. Whatever it is he seems to find it, and I'm glad, because he continues,

"Stefan brought a girl to me. He said he wouldn't let me die. The blood changed Stefan, he wasn't my little brother anymore, at least not right after he turned. He bit into that girl's neck and convinced me to not fight what I wanted. So I fed, and I became….this. I suppose I should thank him, it's been a wild ride"

I nod in understanding,

"So, Stefan got you to turn. He feels guilty about that I think, he blames himself for a lot"

Damon rolls his eyes and says,

"Stefan has no right to feel guilty for the things I've done. They're my actions, they belong to me. He's not allowed to feel my guilt. Besides…he broods too much"

I tilt my head to the side and ask,

"You feel guilt?"

Damon's eyes snap up to meet mine again,

"If I wanted to. It's there."

I stroke my thumb over his cheek, he closes his eyes and leans into my touch. It's a gentle sign of acceptance. He's accepting my comfort, and I know that means so much more than anything he could actually say. I've come to realise with Damon that you really have to read between the lines, otherwise you'll never have a hope of seeing past all the darkness to the real Damon.

The real Damon; the Damon whose relaxed smiles make my day better instantly, the Damon who cares for me when I'm hurting, and looks after me, the Damon who loves his brothers and would do anything for them, but feels like he doesn't deserve their loyalty so he does everything he can to make them hate him, the Damon who likes road trip songs, and singing along to them, loudly, the Damon who I can drink bourbon with whilst fighting about how stupid characters in classical novels are, the Damon who can he harsh and reckless, but also brave and gentle.

That Damon is the person I want to give every part of myself to. That Damon is the one who is sitting in front of me right now. I want this Damon, and I want every part of him, even the bad parts, because those parts of Damon are what help me understand him best.

Damon opens his eyes then and they meet mine, causing lightening to course through my body. The emotion in his gaze is so vivid and intense that suddenly breathing becomes very difficult. Damon places his hand over mine and wills me to give him permission to do what we both want. I exhale a long breath and whisper,

"Damon I-"

"Ever, are you here? We need to talk!" Sin's voice comes crashing down over me like a bucket of cold water and I pull myself away from Damon. He lets go reluctantly and moments later Sin comes striding into the room.

He takes in the scene with one sweep of his eyes and when they finally lock with mine I know that he knows. Sinbad is not an idiot, and it doesn't exactly take a genius to work out what's going on here. Sin looks away from me and his eyes land on Damon,

"Damon, give us a minute" he says through gritted teeth, his tone suggests that they will be talking later as well.

Damon gives me one last lingering look before leaving me alone with Sinbad. I stand up and move closer to Sin. He watches me almost warily, and I say,

"This has been a long time coming hasn't it?"

Sin nods slowly, pain sparks in his eyes,

"I don't know…..fuck Ever, I do love you, you have to know that I do. I'm terrified out of my fucking mind of losing you from my life because of this"

I suck in a harsh breath before replying,

"I do know that Sin. I love you too, and I wish….I wish things could be like they were a few months ago. But they aren't, and they never will be again"

Sin reach out and takes my hand in his, the familiarity of his touch makes me want to cry. Sinbad means so much to me, he's always been there when I needed him, and I feel awful for not loving him the way he deserves to be loved.

"You….and my brother….you haven't…." Sin starts but then he winces and says, "No, don't even answer that fucked up question. I know you haven't, you wouldn't do that to me, I'm sorry I even thought for a second that you would. But you do have….feelings for him, don't you?"

I clench my other hand tightly into a fist and the words burst out of my mouth before I can stop them,

"I'll admit to having feelings for your brother if you admit to having feelings for mine"

I have no idea where that came from. I honestly haven't thought about Sin and Jeremy in a romantic way at all, not once. But the moment the words are out of my mouth I know they're true because of the look that passes over Sin's face.

There is a long pause where neither of us say anything and I realise, this is the tipping point. This is where we decide if we should descend into an argument, or choose to be brave and actually admit to ourselves how stupid we've been.

I shake my head, and suddenly I smile,

"We….are a couple of fucked up individuals"

Sin snorts out a laugh and nods,

"Yeah….we could have our own club….with badges…and t-shirts…and best of all….personalised top hats"

Then we're both laughing and I say,

"Of course, no club is complete without personalised top hats, what kind of half assed club doesn't have personalised top hats. We're not savages."

And just like that, we've decided on the road we want to travel down with this break up.

"I love you Sin, I want us to be friends, please say we can do that without it being completely fucking weird" I say desperately, I can't lose Sin, it might actually kill me.

Sin lets out a long held in breath and says,

"Nothing in this world would make me happier than for us to be friends Ever Gilbert. You're still the one I love more than any other woman in the world"

I wrap my arms around him and we embrace, holding onto each other hard as tears leak out of my eyes and run down my cheeks.

From this point on my life might just be even more complicated than ever before. But one thing hasn't changed, I still have Sin by my side. I have Stefan now too, and as for Damon…I have one more serious life changing decision I have to make. Here's hoping I make the right choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter there was A LOT OF STUFF! Emotional moments in this chapter were intense and I hope they revealed sides to the characters that you all liked. So, Dever had their moments, as did Jerbad and even Stever, please let me know what you thought of their special moments together. Xxx
> 
> Spoiler for next time-EVIL BIRTH MOTHER ON THE SCENE=SNARKY EVER TIME!


	33. Isobel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> VAMP BITCH IN THE HOUSE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-third chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then every day would be full of Salvatore moments xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPER THIRTY-THREE

Isobel

 

Ever's P.O.V

"What is it you have to tell us?" I ask Alaric.

As soon as Alaric saw me and Elena he said we needed to talk. Now me, Elena, Stefan and Sinbad are in his classroom, waiting for whatever it is that has Alaric looking all freaked out.

Alaric sighs heavily and pinches the bridge of his nose. Then he looks up at us and says,

"Isobel came to me last night"

I almost fall right the fuck over. Isobel. Mine and Elena's birth mother vamp bitch.

"Isobel, are you serious? Fucking hells bells and a half" Sin says incredulously.

I exchange glances with him. Elena sits back in her seat looking like she's just had ice water thrown over her. I reach out and take her hand, I give her a reassuring smile and mouth 'you ok?', she nods in response, but I can tell she is so not alright.

Neither am I to be honest, but I'm more pissed than upset.

"How do you feel about it?" I ask Alaric, it must have been really hard for him to see her like that.

Alaric looks down, as if steeling himself, and then he replies,

"Not great. But the real problem is that she wants to see you and Elena"

"What?" Elena and I say at the same time.

"She wants me to arrange a meeting between the three of you" Alaric explains.

"Why the hell would she want to meet us?" I ask, but it's not really aimed at anyone.

"I have no idea" Alaric answers anyway.

Suddenly the class room door opens and Damon comes strolling in.

Alaric looks over at him,

"Damon, thanks for coming"

Damon nods and says,

"Sorry I'm late, a dog ate my…..never mind"

He looks around at all of us, but is gaze lands on me and locks with mine. My entire body prickles with awareness at his presence. It's like very fibre of my being is drawn to Damon. I haven't had a chance to talk to him since my break up with Sin. I can feel Sinbad tensing slightly beside me and I see the two brothers suddenly exchanging glances.

Things between Sin and I have been even better than I ever could have hoped. But that doesn't mean he wants to see me staring at Damon, or vice versa. I know Sin isn't pissed at me, but I get the feeling he might be a little angry at his oldest brother.

I can't get involved in that though, they'll have to sort out whatever animosity they have towards each other by themselves. I'm the one who caused the problem, and I feel awful about that. I can only hope Sin and Damon don't lose the relationship they have because of me.

Damon's eyes are back on mine suddenly and I see concern in them this time,

"What's with all the furrowed brows?"

"I saw Isobel last night" Alaric says.

Damon looks over at Alaric in surprise,

"Isobel's here. In town"

Alaric nods slowly, and again I get the sense that this can't be easy for him. Alright, the bitch has upset both my sister and my new favourite teacher, I am not happy.

"Did you ask about Uncle John, are they working together?" Damon asks Alaric.

"No" Alaric answers.

"No, they're not?"

"No, I didn't ask"

"What about the invention?"

"I didn't ask"

"Does she know about the tomb vampires"

"I don't know"

Damon narrows his eyes at Alaric,

"Did words completely escape you?"

Uh, oh, now Alaric looks pissed.

"I was a little distracted by my dead vampire ex wife to ask questions" Alaric snaps.

Fair enough. I'd be distracted if my dead vampire ex wife showed up out of the blue. I don't have a dead vampire ex wife. But if I did, then I'd probably be pretty upset about it.

"What does she want?" Damon asks.

"She wants to see me and Elena, Damon. Apparently" I say with a sigh. Damon's eyes instantly flicker over to meet mine, he tilts his head to the side and for a moment I swear he's about to come over to me. But he seems to hold himself back from doing so, which is probably for the best at the moment.

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting" Stefan explains, looking equally concerned.

"We don't know why, or what she wants" Sin adds, he seems to be thinking hard about something, but I'm not sure what.

Damon's gaze bores into mine as he says,

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to"

I wonder how he read my mind so well. I really don't want to meet Isobel, but I figure I will have to because Elena needs me, and I'm pretty sure she's going to want to.

"We don't really have a choice" Elena murmurs distractedly.

"Isobel is threatening to go on a killing spree" Alaric says.

Yeah, and there's that.

A vampire birth mother threatening to go out on a killing spree…..oh joy unbounded. Just what I've waiting for, considering how boring my life has been up until this point, obviously.

"Oh" Damon makes a face, "I'm guessing that's not ok with you guys"

"I wanna do it. I want to meet her, if I don't then I know I'll regret it" Elena says firmly.

I knew she's say that, which is why I say,

"Yeah, go on then, maybe she'll even tell us her diabolical master plan. I'm very good at getting people to tell me their evil plans"

Elena arches an eyebrow at me,

"Since when?"

I throw my hands up and point at Damon,

"I got Damon to reveal his master plan. Did he reveal his master plan to any of you? No, he didn't. Damon, tell them"

Damon chuckles darkly,

"Oh yeah, she was verrrry convincing"

He winks at me and I poke my tongue out right back,

"Shut up Day, just because you fell for my charms"

"I did" Damon says, but his voice isn't teasing anymore, and it makes my heart start to pound even faster.

I clear my throat, now is so not the time to lose my shit over Damon. I tare my eyes away from his and shift in my seat nervously. Elena is giving me weird side long glances, and her eyes keep flickering between me and Damon suspiciously.

She has a right to be suspicious. My feelings for Damon are spilling out over the brim and I feel almost certain that everyone can tell. Except possibly Damon, who still seems equally as confused as I am.

I told Elena about my break up with Sin and she was quite upset about it, at the time so was I. Breaking up with Sin is one of the hardest things I've ever done, and to a certain extent it still hurts to think of us not being together anymore.

But I know that it was the right decision for both us. I'm not sure if Damon knows about what happened between me and Sin yet, I told Stefan pretty much right after when I went to say goodbye to him.

Stefan's reaction was….not exactly what I expected. I kind of thought he'd be more upset about it, but he just seemed concerned that I was ok. I was still crying a little at that point, and Stefan hugged me tight for a while as we talked on his bed. I'm glad I have Stefan as my friend, he knows exactly what to say to make me feel better, and I really appreciate that.

….

"Can you hear us?" I whisper whilst looking at Stefan and Sin. They're over by the pool tables. Stef and Sin are working as our backup just in case something goes wrong with Isobel St. vamp bitch.

Sin and Stefan nod slowly. Gah, sometimes I love vamp hearing. When it's working for me and not against my need for privacy.

I'm not really all that nervous, if anything I'm just worried about Elena, because she does seem nervous. The moment we sat down at this table I took Elena's hand in mine and she hasn't let go since. Plus she keeps tucking her hair behind her ear, classic Elena nervous habit.

Strangely I do find myself wishing Damon were here. I mean, he's outside with Alaric because Isobel didn't want either of them inside, she went all threaten-y about it so I get why he didn't come in.

But, it's just that….I feel protected when he's around. It's not quite the same as feeling safe. Safe is home and family and friends. With Damon I feel like he won't allow anything bad to happen to me. Like no matter how many times I fall he'll always be there, either right by my side or waiting to catch me at the end of it. It's a rush and definitely a feeling I could get addicted to.

I lean over and whisper into Elena's ear,

"No worries sis, if things get rough…..I've brought my bat"

Elena's eyes snap over to meet mine,

"Please tell me that's just a figure of speech and you haven't actually brought it"

I tilt my head to the side,

"What kind of figure of speech would that be? What else could it mean? That I've brought my metaphorical bat? Who has a metaphorical bat? I don't. I'm not insane Elena"

Elena arches an eyebrow at me,

"Yes, yes you are. I fully expect you to have a metaphorical bat"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"Yeah, well, I don't…..I have a metaphorical golf club"

Elena closes her eyes and looks up as if asking for strength and then her eyes flicker over to me again,

"A metaphorical…golf club" she repeats slowly.

I wink at her,

"Hell yeah, I picked it up at the metaphorical boot sale"

Elena snorts out a laugh and shakes her head at me. Her laughter comes to an abrupt end however when a woman I recognise as Isobel comes into view and slides into a seat opposite us. Elena goes stiff with tension next to me, and my defensive hackles immediately rise.

Isobel looks us both over as if studying us and it makes those defensive walls I have inside of me rise even higher. I do not trust this woman, my feelings of distrust are instinctual and fierce. If this woman hurts my sister then I'm going to be all kinds of pissed off.

Finally Isobel looks at Elena and speaks slowly,

"Hello, Elena" Isobel's gaze shifts to me and for whatever reason she takes an even longer time studying me before she says, "Ever"

"Hello? Really, hello, are you serious with the hello. Almost seventeen years and now its hello" I snap uneasily.

Elena squeezes my hand, so I try to calm down a little. I squeeze my twin's hand back so she'll know I'm ok.

"You both look just like her. It's eery" Isobel says in disbelief. I want to hit her with my bat, forget metaphorical weapons, I want a real one damn it.

I'm not sure what's making me so angry, but something about her is just pissing me off big time. I'm not usually so hot headed.

I narrow my eyes at Isobel,

"I swear, if one more person compares me to that bitch-"

"Ever" Elena whispers in warning.

I force myself to shut up. It's difficult, and I don't like it. But I'm not here for me, I'm here for Elena.

"You've met Katherine?" Elena asks.

Isobel shrugs,

"She found me after I turned. Genetic curiosity I suppose. She would be fascinated by you" her gaze is on me again and I have to push down the anger and irritation that rises inside of me.

Elena looks down at a necklace Isobel is wearing and she asks,

"Is that how you can walk around in the sun?"

Isobel lifts the pendant on the necklace and lets it rest on her palm,

"Yes, Katherine helped me obtain it"

"Well, doesn't she sound helpful" the words come out sounding more spiteful than I meant them to, but I won't take them back.

Isobel tilts her head and actually smiles at me. I stare back at her impassively, our eyes meet and I refuse to flinch away. I can play the vampire staring game, I've had enough practice with the Salvatore's.

"Who was our father?" Elena asks, obviously trying to cut through the tension between me and my birth mother.

Isobel's gaze shifts back to Elena and she says,

"Not important. He was a teenage waste of space"

Elena's getting angry now too, I can feel it in the way that she moves,

"A name would be nice" Elena tries.

Isobel raises an eyebrow,

"It would wouldn't it. You ask a lot of questions"

"Why did you compel that man to kill himself" Elena asks.

"For dramatic impact. I wish it had been more effective" Isobel answers simply.

Wow, this woman is ice cold on the inside. Good, that means I get to not like her and not feel bad about it.

Elena narrows her eyes at Isobel

"Human life means that little to you?"

I expect the answer before it comes, but it's still kind of shocking to hear her actually say,

"It means nothing to me. It's just part of being what I am"

Elena shakes her head and I say,

"No, it isn't. We know other vampires, and they care. They feel more than you could ever possibly imagine"

Isobel smiles slightly,

"You mean your boyfriends over there by the pool table. Stefan and Sinbad Salvatore. Why them, why not Damon?" her question is aimed at me. I know it is because she's looking right into my eyes as she asks it.

Isobel goes on,

"Or do you enjoy more than one Salvatore, like Katherine did? Maybe, you're more ambitious than she was and you enjoy all three of them"

Woah, hold the fucking phone here. I feel offended on several levels right now.

I'm about to blow up, but then I catch the look on Elena's face and I restrain myself. This is not about me. I don't shive a git what Isobel thinks about me, so it doesn't matter. Besides the idea of me having it on with all three of the Salvatore's is ridiculous. I can barely handle one of them for bloody hells sake.

"Why did you want to meet us? I doubt it was just to catch up" I ask as calmly as I can manage.

Isobel tilts her head to the side and looks between us,

"Because I'm curious about you both"

I'm about to call major bullshit when Isobel continues,

"But, the real reason is, I want what your uncle wants-"

"A decent personality?" I suggest with a smile.

Elena pinches my arm and I give her a mock outraged look, she rolls her eyes at me I gesture for Isobel to continue. The sooner she tells us what she wants, the sooner we can tell her no and she can piss right off back to vampy land or wherever it is she came from.

"I want Jonathon Gilbert's invention" Isobel says.

I scoff and Elena aks

"How do you know our uncle?

"You meet at a 'how to be a rubbish relative convention?'" I say and Elena pinches me again.

Ow, that shit hurts. She's got very strong fingers, and sharp nails too.

"I spent a lot of time here when I was younger" Isobel explains, "John has a crush on me for years. He was the first one who told me about vampires"

A theory pops into my head at that point and I push it away so violently that I almost give myself a headache. I am not ready to deal with that possibility yet. Maybe not for the rest of this lifetime.

"What made you want to be one?" Elena asks.

Isobel sighs,

"It's a very long list of reasons Elena, all of which I'm sure you've thought about"

Elena shakes her head in denial of that and Isobel arches an eyebrow,

"That was your first lie" Isobel says, she looks over at me. I don't say anything, because I have thought about it. How could I not think about it? But that doesn't mean I would ever actually consider it as a viable option.

"It's inevitable, you're both going to get old, and the Salvatore's won't. Forever doesn't last very long when you're human" Isobel says.

At that point I've had enough, and I can tell Elena has too. I get up and Elena says,

"We don't have what you're looking for"

Isobel grabs hold of my arm in an iron grip, pulling me back,

"Sit down. And tell your boyfriends to walk away" I look over Stefan and Sin, who are now coming towards us.

I nod at them both and slowly I sit back down next to Elena. The two Salvatore's stop reluctantly, the both look like they'd happily come over here and rip Isobel's hand off of me. I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't part of me that wants them to. My twin is now glaring at Isobel, it takes a lot to get on my sister's bat list, but I think Isobel's just been added.

"I want the invention" Isobel says.

"We don't have it" I snap angrily.

Bitch better let go of my arm soon or I'm gonna go full on ninja on her eternal vampy ass.

"I know that. But Damon does, and you're going to get it for me" Isobel stares right into my face as she says the words and the need to get away from her increases tenfold.

"He's not gonna give it me. I have no control over him" I say in annoyance.

"I don't believe that for a second. I've been watching you, remember. And if he doesn't, then the blood will be on your hands" she says before finally letting go of my arm and leaving us.

"Nice meeting you both" Isobel calls over her shoulder as she walks away.

Ohhh, I don't think I've ever wanted to hit someone with my bat so badly before.

Elena looks like she's abut to cry and I pull her closer to me. Just then Bonnie comes in and we both look up at her. She seems about to come over to me, but then she looks behind Elena and me at Sin and Stefan who are moving towards us.

I meet Bonnie's eyes and silently plead with her not to leave Elena when she's already so upset. But Bonnie just mouths 'I'm sorry' and walks the other way.

Damn.

When we're leaving the grill I see Damon outside with Alaric about ten feet away. He makes eye contact with me and Damon must be able to read the upset in my eyes because his gaze immediately begins to burn with a mixture of rage and concern.

In that moment I truly want nothing more than to feel his strong arms around me, but I won't leave Elena, no whilst she's so upset. My twin needs me, and I'll be there for her no matter what. Damon instinctively starts to come towards me, but I shake my head slightly and he instantly stops. It hurts to turn him away, but I don't see any alternative right now.

…

The next day the door bell rings just as Elena and I are coming down the stairs. I frown over at Elena. She's still pretty upset over what happened with out birth mother or the icy eyed vamp as I prefer to call her. We went straight home after the grill and we've been holed up here ever since.

Elena moves to open the door, and on the other side of it is Bonnie. I smile gratefully. I hope to hell she's here to make up with us, that would make today suck a little less for sure.

"Hi, Bonnie"

Bonnie shifts uncomfortably and then says,

"Hey….I couldn't sleep last night. You're both obviously upset about something, and when I saw you yesterday I just walked away….that's not me….that can't be us. You two are my best friends, if you need me, I'm here for you. And I'm sorry I couldn't show you that yesterday."

Elena clenches her hands into tight fists. I reach down to clench one and intertwine out fingers. She seems unable to speak so I say,

"We met our birth mother yesterday"

Bonnie's eyes widen in shock and she says,

"Wow, was it….." her question trails off as Elena starts to cry.

Bonnie looks at me and I shrug helplessly. She then moves forward and pulls us both into a three way hug. Elena clings onto both of us and I hold two of the most important people in my life close. It's a relief to have Bonnie back as my friend. I need her, and so does Elena.

…..

So, now we have Bonnie back she looked up the 'device' thingy, and apparently Sin was right. It is a weapon against vampires. Why the hell would Isobel want that? Now, I'm all for her offering herself, but…it's so weird.

Vampires are so weird. WAAAAHHHHHHH!

Ok, whingy moment over.

Ready to be a mature adult now….or at least a semi-mature teenager.

Also, apparently, Jonathon Gilbert didn't actually invent shit, his 'inventions' were spelled by Emily, Bonnie ancestor, into working. It was her way of helping rid the town of vampires even though she'd pledged her loyalty to Katherine.

You, know, I thought I didn't like Emily, but the dead witch is starting to grow on me.

I'm at the Founders parade…thingy when Isobel shows up all vampy and….shit. I've run out of insults here people.

She did that thing vampires seem to enjoy doing, you know, scaring the crap out of me by just being there when I turn around.

MESSAGE TO ALL VAMPIRES…STOP IT…..I'M RUNNING OUT OF PANTS.

"What are you doing here?" I ask Isobel.

"I'm your mother Ever, I want to be more involved in your life" Isobel replies with that annoying head tilt thing I'm beginning to dislike.

"Too bad. I don't want you in my life. I never have. Stay away from Elena too" I cross my arms.

"I understand that. You already have a lot of people that you care about. But I've been studying. Let's see if I got this right" Isobel looks over at Bonnie, "There's the witchy best friend, Bonnie, gonna stay away from that one" then Isobel eyes go to Jeremy, "And then there's the sad little brother", Isobel looks at Caroline "then there's obnoxious Caroline, I got all my info from her by the way. She had no idea who I was and she wouldn't stop yapping"

Finally Isobel catches sight of Matt and she sighs,

"Oh, there's Matt, friend, ex, yappy's future ex, lots of connections there"

"Matt is Elena's ex" I say, and why I felt the need to point that out is a mystery to me. Isobel is creeping me out big time. I don't like her knowing about the people I love. I don't want her in my life at all, in any way.

Isobel smiles in obvious amusement but I have no idea why,

"Maybe technically. But the way he looks at you…there's definitely some secret feeling going on, whether they be past or present."

I frown, and I'm about to ask her what the hell she's talking about, but I then I realise she's sucking me in. Manipulating me, and I don't fucking like it.

"Matt's not involved in this" I say angrily.

"He's involved with you, isn't he" Isobel says.

I glare at her then,

"You shouldn't be here. Leave. Now" I snap, pissed off that she's here and fucking with my life.

"No" Isobel replies, "I have some friends here too, look" she points over at a man standing by Matt at the float. I do not like where this is going.

"His name's Frank. He's very handsome, and he's also quite handy, and he noticed that the axel was kinda rusted, which is very dangerous. So all you have to do is amply a little bit of pressure and-"

"NO!" I shout but it's too late.

Frank jumps into the float and it crashes down, trapping Matt's arm. He shouts in pain. I go to run over to him, but Isobel grabs my arm tight enough to hurt, stopping me from moving forward.

Tyler rushes forward and yells for people to help him lift the float, a few do, but it's Stefan's input that finally lifts the float off of Matt's arm.

"Why are you doing this?" I hiss at Isobel. Right now I actually hate her. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it.

"I'm trying to show you how easy it is for me to get to the people you care about" Isobel explains.

I turn my outragd glare on her,

"You're actually doing all this just to get Jonathon Gilbert's fucking invention? Are you kidding me?"

Isobel shrugs,

"Hand it over, and the fun stops"

I'm about ready to scream in frustration,

"I told you, Damon's not going to give it to me"

"And I think you underestimate how much Damon cares about you" Isobel's words make me pause for a moment. I narrow my eyes at her. How would she know how much Damon cares for me?

"He'll kill before he gives it up" I say though, not wanting her to know she hit a cord.

"Is that before or after I kill your brother Jeremy?"

My eyes widen and I look behind me where Jeremy was standing only moments before. He's gone. I turns back to Isobel, but she's gone.

"Jeremy!" I call out, "Jeremy!" But I can't see him anywhere. I start to panic, what has that bitch done with my brother.

I look over at Matt and end up meeting Stefan's eye. He immediately comes over to me.

"What's wrong?" he asks, worry clouding his eyes.

I shake my head,

"I think Isobel's taken Jeremy"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Where's the device?" Bonnie asks us.

"Damon has it" I answer, trying not to let the frantic note of worry enter my voice. Since the moment I found out Jeremy was missing I've not been able to breathe properly. I want so badly to just go over there and get Jeremy myself, kill anyone who gets in my way.

But that would be far too risky, and I won't risk Jeremy's life, not for anything.

"He's going to be difficult to reason with" Stefan says.

I snort dismissively,

"Too fucking bad. He's giving it to us, end of story"

I can feel Ever's eyes on me and I look over at her. There is no judgement in her eyes, only curiosity. Obviously she's thinking back to when I didn't deny my feelings for Jeremy the night we broke up.

Breaking up with Ever just about killed me. I still love her, honestly I do, but it wasn't fair to hold us both back from what we really want. It's so very clear to me that Ever wants my brother, and it's even more clear to me that Damon wants her as well. I never thought I'd see my oldest brother truly love someone, Katherine was more of an obsession than love really, and I think he's finally come to realise that.

I'm not sure how to feel about Ever and Damon. It pisses me off to some degree, because…well, just because Ever is so important to me. Even though we aren't together, I still want to keep her safe and I also want her to be happy.

Damon has changed dramatically over the last few months, but he's still a loose cannon, he could really hurt her, and not just physically.

"I'll talk to him" Ever says firmly and I can see the determination in her eyes.

"He's not just going to hand it over, especially if it's harmful to vampires" I say.

Ever nods but then he eyes spark and I can tell she has an idea,

"What if it wasn't?" she looks over at Bonnie.

….

"Absolutely not" Damon says.

"Just hear me out" Ever begins.

"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel, so she can give it to John so he can turn around and kill me" Damon protests.

I growl deep and threatening. Damon looks over at me and his jaw hardens. Things have been slightly strained with my brother since I broke up with Damon. I have to admit that part of it really is my fault. It's just that I'm not over being pissed with him yet.

I know that Ever had no bad intentions, but I can't say the same of my brother.

"I like being a living-dead person"

"But it'll be useless. Bonnie can take it's power away" Ever argues stubbornly.

"I don't trust her" but even as he says the words I know there's no hear behind it. His eyes soften when he looks at Ever. You wouldn't notice it if you didn't know Damon well, I do, so I see his reaction to her.

It would be fascinating if Ever were any other girl.

"I can remove the original spell" Bonnie explains simply.

Ever raises her arms in a 'see, there you go' gesture and I say,

"They'll never know Damon. Just let Bonnie do her mighty ju ju thing, and then we can hand it over. Simple."

"No. No, we can get Jeremy back another way" Damon says, shaking his head.

I roll my eyes,

"Oh yeah, and how exactly are we going to do that? Because Isobel is a vampire, which means Jer could be dead within seconds"

Damon looks over at Bonnie and asks,

"Are you even up for this? No offence, you're no Emily Bennett"

"I've been practicing" Bonnie says.

"It's not piano lessons honey"

Bonnie stands up straight and asks,

"What's your favourite book?"

Damon looks at her in confusion,

"What?"

"Name a book, any book" Bonnie says.

Damon thinks about it for a moment but then Ever says,

"Pride & Prejudice"

Damon's eyes lock with Ever, and the tension in the room goes up about a million notches, they share an amused look, and I realise I'm watching them share a private joke. Ever and Damon have private looks and inside jokes now? How did I not notice how close they'd become?

Actually, I know the answer to that, and he's the reason we're doing all this.

Bonnie then goes on to wow her audience by making the book fly off the book shelf at Damon without even touching it or knowing where it is. Well, I'm impressed.

"We're doing this Damon, and we're doing it my way" Ever says, her voice holding a note of steel to it.

I wouldn't argue with Ever when she uses that tone. You'd likely get a bat to the face if you did.

Ever moves forward until she is standing right in front of Damon, she looks up at him,

"Now give me the device"

"You can trust me Day, you know you can" Ever all but whispers. Again I see another look pass between them. It's discreetly intimate and the intensity of it almost knocks me right over.

Damon is looking right into Ever's eyes and suddenly he looks more conflicted than I've seen him in a long time. A moment later Damon nods slowly and takes out the invention. Ever holds out her hand and he places it in her palm carefully.

I notice that Damon lets his hand brush Ever's as he lets it drop, and I also notice Ever's reaction. She shivers at the contact, and I clearly see longing and desire come alive in both their gazes as they continue to look at each other.

Ever's P.O.V

"Where's the device?" Isobel asks me and Elena.

We came to meet her in the town square, it's deserted, which is lucky for us. If lucky is really the right word for this situation. Bonnie did the spell, it was super creepy, I'm still not good with all the witchy stuff. For some reason it still gets to me in a way that the vampy stuff doesn't.

"Where's our brother?" Elena asks instead of answering Isobel's question.

"This isn't a negotiation" Isobel says coldly, "Where's the invention?"

"Where's. Our. Brother?" I say, trying to keep my voice as hard and firm as possible. No way am I letting this bitch screw with me or Elena.

Isobel smiles slightly,

"Do you really think that I came alone?"

I look behind me and see two damn good looking tall people standing there looking…tall. Very tall. Obscenely tall…not the time brain.

I turn back to Isobel and say,

"Do you really think that we came alone?"

I gesture over Isobel' shoulder as Sin, Damon and Stefan come into view.

Isobel rolls her eyes,

"For god's sakes, call home"

"What?"

"Call home and ask for Jeremy" Isobel says.

Elena takes out her phone and does as Isobel says. After a few moments Elena nods at me and I sag in relief. I then nod over at Sin, who in turn also looks like the whole world has just been taken off his shoulders.

I see it now. I see how much I've missed whilst getting so wrapped up in Damon, and Stefan. Sinbad has deep feelings for my brother….and….it doesn't bother me. At least, not as much as it should. Now all I can think about is if my brother feels the same. I've never actually thought Jeremy was gay, he was with Vicki but….hell anything is possible with Sin. I can't imagine anyone, gay or straight, not falling for him.

"You were never gonna hurt him" Elena says to Isobel.

Isobel arches an eyebrow,

"No. I was going to kill him. Don't look for any redeemable qualities in me. I don't have any"

Ahmen to that.

Elena shakes her head,

"But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know he was going to give it to Ever?"

Ah, bad question twin. Abort, abort.

Isobel tilts her head and answers,

"Because he's in love with her"

My eyes instantly go to Damon. He meets my gaze, and even though I know everyone is staring at me right now, it still feels like Damon and I are the only two people in existence. I try to read Damon's eyes, and I'm pretty sure he's trying to do the same to me.

My attention snaps back to Isobel when she holds her hand out to me. I frown at it for a second before stepping forward and slapping the 'device' into her hand. I meet her gaze and snap,

"Thank you"

Isobel asks,

"For what?"

I laugh darkly,

"For being such a monumental disappointment. It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly in tact. I was worried that if I met you I might start to associate you with the word mother more than the woman who raised me. But, obviously, I shouldn't have bothered worrying at all"

"Good bye Ever. Elena" Isobel looks at us each in turn for a long moment, but her gaze lands on me when she says,

"As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed. Katherine was smart, she got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine"

I shake my head, and whisper,

"Sinbad and I are not together anymore"

Isobel smiles and says,

"I know. Sinbad would never fall for his brother's girl, and he definitely wouldn't fight with them over one. Sinbad wasn't the two Salvatore's I meant"

I freeze, my eyes going to Elena, who is frowning in confusion. I look over at first Damon, then Stefan, and the look in his eyes….I have no idea what to make of it, and I don't know if I even want to know. Damon and Stefan then look at each other and the tension between them is almost suffocating.

Isobel walks away then, but I barely notice because I suddenly feel so damn tired. Stefan moves towards us and Elena meets him half way. He pulls her into an embrace. I look around for Sin, but he's gone, probably to check on Jeremy.

When my eyes fall on Damon I see that his eyes are asking for permission. I nod in a silent yes and Damon strides forward until he is only a few feet away from me. Then he practically yanks me into a protective embrace.

All I can think as he holds me close and strokes my hair gently is that there is no place on earth I'd rather be at this moment than right here. With Damon. In his arms. Every bad thing seems to melt away, and I hope like hell Damon will always catch me when I fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a lot of drama and snark in this. Please let me know what you think of everything. There was also a lot of tension going on between the characters and I hope that build suspense for the next chapter which is the season 1 FINALE!
> 
> Spoiler-Next time is the finale, so I have some big stuff planned. BIG DEVER SCENE. BIG JERBAD SCENE. AND ONE SCENE THAT PEOPLE WILL EITHER LOVE OR HATE. xxx


	34. Founder's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEASON 1 FINALE!!!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-fourth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then…..I'd be a happy fucking person obviously! xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Founders Day

SEASON 1 FINALE!

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Damon, we need to talk" I say to my oldest brother. Having just gotten back from checking that Jeremy is really safe and unharmed, I've come home, with every intention of finally having it out with my brother.

Finding out that Jeremy was safe put a lot of things into perspective for me. Isobel was right about one thing, I would never fight with my brothers over a woman. Not because Ever doesn't matter enough to me, but because I don't want my relationship with either of my brothers to be like that.

I watched as Stefan and Damon tore each other apart both physically and emotionally. I hated it. I hated Katherine for doing that to them. I hated them for being weak enough to allow her to do it in the first place. I held a lot of resentment towards both of my brothers for a long time. They screwed everything up over a woman who wasn't even worth it.

But I slowly got over that, it took time though. I can accept this too, but not before Damon and I sort out a few things between us.

Damon turns to me and I see a wariness in his eyes. He's not sure what to expect from me, and I can't blame him for that, because before right now I wasn't sure how to react either. 

"Oh, please, talk. Purge, brother"

I ignore his mocking tone because I know Damon well enough to understand that it's just a defence mechanism to keep me at arms length. 

"I know, that you and Ever have become…close. You've become her good friend, and she has become your good friend in turn"

Damon nods slowly, and tilts his head to the side as if contemplating his answer,

"Yes, Ever is a good friend, a very good friend. In fact she may qualify as my only, friend"

"I believe that. You are very annoying" I reply conversationally.

That gets a smile out of Damon and he says,

"What is it you really want to say Sin? Spit it out."

I sigh heavily, unable to stop myself from feeling tired. Almost losing Jeremy has drained me emotionally. But this needs to be said. Damon needs to hear it and I need to say it. Otherwise things will just continue to spiral out of control, which will not end well for anyone involved.

I meet his gaze when I answer,

"You have feelings for Ever." It isn't a question, it is statement, and either way Damon does not deny it.

I continue,

"I know that you care for her deeply. I'm sorry it took me so long to fully realise that. I will not fight with you over this Damon. I can only hope your intentions are good, if not towards me, then at least towards Ever. She doesn't deserve to be messed with. I will not allow you to hurt her"

Damon's expression turns from subtle curiosity to full blown anger within seconds. His fists tighten at his sides, and he all but growls,

"It isn't your decision. I want her."

His words are simple, but they mean so much more. I can see it in his eyes, the fierceness of it hits me in the gut and again I wonder at what point did Ever become so important to my brother. Not that I don't understand what has my brother so captivated. Ever is undeniably special, she not like anyone I have ever met.

My jaw hardens,

"She was mine Damon"

Damon's eyes flash with a rage so bright that it's almost blinding, jealousy poures off my brother in waves. He shakes his head,

"Key word being 'was'. You gave her up baby brother. You have no right to keep Ever from me"

My anger depletes somewhat, because he's not wrong. I don't have any right to Ever anymore, not in that sense anyway. 

"Ever is important to me Damon, she'll always be. And she'll always care for me too."

Damon's growl is low and almost threatening this time, and I have to stop myself from making this argument physical. Part of me is still pissed at him, and it's that part that is screaming at me to attack. But I'm not an idiot, I won't give Damon the satisfaction of getting to me, not about this. Not yet.

"But it isn't me she's in love with, I'm observant enough to know that much."

That seems to knock Damon back for six. Good. Maybe he'll be civil for five fucking minutes. Damon nods slowly, but that seems to be the only reply he's willing to give. 

"You're in love with her" I say, again it isn't a question, it's a statement that I know with everything in me is true.

Damon meets my eyes, and instead of answering with actual words he lets me see it. He lets me see how true that statement really is. I nod once,

"Good. As long as treat her the way she deserves to be treated, then we won't have a problem. But I mean it Damon. You hurt Ever, and it's not just me you'll have to deal with."

Then before Damon can say anything I step forward and punch my brother in the face. I do it hard enough that Damon is sent flying into the opposite wall. I vamp speed after him and wrap my hand around his neck, pinning him to that wall. I lean in close and say harshly,

"That, was for making my girlfriend fall in love with you. And there will be a lot more than that coming your way if you ever fucking hurt her. Damon tell me you understand, because after this I want things to be sorted. I don't hate you, you don't hate me, we go back to normal, yeah. Just say you understand"

Damon glares at me for a moment, but then his expression clears and he shoves me away from him,

"Yes, I understand baby brother" and I can tell he means it.

But then Damon moves fast and slams me up against the same wall, hard. He gets right in my face when he growls,

"But know this brother, if you ever fucking touch her again, I will rip your heart out. She's not yours anymore, and she never will be again. Now tell me you understand"

I narrow my eyes, but I can tell he needs this. He needs to know that I won't go back to Ever. And this is the truth of my brother's insecurity, he still thinks she'll choose me over him. Katherine fucked him up worse than even I thought if that's the case.

But this is hardly the time for us to have a brotherly heart to heart about that, so all I do is nod. Damon immediately releases me and we stare at each other for a good few seconds before Damon turns away and pours us both a drink. He holds one out to me and I see it for what it truly is, an offering, one that if I choose to accept it will wipe everything away and allow us to move forward as brothers, not enemies. 

I take the drink. A deal has been ceiled between us. I can only hope neither of us regrets it…...

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think back over what happened between Damon and me last night. It was necessary and I am glad we talked everything out. This morning things between us were a lot smoother than they have been for a while, most of the animosity is gone and I'm grateful for that.

"Are you going to this Founders day….thingy?" I ask Jeremy. We're in his room, Elena and Ever left not long ago looking so much like Katherine with those big dresses on that it creeped me the fuck out. I have no idea how Damon and Stefan are going to react, probably have a vampire version of a heart attack.

Jeremy shrugs,

"Probably. Elena wants me to be there, and so does Jenna"

I'm led on his bed and Jeremy has his head resting on my stomach. My hand finds its way into Jeremy hair, and I brush through the surprisingly silky brown strands gently as I say,

"Not Ever?"

Jeremy snorts out a laugh and somehow leans even more into my touch, a satisfying feeling grows in my stomach.

"Nah, she shouted for me to 'run, run for your life Jeremy, before they capture you and dress you up in ridiculous clothing. Run little brother, run'"

I laugh loudly,

"That definitely sounds like Ever"

Jeremy tenses suddenly and I frown at him, waiting for whatever it is playing on Jer's mind. I can tell he's been working his way up to saying something, but I'm not sure what it might be. Eventually he asks in an almost inaudible whisper,

"Do you miss my sister?"

My frown deepens, I'm not sure exactly what he means,

"I see Ever practically every day, so it would be difficult to miss her Jer"

Jeremy sits up and my fingers slide out of his hair, I only barely suppress the urge to pull him back against me. Keeping my hands to myself is almost impossible with Jeremy, but I've been trying my best not to lose my self control completely at least.

He looks down at me, those big brown eyes of his alight with a deep emotion that I cannot quite decipher.

"You know what I meant Sin"

It hits me then. I do understand, but I'm not willing to assume anything, not with Jer, so I say,

"No Jer, explain what you meant. Tell me."

Jeremy swallows hard and bites his lip, I can tell he's nervous,

"Do you miss being with my sister? Would you get back together with her if you could?" he asks in a rush.

It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room at that point and I cannot look away from Jeremy's face. I have no idea what to make of the question, and the need to read into it is almost too much.

I sit up then, and we're sitting close enough together that our faces are only inches apart when I'm sat upright. Jeremy doesn't move away from me, his eyes are almost challenging. He wants to know, he really wants to know.

"I care a lot about your sister Jer, I always will. But, no, I don't want to get back together with her. We had good reasons for breaking up."

My thumb strokes across Jeremy's jaw and he shivers, something akin to desire lighting up his eyes.

"What reasons?" Jeremy asks me, he sounds a little breathless and for whatever reason I like that. I want him to be breathless and I want him to shiver in pleasure at my touch, even if he doesn't understand why yet.

I let my forehead press against his and reply steadily,

"Jer, you do things to me that no one else in the world has ever done. I feel you, all the time, even when you're not around. I've been alive for over a hundred and forty-five years Jeremy, and I can honestly tell you that there is no one on this earth who I have met in all that time who compares to you"

Jeremy is breathing hard and I can hear his heart pounding unbelievably fast. The urge to bite him, to taste the deliciously erotic blood that courses through his veins is almost overwhelming. I want it, fuck, I want it bad. Really fucking bad.

"I liked it" Jeremy whispers, a hitch in his voice.

I move my hand to the back of Jeremy's neck and grip the hair at the nape of his neck. I tug on his hair so that his head tilts back and he is baring his throat,

"You liked what baby?" the endearment just slips out, but Jeremy doesn't comment on it so I don't take it back.

My lips graze his throat and my fangs ache. I want to bite into his neck so much that it hurts. But I wait for his response.

"When you bit me. I liked it. I don't know why, but I like how strong you are, and how fierce you are when you feed. I like how you touch me when you lose control. It's confusing. I've never….I never thought about another…..I mean it's always been…girls. But you…..you're really not a girl, you're not even a boy, you're a man…..and I like that. I don't understand it"

His words make me groan low and primal, the sound vibrates through my entire body and Jeremy shivers again in response. He's so responsive, and I fucking love that. But he's confused, and I don't want to take advantage of that. Ever would never forgive me if I did. She's trusted me with her brother, and I owe it to both of them to do this right. Or as right as I possibly can.

My tongue licks over Jeremy's neck all the way up to his jaw, he gasps wordlessly, and I nip at the skin there, careful not to break the skin. If I even get one drop of his blood on my tongue then I will well and truly lose it. I turn his head to the side, my hand still gripping his hair tight as I whisper into his ear,

"Oh, baby, I know. There's no rush. I want you, but I can wait, ok?"

Jeremy slowly slides his hand up to grip my thick bicep,

"Thank you Sin" he whispers.

Ever's P.O.V

"Ow, fuck a duck, this dress hurts. I am in pain right now. Serious pain" I look at Elena and she nods in agreement. I said the same thing to Jenna as she tightened my dress when we were at home.

"Suck it in baby" she'd said.

I'm actually starting to feel sorry for girls back then who had to wear this shit all the fucking time. In the words of Elizabeth Swan from Pirates of the Caribbean 'they must have learnt how not to breath'. You think I'm kidding, but I'm really not. It's pinchy too. I miss my ripped jeans and vest tops.

Elena is right beside me wearing a very similarly styled dress, although hers is gold and green, whilst mine is a mixture of red and blue. I do like the dress, it's not really my thing, but it does suit me in a weird way. I wonder for a moment if Elena and I look even more like Katherine than ever before. The thought is creepy so I push it away.

My twin gets called over by Carol, who's going around barking orders like this is the winter Olympics and not just Founder's Day in Mystic Falls. I continue my attempts to both walk and breath at the same time. It's fucking hard. Respect for women through the ages, seriously, if this is the kind of shit they had to put up with on a daily basis.

I turn a corner and when I look up I see Damon and Stefan staring openly at me. The shock on both their faces is almost funny. I aim a small flirty smile their way and give it a go at curtseying. I don't fall over, so I'm calling it a success.

I wait for them to come to me. No way am I walking anymore than I have to in this bloody thing. But they just keep staring. So eventually I have to gesture for them to come over. Stefan and Damon seem to snap back into reality at the same time, because suddenly they are moving towards me.

"Well hello Mr and Mr Salvatore. Nice outfits gentlemen" I arch an eyebrow teasingly and they both laugh. Damon and Stefan are both dressed in old fashioned clothing, and just as with me, it weirdly suits them.

Damon's eyes are burning with an intensity I can feel all the way to my very core. I try my best not to meet his gaze, because I know the moment I do I'll be lost. Damon held me last night, after Isobel left, for a very long time. It was difficult to let go of him, but Elena wanted me to go home with her, and I didn't know what else to do.

Everything with Damon is still so uncertain. But I aim to change that by the end of today. There's something different about Damon too, he seems more relaxed and comfortable. I wonder if anything has happened between him and Sin, because Sin seemed pretty happy too this morning. I hope they talked things out, that would make things a hell of a lot easier for all of us.

My eyes briefly flicker to meet Stefan's clear green eyes. I smile at him and he smiles back, our bond still buzzes happily between us. It's grounding in some ways, and even though it may sound strange, I'm glad it's there.

…

"Wait, John, is that even possible?" Elena exclaims in disbelief.

Ugh, looks like my theory might actually be right. Stefan and Damon seem to think the same thing I was beggining to suspect. Uncle John is our birth father. Double ugh.

Stefan shrugs,

"Well there's no proof, but he dated Isobel when he was a teenager and he was the one who brought her to your dad's office for the delivery"

I look over at Damon and he nods,

"It's pretty obvious when you think about it"

"Yeah, it kind of is. That's so suckish, I was hoping our birth father would be a rock star or something" I say in agreement.

Elena narrows her eyes at both of us,

"I'm glad you both find it amusing that a man we've never liked might actually be our biological father"

I make a face at her,

"He's already our uncle. It's not like we have to like him now just because he's moved up a peg on the relative roster. Plenty of people don't like their father's"

Damon points at himself,

"Example A" then he points at Stefan "Example B"

Stefan frowns at Damon,

"I didn't not like our father Damon"

Damon seems to consider this for a moment, but then replies,

"No, but you killed him, so that counts"

"That was an accident, it doesn't count Damon" Stefan argues.

Damon looks at me,

"Verdict?"

I bite my lip and give Stefan an apologetic look,

"It kinda of counts Stef. But that's ok, plenty of people have killed their fathers…..wait, that didn't come out right"

Damon chuckles under his breath and Stefan shakes his head, but I can see the amusement in his eyes, so I'll call that another win.

Elena sighs and looks at me,

"What are we meant to do? Just ask him outright?"

I mock frown at her and say,

"No Elena, don't be boring. We'll go on Jeremy Kyle and have DNA tests done"

Elena rolls her eyes,

"Really, that's your idea"

I shrug,

"It's the only idea that makes any logical sense"

"Well, obviously" Elena couldn't get any more sarcasm into those two words even if she tried.

….

"Matt, hide your broken arm, its not era appropriate" Caroline says frantically.

I went in search of Bonnie to thank her again for what she did by taking the invention's power away, I know that must have gone against her instincts, so it means a lot to me that she did it anyway.

But instead I stumbled upon Caroline, who then roped me into taking pictures of her and Matt.

"Yeah Matt, get your head out of your ass. People didn't get broken arms back then, God, you're so historically stunted. I don't know why I even talk to you" I say with a playful smirk.

Caroline rolls her eyes good naturedly. She seems to be less pissed with me lately, which is good because I didn't like the rift that was building between us. Matt just shakes his head and smiles at me before moving so that his cast is hidden.

I take a few pictures of them together and then Caroline says,

"Ok, I want a picture with Ever now"

Tyler comes up beside me and says,

"Here, I'll take it" I hand over the camera.

The tension between Matt and Tyler is still going strong.

"I'll be on the float" Matt says and moves away from us.

I catch his eye and he smiles apologetically at me, I nod in understanding. Tyler scoffs, as if he has any right to be annoyed. Tyler looks at me,

"I've said I'm sorry"

I hit him over the head,

"You made out with his mom. And then you beat him up you assface, it's going to take more than sorry this time Ty. You big idiot."

Tyler sighs heavily and asks,

"Well, what can I do? He hasn't been this mad since…"

I frown up at him,

"Since what?"

Tyler looks extremely uncomfortable,

"Since he found out I cheated on you. He was pissed at me for months"

"Good. So was I. You're a moron sometimes Ty, try thinking before you act, it might help"

Tyler nods,

"I know, I know. I am sorry for being a complete douche to you Ever, you didn't deserve it"

I roll my eyes,

"No, I bloody well didn't. But that's all in the past Ty, I've forgiven you, and so will Matt, you just have to prove to him that he can trust you not to screw him over all the damn time"

Tyler groans in frustration,

"How do I do that?" he asks desperately.

I smile slightly and reply,

"Work it out for yourself dummy, I'm sure you'll come up with something"

Tyler runs a hand through his hair and says,

"Could you help?"

I give him a long sigh,

"We'll see"

"Thanks Ever" Tyler says now smiling at me like an idiot, and I find myself smiling back.

"Shut up Ty" I say, but Tyler pulls me into a hug and I let him, despite everything, I'll always feel connected to Tyler in some way. Even if he is a big dummy.

…

Originally I asked Sinbad to stand with me on the float in the Founders day parade. But Sin suggested that maybe I should ask Damon when he came round this morning. So that's what I'm going to do.

I can't seem to find him, and we're meant to be going on soon. I think for a moment about skipping the whole damn parade altogether. But then I trip thanks to the pinchy torture dress. I can feel myself falling, but before I can hit the ground, arms are suddenly around my waist. Those strong arms help get my footing back, but they don't move from around me.

I look up into Damon's ridiculously handsome face and a grin spreads across my face,

"I was looking for you"

Damon's pale blue fire eyes connect with mine and he asks,

"Why's that? Want me to whisk you away before the parade starts? I'm sure I can find a horse around here somewhere"

I shake my head, my hands gripping his big biceps. I love how powerful and strong he is, even when he just holding me I can feel it coursing through his body. He could kill me in an instant if he wanted to with just his bare hands, which is why it amazes me that he can be so damn gentle sometimes. It says so much about Damon, those conflicting sides of his personality. Harsh and gentle, those two traits mixed together can be both fascinating and at times confusing.

"Actually, I was hoping you could stand up on the float with me. Be my handsome escort I mean" I reply carefully.

I really want him to say yes, but for the first time I'm actually worried he might not want to. Just because he has feelings for me and wants me, doesn't mean he actually wants to do normal stuff like this. He isn't Stefan after all, Damon has never expressed the need to have a normal life. In fact he might hate the very idea of it. Damon embraces the vampire side of himself, I know that much.

But as soon as the words leave my mouth Damon's face breaks out into a smile and he asks,

"Why not Sin?"

Damon knows why not, or at least I hope he does. I tilt my head slightly and reach up to stroke my thumb over Damon's jaw as I say,

"Sin's not the one I want on that float with me" I really hope he gets the double meaning to that. I don't just not want Sin on the float, I don't want him at all, not anymore. I want Damon. Finally being able to admit that to myself freely feels completely amazing.

I let Damon see that in my eyes, and his smile broadens. It makes my heart skip a few beats when he says,

"Then I would be honoured to stand with you Miss Gilbert"

"Why, thank you Mr Salvatore" I reply, and something flashes in Damon's eyes.

Damon slides a hand up my back and he pulls me closer, his gaze burns hot into me,

"You look beautiful Ever. But I think I prefer you in modern day clothes" he makes the words sound a lot more meaningful and for a moment I don't understand.

But then it clicks and I realise what he's really saying. Damon means that he wants me, not Katherine. My heart feels like it might burst out of my chest at that realisation. I tilt my head up and whisper,

"Kiss me Damon"

I've wanted him to do so for such a long time, and now we finally can. The moment feels right, and I want him to kiss me with a fierce longing I can barely control. Damon's eyes widen in surprise, but only for a moment.

Damon bends his head and within seconds his warm mouth is on mine. I swear fireworks start going off inside my body when his lips first touch mine. It's incredible and I can barely keep myself upright. Damon's hold on me gets tighter as I kiss him back. I reach up to twine my arms around his neck so that I can kiss him harder.

Damon's kiss become more insistent and I can feel the desire washing over both of us. He's been waiting for this just as long as I have. I can't help but wonder what the hell I was waiting for all this time. Nothing has ever felt this unbelievably wonderful, this powerful and overwhelming.

My emotions, as well as my physical reactions, consume me. Damon consumes me completely, and I feel like I'm drowning and falling at the same time. But because it's Damon there is also that connection with his fierce protective nature that I love.

This kiss is saying so many things, but the main one is that Damon is claiming me and making it clear to me and everyone else, that I'm his. I try to let him know that I truly want to be his, by kissing him back with complete abandon. In this moment, nothing else matters but me and Damon and everything we feel for each other being expressed in a kiss so devastatingly right that it makes every moment before it pale in comparison.

Damon's tongue licks over the seam of my lips, asking for entry. Something I would freely give him. Right now I think I'd give Damon anything he wanted, that's how far gone his kiss makes me feel. But before I can give into him completely I hear my name being called through the haze of absolute pleasure.

I pull away slightly from Damon and turn my head towards the sound, Damon does the same. It's Elena. My twin is staring at us like we've just captured a unicorn. Actually she's looking at us like we've just murdered her pet unicorn. I get the feeling that she isn't going to take me loving Damon very well.

Too bad twin. Even I know that loving Damon is risky as all hell, but if I don't take that chance then I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Our kiss just confirmed that fact for me. I'm in it now, and I have no intention of backing down just because Elena doesn't like Damon. She'll come around. Hopefully.

Damon groans and lets his head fall against my shoulder. I can't help but smile, it feels good to be able to touch him, and have him touch me in such intimate ways without feeling guilty about it.

"Are you sure you don't want to run?" Damon whispers against my hair.

I snort,

"Ha, I can't run in this dress. I can barely move in the damn thing"

Damon chuckles darkly, which makes another shiver course through my body in response,

"I'll carry you" he offers suggestively.

I can't see his playful smirk, but I know it's there, and that knowledge makes my smile turn into a full sized grin,

"So very tempting Day, but I've been practising my waving for months now, and I want to show off my impressive skills"

Damon groans again, but this time it's more in amusement than anything else,

"Fine, I'll show off my standing still and pretending to have fun skills"

I laugh and lean back so that Damon raises his head. His eyes connect with mine as I say,

"Nah, you just have to stand there and look pretty"

"Are you saying I'm pretty?" Damon asks mock incredulously.

I arch an eyebrow,

"Oh, yeah, you're my dynamite arm candy Damon Salvatore and don't you forget it"

Then we're both laughing and the moment feels strangely….perfect.

…..

Later I'm at the Grill with Stefan, Elena and Damon. It's slightly awkward for numerous reasons, but right now I'm so damn happy that I don't care. Damon has barely stopped touching me since we first kissed and I honestly don't want him to.

When I see Matt coming out of the bathroom I remember what I said to Tyler and I excuse myself from Damon, he looks incredibly reluctant to let me go, but I kiss him on the jaw and whisper that I'll be back soon, which seems to placate him somewhat.

I give Tyler a meaningful look as I pass by him on my way to Matt. When Matt see's me he smiles wide and I smile in return,

"Hey Mattalan, I need to have a girly chat with ya"

Matt looks immediately apprehensive,

"About what?" he asks.

I bite my lip for a moment before answering,

"Tyler-"

Matt shakes his head,

"Ever, seriously, don't, I've heard it all from Caroline-"

I grip Matt's arm as he tries to move past me,

"Matt Donovan, you stay right here and listen to me damn it!"

Matt pauses at the steely edge to my tone and looks down into my face questioningly. I take a breath and then say,

"You know that I know first hand how much of a royal pain the ass Tyler can be, right?"

"Yeah I do know, that's why I don't understand how you could defend-"

"I'm not defending him Matty. He's an ass, but he is your best friend. Sometimes best friends screw up, and I know that doesn't make it better, and I'm not saying you should forgive him just like that. But, please, maybe give him a chance to prove that he can be a good friend. For you, because I know you miss him, just try and give him a shot at not being a complete dick. He needs you, you're the only one who he listens to" I stare up into Matt's eyes Salvatore style and I see the conflict in his gaze clearly.

But after a moment Matt heaves a heavy sigh and says,

"I'll think about it, that's as far as I'm willing to go"

I smile widely at him,

"That's all I ask Matty, you gorgeous humany thing you"

Matty rolls his eyes, but I can see the amusement on his face. Matt opens his arms and I let him pull me into a short hug. After that I let him get back to Caroline and as I pass by Tyler again I whisper,

"You've got one chance Ty, make it count"

Tyler nods in response and squeezes my hand in thanks. I wave him off and go back to where I really want to be; with Damon.

The moment I'm within touching range, Damon practically yanks me back to his side and kisses my shoulder. He growls under his breath and I look up at him with a smile. He arches an eyebrow,

"You really need to stop doing that"

"Doing what?" I ask.

Damon lowers his face closer to mine and replies,

"Letting other men touch you like that. I'm gonna end up ripping limbs off" there's an edge to his tone that has me believing he's not joking, as least not completely.

I'm not going to lie, a jealous Damon is pretty damn hot, but there's no way I can tell him that or he'll never let stop letting his jealousy show. I reach up without hesitation and kiss him hard, not caring one bit who's watching. The fireworks start up again inside me, but before I can get completely swept under I pull back and cup Damon's face in my hands, forcing him to meet my eyes,

"You're all I want Day. You asked for everything, and that's what I'm giving"

That seems to settle him slightly and he smiles down at me with a look I can only describe as loving.

"There's only you for me Ev's, you can have anything you want from me"

I return his smile and reply,

"I want everything"

Damon leans forward and brushes my lips with his,

"It's yours" he whispers, and my heart skips another few beats.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm looking for Jeremy when Anna corners me.

"You're still around, seriously?"

But I catch the look on Anna's face and it makes me frown. She looks worried,

"What is it Anna?" I ask.

"There's something you need to know. The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight" Anna says.

My eyes widen,

"How do you know this?"

Anna sighs,

"I went to them. They think I'm with them but I'm not. They want the founding families dead"

Oh, fuck. Jeremy. Ever. Elena. Shit!

"When is this supposed to happen?" I question Anna.

"When the fireworks start" she answers.

"John Gilbert wants to use that invention on them" I say almost absently.

Anna suddenly looks panicky,

"What? Then we can't be here"

I shake my head,

"It doesn't work, it's been deactivated"

"Well then a lot of people are going to die" Anna says.

"Where are they right now?" I ask.

"They're already here Sinbad"

Double fuck!

…..

The first thing I do is go to find Ric. He's by a table talking to a few of his students.

"Hey Ric" I call over to him.

Alaric looks up at me and frowns, noting the worry on my face most likely.

"Yeah"

"Come here" I gesture for him to follow me. I start walking and he falls into step beside me.

"You keep those nifty little vampy weapons in your car, right, please say you do"

Alaric nods,

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because this square is crawling with tomb vampires and I've been informed by a little birdy that we might need a stake or two" I reply quickly, whilst also looking around and trying to spot any tomb vampires.

"Got it" Alaric says and he goes off to get them.

Excellent. Now on with the rest of this fucking insanity.

I see Damon, Ever, Elena and Stefan walking together laughing and looking like they're actually having a good time. Well, off to ruin it.

Ugh, I'm that guy. I am the event ruiner. Ah well, fuck life.

I also notice that Damon has his arm firmly placed around Ever's shoulders, and if the way they keep looking over at each other like they're the only two people in existence and doing those intimate little touchy moment things is any indication, then they've finally talked. Or fucked, one or the other. Either way, I'm kinda happy for them, even if it is still a bit weird to think that.

I rush over and explain quickly the situation. The first thing Elena and Ever say is 'we need to find Jeremy'.

"I'll go find him" I look at my brothers and say, "You two just get them out of here"

I don't wait for a response as I head off in the direction of the Grill. If ever there was a time to put my uncanny ability of finding Jeremy into good use, then it's now.

The moment I walk into the place I get the instant rush of feeling that Jeremy is close. I look over at the bar and then the pool tables, but he isn't there. I close my eyes and try to narrow down that feeling of connection. In moments I am moving towards the bathroom. Jeremy starts to come out and when he catches sight of me coming towards him, he smiles.

I grab hold of Jeremy's arm and I steer him back into the bathroom. First I check that the place is empty of tomb vampires, or anyone else really, and then I turn back to a confused looking Jer.

But before I can get a word out my head starts to burn from the inside. The pain is so intense that I fall to my knees. I can barely stop myself from yelling in pain and I grasp my head. It hurts so fucking bad I can barely breathe. I am dimly aware of Jeremy falling down beside me and wrapping his arms around my body, pulling me close.

"Sin, what's going on? Please, tell me, what's happening?" Jeremy sounds frantic, but I can't speak, or reassure him. All I can do is try my best not fucking scream from the pain in my head.

Suddenly just as the pain starts to dissipate slightly I'm being grabbed from behind by two deputies. I try to fight them off, but I'm too weak. They start dragging me out and all I can concentrate on is Jeremy yelling for them to let me go. I see the deputies holding Jeremy back as he tries to come after me, still shouting for them to let me the fuck go.

Ever's P.O.V

"What's going on?" Elena says. Something I'd really like to know as well damn it.

Damon told Stefan to get Elena and me out of here. He went to find John, I tried to get him to stay, but he just kissed me long and hard for a few agonising moments before taking off. I shouted after him, but he was already gone. The crazy bastard.

Stefan was still trying to convince me to leave when he dropped down onto the pavement grasping his head. I dropped down next to him and so did Elena. Suddenly Alaric came out of nowhere and sent a deputy away who'd been coming towards us.

What the actual fuck is going on around here?

Alaric helps me and Elena get Stefan out of sight. Through our bond I can feel echoes of the pain Stefan is in right now, and I am superemely pissed off. And upset. I don't like Stefan being hurt, our bond can feel that sorrow and it makes it ten times worse. I cup Stefan's face in my hands and through our bond I somehow try to take some of the pain away, or at least give him some of my strength. I think it works because he looks up into my eyes and they're clear, aware, instead of being rolled back into his head. He gets up slowly, Elena and me helping him.

"We don't know what happened, he just dropped" I say to Alaric.

"Yeah, he's not the only one. Cops have gotten everyone who's gone down, they're injecting them with vervain" Alaric says, and suddenly it clicks.

"They're rounding up the vampires" I gasp, "Damon!"

My heart speeds to a pounding rhythm and before I can even blink twice I'm running in the direction I saw Damon go only minutes before. All I can think about is finding him. If they've hurt him then….no, I can't even contemplate that possibility. Not now, not when everything was so amazing between us. This isn't right, I can't lose him. I can't. I won't.

I run into Jeremy, and he grasps hold of me tightly. I see the same frantic worry in his eyes that I know is in mine.

"They've got him, Ever, what's going on. He went down in pain and then they just took him"

"Who, Damon?" I ask, my heart squeezing inside my chest.

Jeremy shakes his head,

"Sinbad"

Oh fuck, my stomach plummets. They've got Damon and Sinbad. Two people I can't stand to lose. Two people I love. Fuck.

"The council used a device to reveal all the vampires in town. They've taken them to….they're gonna kill them Jer"

My little brother's face pales, and a sick feeling spreads inside of me.

"Come on, we have to find them" I say to Jer. I don't even try to tell him to leave, I know that he won't, not if Sin is in danger.

I see John and make a beeline for him, Jeremy is right beside me,

"Where's Damon and Sinbad?" I all but shout at him.

He regards me and Jeremy for a moment before saying,

"With the rest of the tomb vampires, where they should be. It's over for them."

I just about stop myself from kicking his ass. Jeremy isn't quite as restrained and he goes for John with a barely concealed growl. I hold him back, even though I really don't want to.

I shake my head,

"You're fucking crazy. Tell us where they are!"

John narrow his eyes at us,

"For what, doing what should have been done a hundred and forty-five years ago? This is the right thing Ever"

Jeremy wrenches away from my grasp and punches John in the face. If this wasn't such an awful moment for me, then I'd so be jumping up and down with happiness right now at the sight of John being punched out.

Jeremy kneels down beside a moaning John and grasps him by the shirt colour,

"Where the fuck are they?" Jeremy's tone is deadly quiet. I've never seen this side of Jeremy before, but in this context, I'm liking it. John responds to the threat in Jeremy's voice,

"They're in the basement"

I gasp,

"I know where they are Jer"

Jeremy looks round at me and shoves John away from him. I grab hold of Jeremy's arm and he falls into step beside me as I run faster than I ever have before to where I know Sinbad and Damon are.

I go round to the side of the building where I know there's a back exit. I slam the door open and am about to run inside when Bonnie comes out of nowhere shouting,

"No, Ever don't"

Jeremy runs on ahead of me and I try to go after him but Bonnie grabs hold of my arm,

"You can't go in there"

I shake my head,

"Damon's in there Bonnie! I have to"

Bonnie shakes her head,

"Please, don't. I'm sorry I lied to you"

I push Bonnie away,

"I don't care about that right now Bonnie. I just want to get Damon and Sinbad out"

"Why do you want to save Damon, I understand Sinbad, but why Damon?" Bonnie asks in confusion.

I stare back at her, my eyes burning with unshed tears,

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!"

I yank my arm out of her grasp and run inside after Jeremy. I catch up to Jeremy when he's at the door. As I reach him Jeremy opens the door to the basement and a wave of heat hits us both. I gasp, the fire is already pretty strong. But then suddenly the fire on the stairs goes down, making it at least semi safe to go down them.

Bonnie. Thank God for the mighty ju ju!

Jeremy and I don't waste any time. We both bolt down the stairs. The moment I see Damon, I feel like I could collapse in relief. Sinbad is already helping Damon to his feet. He seems almost…..unaffected. Jeremy rushes over to Sinbad and practically tackles him to the ground.

I go to Damon and he tries to lift his head.

"Ever, get out of here" Damon manages to choke out.

"No fucking way, not unless you're coming with me" I say to him and I help Sin by looping Damon's other arm over my shoulder.

Sin has Jeremy plastered to his side and is whispering something into his ear. Jeremy is staring up at Sin as if he owns the fucking world, and in turn Sin is looking at Jeremy like he's the most important person in the entire universe. How the hell did I miss that?

"Let's go" Sin says and I nod in agreement. I've never agreed with a statement so much in my fucking life.

We get to the top of the stairs just as the fire rises up again with a vengeance. Stefan is suddenly in front of us, he'd been about to come down himself, I can see it in his eyes. He would have risked anything for his brothers, that's who Stefan is.

When we all get out of the building Damon pulls away from Sin and goes down to the ground and I fall down with him. Damon tries to breathe properly and I lay down beside him, gently running my fingers through his hair and making soothing sounds.

I almost lost him, and it takes every bit of my self restraint not to throw myself over Damon and hug him close. Damon looks up into my eyes and lifts his hand to stroke his thumb over my cheek. Damon's pale eyes are so full of love and concern as he looks up at me that my heart almost pounds right out of my chest.

I lower my head and press my lips to his. Even though Damon is still weak from the vervain, he kisses me back and slides his fingers into my hair, holding me and silently reassuring me with his caressing movements that he is alright.

…

"Ok, Damon, we'll meet you and Stefan at the hospital. Elena and me are just grabbing some stuff so we can stay over at yours tonight" I say into the phone.

Sinbad, Damon and Stefan are at the boarding house. Jeremy insisted on staying with Sin. Elena protested, but I stepped in and convinced Elena to let him, saying to her that I would explain later.

Damon and Stefan are meeting us at the hospital. Caroline, Matt and Tyler were in an accident. Matt and Tyler are ok, but Caroline collapsed apparently. I won't know much more until I get to the hospital.

"See you soon Ev's, be careful" 

I smile at the open concern in his voice,

"No worries Day, the only vampires around now are you, Sin and Stefan, so unless any of you Salvatore's are planning on attacking, then I'll be fine"

I hang up then and speed up a little to catch up with Elena. She looks over at me and narrows her eyes curiously,

"You really are happy, aren't you?" she doesn't sound angry or irritated, my twin actually just seems like she genuinely wants to know.

I can't keep the stupid grin off my face as I look at her and answer honestly,

"Yes, I really, really am"

Elena sighs and she smiles softly,

"Then I'm happy for you, even if I think you dating Damon is insane-"

"Elena-"

"Alright, fine, I'll keep my opinions to myself" Elena placates, holding her hands up.

I roll my eyes and nudge her with my hip,

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see how long that lasts evil twin of mine"

Elena laughs as we climb the porch steps.

"Are you sure you didn't leave your stuff somewhere else?" I ask her.

Elena shakes her head,

"No, I swear, someone must have taken my things"

I frown at her,

"Why the hell would someone take your stuff? It's not even good stuff"

Elena shrugs and then hits me lightly on the arm. I pretend to fall against the front door dramatically,

"Ahhh, she hit me. The woman hit me! I've been BEATEN! Help, help, she's animal"

Elena starts laughing again,

"Ever, stop it, you insane person. I barely touched you"

I mock glare at her,

"Oh, I'm so telling Damon about this! He told me to be careful, I thought the Salvatore's were the only threat around here, but obviously I was wrong, you crazy twin beater!"

Elena just rolls her eyes and opens the front door. We're both still laughing as we go inside…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter yet, and my best, I'd like to think. I worked so hard on this, and I hope you like it. 
> 
> Will Dever stay together now that they've finally given in to their feelings? How about Jeremy, is he really gay, and how will he cope with his feelings for Sinbad? Why wasn't Sinbad effected by the vevain? 
> 
> PLEASE, give me reviews folks. This is the season finale, so I really want some feedback. Should I continue with a season two?
> 
> Spoiler for next season (if you want one)-DEVER! (Dever sex;). Jeremy coming to terms with his feelings, and some major Jerbad moments. Getting to know more about Sinbad's past, Originals anyone? Also some surprising things that will link him to Jeremy. Katherine and Sinbad fights (I am so looking forward to writing those, they will be profoundly amusing I promise). Stever moments (we find out why they have a 'bond') and an event that will change everything! 
> 
> Give me reviews pwople, I need to know if you want another season! Thank you all so much for reading, love you my peoples! xxx


	35. The Birthday-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bitch is back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-fifth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd be kicking ass on the Grill pool tables! xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

The Birthday-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

Elena and I stop laughing abruptly when we hear a crash and a loud groan coming from the kitchen. Elena turns a startled gaze on me before rushing into the kitchen, I'm right behind her. The first thing I see is a bloody stake knife on the floor next a collapsed John. Elena practically screams and runs over to John. I hand her a dish towel and take out my phone to call the paramedics.

Son of a pigeon's uncle! We'll be going to the hospital in an ambulance of our very own by the looks of things.

I look down at John, who is obviously in pain. Seems he's had his fingers chopped off. Either he's one hell of a clumsy fucker as well as a self righteous dick, or there's someone else running around with blood on their hands.

His eyes connect with mine for a moment and he gasps out,

"Behind you!"

I spin quickly, expecting to see a knife welding maniac behind me. But there's no one there when I turn around. I frown and carefully drop down to pick up the bloodied knife before standing back up again and moving off to check shit out.

Elena calls for me to come back, but I don't listen. Yes, I'm that girl in the horror movie who should have stayed out of the basement, shame on me. I'm usually the one shouting at that idiotic girl to leave the freakin' house.

As I move into the hallway I get the horribly eery feeling that I'm being watched. I walk slowly, the knife in my hand, ready to be used if need be. I am a professional ninja after all. This is not amateur hour here folks.

Suddenly I feel a rush off wind on my back and I instinctually turn around to face the threat. But again there is nobody there. The rush of wind happens again and I turn back around just in time to see the front door slam.

Vampire. It has to be. But…..the only vampires who have been invited in are the Salvatore's. This doesn't make any sense.

I run back into the kitchen. Elena is still on the floor keeping pressure on John's wound. I take my phone back out and quickly call the paramedics.

Just when I thought things were winding down. Damn.

…

The ambulance comes and takes John away. I call Damon as Elena drives us to the hospital. Damon and Stefan are on their way to the hospital too. I don't tell him about John, I figure he'll freak out less if I tell him when he can see I'm alright.

All I say is that we're on our way over now. I think Damon can tell something is wrong though because he asks if I'm alright. I tell him I am and then hang up before he can ask any more questions. I find it hard not to tell Damon everything, especially when he uses that soft caring voice I've come to really love.

"What do you think happened?" Elena asks me, she looks really worried, and I can't blame her. We've just been dosed with another load of 'what the actual fuck?'

Again.

I shrug,

"I think he slipped and cut his own fingers off, and is now trying to pretend someone else did it to save himself the embarrassment of admitting he can't be trusted with knives"

Elena rolls her eyes,

"This isn't funny Ever."

I scoff,

"Who's laughing? It's not your boyfriend who was almost roasted alive by John. Sorry if I'm not feeling that much sympathy. It's not like he's dead, he'll be fine. We can always find him a nice hook and he can be Captain Hook. A true Disney villain"

Even Elena can't hold in a burst of laughter at that one. I realise what I said then. Boyfriend. I just called Damon Salvatore my boyfriend. And I liked it.

When we get to the hospital, Elena and I don't waste any time in running towards Caroline's ward. I see Stefan first, and as soon as his eyes meet mine I feel a layer of calm come over me, our bond soothes my soul.

I look for Damon and I find him standing with Liz. He pulls the upset sheriff into a hug and then catches sight of me over her shoulder.

I nod once and smile tentatively, he smiles back with the same controlled enthusiasm. I'm trying hard not to grin at the sight of him, especially as Caroline could be seriously hurt. Elena and I go over to Stefan and the first thing we ask about is Caroline. He tells us what he's heard, which isn't actually much.

Matt is sitting with Bonnie on a few of the hospital seats. I look over at him and give Matt a sympathetic smile. He looks like hell. Things must really be wrong.

I go over to Bonnie, she stands up looking like she might actually cry,

"How bad is it really?" I ask, unsure if I actually want to know the answer.

"She might not make it" Bonnie barely manages to choke out. I feel my heart plummet, the thought of Caroline dying is inconceivable to me. She's so bouncy and vibrant, the world would be a duller place without her.

I pull Bonnie into a hug and look over her shoulder at Matt. Once Bonnie lets me go I sit down next to Matt and place a hand over his. He links our fingers and I squeeze his hand reassuringly,

"She'll be fine Matty, Caroline is strong. What actually happened anyway?" I ask him.

Matt looks over at me and explains the accident. I end up shaking my head in confusion. Why would Tyler freak out? It's obvious that the 'noise' he heard must have been the same one coming from the device that took down the vampires. But Tyler isn't a vampire. Damon told me that Mayor Lockwood was killed in the fire, they thought he was a vampire too.

What do the Lockwood's have to do with anything?

So many fucking questions and no one we can actually ask for the answers.

After a while I pull Bonnie aside and ask her,

"Is there anything you can do? Like a spell or something?"

Bonnie shakes her head and I feel my heart plummet even further.

"You don't know how, do you?" I hear Damon's voice from behind me. A moment later his hand is on my waist and I lean into the touch. It feels so good to have him close to me again.

"No, I don't" Bonnie answers stiffly, and I can tell it hurts her to have to admit that.

"No you don't, because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that" Damon says. I elbow him in the stomach and he frowns down at me.

"Helpful words Day, or none at all" I say firmly. For a moment Damon looks like he'll argue, but he must see the upset in my eyes, because he simply nods. I reach up and squeeze his arm in a silent thank you.

"Yeah, well I can take down a vampire. That spell was easy to learn", Bonnie snaps in irritation. I don't think Damon and Bonnie are going to be getting along anytime too. They're both so hot headed and stubborn. The two of them will probably end up driving me insane.

But Damon just looks down at me and says,

"Let me give Caroline some blood"

"No way" Elena comes up on my other side and glares at Damon. Ah, I thought we were past this whole animosity thing. Apparently not.

Damon sighs,

"I mean only enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital, it'll be out of her system in a day"

Elena shakes her head vehemently,

"No, it's too risky"

"Do it" I say. Bonnie nods in agreement with me.

I look over at Elena,

"This is Caroline, we need to do everything we can to help her"

"We can't let her die" Bonnie adds, emotion filling her voice.

Elena looks like she still wants to argue, but I shake my head and she reluctantly backs down. I have no idea if this is the right choice, all I know is that I can't just sit around and do nothing whilst Caroline might be dying.

"Do it" Bonnie says, her eyes fixed on Damon.

Damon looks down at her and narrows his eyes,

"If I do this, you and me, call a truce?"

Uh, nope, I can see that isn't going to happen. Stubborn, stubborn witchy best friend. Stupid, stupid vampire boyfriend. Why must I always be the voice of reason?

Ok, even I hear background laughter inside my own head in response to the ridiculousness of that question.

Bonnie smiles smugly,

"No"

Damon eyebrows furrow. If he actually expected Bonnie to say yes to that, then he's really off his rocker.

Bonnie continues,

"But you'll do it anyway. For Ever" her eyes dart to me and I shift uncomfortably for a moment.

I shake my head,

"Oooohhhh no. Don't either of you be pulling me into your witchy vs vampy battle of stubbornness"

Bonnie doesn't say anything, she just gives Damon another withering look and then walks away. I arch an eyebrow at Damon and he smirks down at me,

"I think she likes me" he drawls.

"Be careful, Day, or she'll set all her mighty ju ju-ness of your ass" I warn him, but that smirk of his gets to me and I smile up at him.

Elena makes a clearing her throat sound and I realise Damon and me have been staring openly at each other with big dummy smiles on our faces. I've never felt like this before, I've never been so swept up in someone that everything else fades away to nothing when we're together.

I look over at Elena and suddenly Stefan is right behind her.

"We need to tell you both something" I say, eyes flickering between the two oldest Salvatore brothers.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm downstairs when Ever comes in. Jeremy is having a shower, he smells like smoke and I wanted him to get cleaned up if only so I could have time to think of exactly what I'll say when he gets out. Jeremy risked his fucking life by coming into that basement to save me. Him and Ever both.

Part of me feels elated that he cares so much, other parts of me want to shake him furiously for being so reckless. If Jeremy had died trying to save me, I would never have been able to forgive myself. The youngest Gilbert means more to me than he'll ever probably know.

I stand up from the sofa and look over at Ever. There's something off about her, but I can't quite put my finger on what that something is.

"Where's the rest of your foursome?" I ask her.

She looks over at me, and a small smile graces her lips. It sets off alarm bells inside my head. Eve never looks at me like that, even when we were together. Ever moves closer to me until we are only inches apart. She places a hand on my chest and moves it up slowly, seductively. Her eyes dance with a strange desire.

"They're at the hospital still, I came here to check on you and Jeremy. It's just us." Ever tilts her head to the side and then cups my cheek in her hand, caressing my jaw with her thumb, "I've missed you Sinbad, almost losing you in that fire made me realise I'd made a mistake in letting you go"

This is so not right.

"Ever, what number Salvatore am I"

This gets another seductive smirk out of her. She pushes up on her toes until her face is almost level with mine, our lips are only inches apart when she practically purrs,

"You're number one for me Sin, you always will be"

DING DING DING! WRONG ANSWER!

That's when she kisses me. The kiss is hard and insistent, her tongue delving into my mouth within seconds.

This is not Ever. And it definitely isn't Elena….which only leaves….ah, fuck.

Oh, fine, that bitch wants to play, then let's really play.

I grip the back of her head and kiss her punishingly. My tongue taking claim of her mouth as I yank her body close to mine. I lift her off the ground so she has to wrap her legs around me. I grind against her and she moans loudly into my mouth.

I vamp speed and slam her into the wall, my body covering hers completely as I continue to ravage her mouth, eliciting more moans and startled whimpers every few seconds. I hand slides up over her thigh and my fingers dig in hard when I reach her hip.

I tare my lips away from her mouth and tug on her hair so that her neck is exposed. I attack her neck and throat with fierce kisses and little bites. I suck on the skin at the hollow of her neck,

"Oh, Sinbad" she gasps between pleasurable groans.

Yep, that'll do it.

In seconds I have my hand wrapped around her throat and I've slammed her down onto the floor. My knees pin her arms as I lean in close and whisper,

"So kind of you to drop in….Katerina. Little Kitty Kat, bad move coming to me when I'm alone. Very. Bad. Move."

The bitch makes choking noises and I smile in satisfaction. I've been waiting to get my hands on her for over a hundred and forty-five years. I'm going to make her death so fucking painful that she'll fear me even in death. Oh yes, fucking with me whilst I'm alone was a very bad move indeed.

Unfortunately Damon, Ever, Elena and Stefan choose that moment to come in. I hear the door open and my grip on the bitch's throat doesn't loosen. She's struggling hard beneath me, and I know if I loosen even slightly she will bolt.

But then Jeremy comes in and he steals my attention for only about a second, which is all she needs to throw me off of her and vamp speed out. My brothers and the Gilbert twins come into the room only moments later, so I'm guessing she got past them.

Damn, fucking, damn.

I look between a confused looking Jeremy and the fearsome foursome in front of me. I get to my feet and Ever asks,

"What the hell is going on?"

I smile sweetly at her and say,

"The bitch is back"

…

"Did she say what she wanted?" Damon asks me as Stefan paces the room unsettlingly.

"I didn't give her much of chance to say anything, I was too busy having fun choking her" I say with a self satisfied smile.

We're all in the living room still. Ever and Elena are sat down on the sofa, with Jeremy sitting crossed legged in the big chair right next to them.

"It must have been her who attacked John" Elena says, the anger in her voice is unmistakable. Ever nods in agreement,

"Yeah, and worse than that, she got blood all over one of our best knives. AND the kitchen is a mess. I know she's a bitch, but none of you told me she was just plain rude."

Elena gives her sister a sardonic look and shakes her head. Jeremy chuckles slightly under his breath, and despite everything, my gaze goes straight to his face. Jeremy's eyes connect with mine and my gut starts to burn with the need to touch him. But I can't, not right now with everyone watching, Jeremy might not like it, and I couldn't stand it if he actually pushed me away.

"The woman certainly knows how to make an entrance" Damon mutters darkly. That takes my attention away from Jeremy for a few moments. This must be hard for my brother. After all that time he spent 'loving' her (cough cough obsessing over her cough cough), only to find out that she couldn't give a shit about him. Now she's here, back in our lives.

Oh joy unbounded.

"She pretended to be Ever" I say.

Ever's head snaps up, her eyes blazing with anger now,

"Did you fall for it?" she asks.

They all look at me and I shake my head,

"I asked her which number Salvatore I was, and she said number one"

Ever scoffs and makes a face,

"Well that's ridiculous. You are so obviously number three. You are the third Salvatore brother. Ok, so now she's rude and an idiot"

Damon moves closer to Ever and sits down next to her. He pulls Ever onto his lap and holds her close,

"Are you alright?" he asks, his voice is so tender and caring that I almost do a double take of my oldest brother. He's really gone off the deep end. Not that it's a bad thing, if it makes them both happy then I'm all for it. I just hope to hell that bitchzilla doesn't fuck it up.

Ever shakes her head,

"No, not really. I thought now that the tomb vampires were gone that things would be less….chaotic, at least for a little while"

"We all did" Stefan says with a long drawn out sigh, stopping mid pace to look over at Ever and Elena.

"Wait a minute, if Katherine attacked Uncle John then that means she can get into our house" Jeremy says, his eyes search out mine and I see the open concern on his face. I wish there was something I could do to take his worry away, but in this instance I think some extra caution is definitely needed.

"She must have been invited in. What are we going to do?" Elena says, her own voice filled with upset.

"Move" Damon suggests.

"Very helpful, thank you" Elena mutters, she sits back in the sofa and crosses her arms.

Damon shrugs,

"If Katherine wants you dead then there's zero you can do about it, you will be dead"

Ever frowns and looks over at me,

"Who is this 'Katherine' he is speaking of?" she asks, and I see the amusement in her eyes.

If there's one thing I will always love about Ever, it's her ability to make any situation funny. This girl could keep her sense of humour during a volcano eruption.

I smirk at her,

"I believe he is referring to bitchzilla"

Ever nods,

"Ahhhh, right, now I get it"

"Seriously what are we going to do?" Jeremy says.

Ever shrugs,

"We'll have to get her back on the boat to Jurassic Park, top sweet"

Damon barks out a laugh,

"Did you just make a Jurassic Park II reference?"

Ever winks at him,

"Hells to the yeah"

Damon smiles at Ever and kisses her cheek softly, Ever leans into the touch. Their hands link together, and I'm pretty sure they don't even realise they've done it. Jesus, it all seems so effortless with them. Who the fuck knew?

If I didn't think he'd punch me in the face, I'd call my brother….romantic or something. I don't even know how to process what I'm seeing right now.

"But you're not dead" I say, "So she must have other plans"

"Yeah, so we have to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process" Stefan says, aiming a pointed look my way.

OH, he did not just suggest I would provoke Kitty Kat. I'll hit the bitch in the face with her own ball of yarn.

Ok, maybe I see his point.

"What happened tonight when she pretended to be Ever?" Stefan asks.

I make a face and shift uncomfortably for a moment before saying,

"To risk another line of frowning from you all…..we…..kissed"

And that's all I'm willing to admit.

Every single one of their eyes widens in shock.

"You did what?" Damon practically growls.

"And you thought it was Ever?" Stefan asks incredulously.

Damon growls again, low and threatening. Fuck. Damon makes to get up, probably to attack me, but Ever places a hand over his chest, stopping him with a look. She says,

"But it wasn't me, Day, so it doesn't matter."

"Oh, it fucking matters" Damon snarls, pinning me with one the best death glares I've ever seen.

Jeremy seems to have gone completely still, staring at me open mouthed,

"Why the hell would you kiss her?" he asks, sounding hurt.

Now I feel like shit. At the time I didn't think me kissing her would affect Jeremy this much, I didn't think it would affect him at all actually. I was just so pissed off that she'd tried to mess with my head the way she had my brother's all those years ago.

I sigh heavily and meet Damon's eyes,

"I knew something was off even before she kissed me. After the first time I knew for sure, like I said, I asked her which number I was, I knew how Ever would answer"

It's Ever's turn to look at me in disbelief,

"You kissed her multiple times? Why?"

I throw my hands up in the air,

"She was trying to fuck with me. I just returned the favour. Does it really matter? There are far more important things going on right now people"

Ever nods, there is a look in her eyes that says we will be talking about this later. Her gaze flickers to Jeremy meaningfully. I look away from Damon and over to Jer, he still seems extrememly upset, although he's hiding it well. The only reason I can see just how upset he is, is because I know Jeremy well enough to read his subtle movements and expressions that give away how he's feeling.

"We don't have time for this guys" Ever says looking between Damon and me. Damon still seems really pissed off, but he's holding back now for Ever's sake. I know the moment we're alone it'll be a whole different story.

"John must know something" Ever continues, she's still got her hand firmly placed over Damon's chest, obviously she can feel the anger coming from him as well.

"There has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him" Elena agrees with her twin.

Damon makes a dismissive sound,

"She's Katherine. She loves to play games, and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's up to before she wants you to know"

Stefan shakes his head,

"No, Ever and Elena are right, John could know something through Isobel. Isobel was in touch with Katherine so maybe we can go to hospital and get him to talk"

Ohhhh, that sounds ominous.

"I've got a better idea" Damon drawls, "I'm just gonna ignore the bitch"

"I'm on Damon's team for this one" I say.

"Count me in for team 'ignore the bitch'" Ever says with a smile. She leans into Damon, and he immediately reacts by wrapping his arms around her.

"Will that work?" Elena asks.

Damon looks up briefly from Ever to say,

"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it'll lure her out. She'll make a move"

"Yeah, then what" Stefan asks, I can tell he is not comfortable with that plan.

"Stake her" Damon suggests.

"Rip her head off" I add with a smirk.

"Something poetic like that" Damon says with his own smirk.

Ever's P.O.V

As soon as we're alone in Damon's room he has me between his legs and led down on the bed. Neither of us is up or much tonight after everything that's happened, but just being near him like this makes my heart beat double time, if not triple. No one has ever set my blood alight the way Damon does, just by looking into my eyes he makes me want him.

Elena opted to go home, and Jeremy went with her. I could tell he was pointedly ignoring Sin. I could also tell it really upset Sin to have Jeremy pissed at him, then again he should have thought of that before he made out with bitchzilla. I'm really going to need to talk to him about that.

I wanted to stay with Damon, especially as there's something we need to talk seriously about. Our fingers are linked and I sit up slightly so that I can look up into Damon's face. He stares down at me and twists a curl around his finger before brushing it over my ear, stroking my face with the back of his hand.

"Damon, please don't fight with Sin"

Damon's pale blue eyes turn to steel, that little bit of grey in his iris flashes like lightening,

"He let her kiss him when he thought it could be you Ev's, I'm not ok with that"

I shake my head,

"Sin said he knew before-"

"No, he said he was pretty sure, he didn't know until after the first kiss" Damon argues. I can see the anger in his eyes, but there is also something else. Something that breaks my heart.

"Do you think I would do that? Do you honestly think I would kiss him, after all the things I've said to you?" I ask, my voice rising with upset.

Damon swallows hard, and he cups my face in his hand, letting his thumb graze my cheek as he replies,

"I, no, I don't think you would hurt me like that…because….it would hurt me Ever. I just don't know what the rules are with us"

I bite my lip for a moment, unsure of how to respond, but then I say,

"Damon, I called you my boyfriend today. In front of Elena. I liked calling you that. Do you want me to call you my boyfriend, Damon?"

My heart squeezes in my chest. What if he says no? Fuck, I couldn't stand it if I'd read things wrong and he actually doesn't want me in that way.

Damon stares down at me for a while, his eyes burning into my mine with an intensity that still sends shock waves of awareness through my entire body. Suddenly he's flipping me over so that I'm pinned beneath his deliciously strong body. Damon wraps his hands around my wrists and raises my arms above my head, holding them there as his lips come crashing down over mine.

The kiss sears my core with a bolt of pure pleasure, his tongue demands entry to my mouth and I allow him inside without hesitation. This is a real kiss. A claiming kiss. I can feel the word coming even before he says it,

"Mine" Damon growls against my lips as he lets me take a few breaths. Even though his lips are no longer covering mine, I still can't breath, the intensity of his dominance stealing the oxygen from my lungs and making my head swim.

When I finally manage to get my breathing under some kind of control, our gazes lock and I say

"So, is that a yes?"

Damon smiles down at me, and it's a real smile this time, the one that makes my whole world spin on it's axis.

"You're mine now Ever Gilbert. So yes, call me your boyfriend, call me anything you want as long as you're mine, just mine"

I smile in response, my heart thudding like crazy from his words. I feel like I'm burning up from the inside, unable to deny how good it feels to hear that Damon truly does want me.

"I'm yours Day….you can call me your girlfriend if you like"

Damon laugh and nips at my bottom lip almost playfully,

"Alright. Girlfriend. Ever Gilbert, my girlfriend. I like that"

"Me too" I whisper.

I'm deliriously happy for a few long moments, but I remember what we were talking about.

"Damon, you know Sin isn't the problem here. Katherine is. She's trying to mess with your heads, don't let it get to you. Promise me you won't go after Sin all alpha male-like over me. Please."

Damon sighs heavily, he doesn't look happy about it, but he says,

"Fine. I'll try not to beat the shit out of my brother for even thinking about kissing you"

"Good" I reply with another smile. Glad we got that sorted out.

…

Despite the fact that I was on team 'ignore the bitch', it's me who ends up going to the hospital with Stefan. Elena promised she'd help out Carol Lockwood at the wake for Mayor Lockwood. See, that's what you get for doing nice things, you get thrown out of the loop. Sinbad is on Katherine duty, since she technically approached him first for whatever reason.

Damon is there too, sorting out council…stuff, I don't know, I'm not into the political side of all this. I'm just a simple teenage ninja doppelganger.

With a bat.

Good old batty bat. His name is Kevin…..

"Who's name is Kevin?" Stefan asks me as we walk through the hospital.

Damn it, I was speaking my insidey thoughts out loud again. They're inside thoughts for a reason.

"Uhhhh, that's my bat's name" I reply with a smile.

Stefan frowns in amusement,

"You named your bat….Kevin. Why?"

Only Stefan would hear something like that from me and actually ask the question 'why', instead of calling me insane. I have a secret suspicion that Stefan is actually insane, possibly even more so than me. I can't prove it yet, but we shall see…

"Yeah, after that kid in 'Home Alone'. He was badass" I say, winking at Stefan playfully.

Stefan smiles down at me in response,

"Fair enough Everlyna , fair enough"

I mock glare at him, he's taken to calling me that whenever we are alone. I kind of like it, or at least I like the way Stefan says it. Not that I would ever tell him that.

"Yeah, yeah, make fun of my pain Dr. Steffy"

A woman walks past with a blood bag and Stefan doesn't even seem to notice. He's been a lot better lately. We still haven't told anyone what happened that night, and I really don't think we'll need to. He's not perfectly in control, but then, no vampire I've met is completely in control of their blood lust anyway. So maybe it's normal. I can't believe I'm actually describing any of that as normal.

"Ready for this?" Stefan asks right outside John's room.

"Meeeeehhhh" I make a face at Stefan and he cracks another smile.

I walk into the room, Stefan following right behind me. We stop by the bed, I feel a little awkward, Elena would have been way better at this.

"Uh, yo, John"

Yo? Brain, seriously, just go jump off a cliff, that was bad even for you.

John's eyes fly open and he makes a grab for his nurse beeper thingy. Stefan stops him though and I say,

"I'm Ever, John, not bichzilla-eh-Katherine"

"Nice save Everlyna" Stefan says to me.

I hit him lightly on the arm and mock whisper,

"Shhhhh, there are sick people here Steffy, this is no time for joking around. As a doctor, I expect you to know these things"

We both turn back to a bewildered looking John. You'd think him almost bleeding to death would make me not dislike him as much. It doesn't. I still see him as the man who's been lying to Elena and me our whole lives, and even worse as the man who almost got all three of the Salvatore brothers killed. Because he's a dick. Even if he thought he was doing the right thing, he's still a dick.

"We know Katherine did this to you" Stefan says.

"And we need to know why" I add.

"Where is she?" John asks.

"You tell us" Stefan crosses his arms, which makes him look kinda badass himself whilst only wearing that thin blue t-shirt. The Salvatore's really are three sexy mother frakers.

"I don't know" John replies.

Well, that, is not at all useful.

John tries to get up then, but Stefan presses him back down with just a hand to his chest,

"You're a little too weak to play the tough guy, why don't you just sit back and answer a few questions"

Yeah Dr. Steffy, you tell him.

Stefan looks over at me. Oh, shit, I'm meant to be the one asking the questions. I reach into my pocket and take out the life ring thingy, and place it in John's hand,

"John, tell us why she's here? What does the good looking bitch want?"

John doesn't answer me, and after a few long moments Stefan says,

"She'll try again. We can't help you if you don't confide in us"

Ooooh, nice try Dr. Steffy.

John scoffs,

"In you?"

I clench my hands into fists, I've had enough of his shit.

"In your daughter then" Stefan says, looking over at me.

Ack, he just called me John's daughter. That's practically an insult.

John looks up in disgust at Stefan,

"My daughter should have driven a stake through your heart by now"

He did not just say that.

"I never spoke with Katherine directly, she never trusted me" John says.

"Oh, I wonder why?" I snark in annoyance.

John looks between Stefan and me,

"So, either kill me, or get out" John's gaze lands on Stefan "Because I can't stand the sight of you with my daughter"

I glare down at him,

"You see the world with such hatred John. Stefan is a good man, whether you believe that or not is irrelevant. And I trust him more than I will ever trust you"

I walk out then, unable to bare one more second of his judgement over the people I care about. I go to check on Caroline. She seems to be back to her bubbly self and I'm glad about that. I text Stefan to meet my by the entrance to the hospital, and he's there waiting for me when I arrive.

We walk out together and I turn to him,

"Hey, we just have to swing by home to pick up Jeremy and Jenna, so we can go to the Lockwood's."

Stefan nods, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. I reach out and stop him by wrapping my hand around his wrist.

"How did you leave it in there with Sir dickhead?" I ask him.

Stefan looks down at me,

"I, uh, asked him to leave town"

Hmmmmmmmm. If Stefan's 'asking' is anything like Damon's and Sinbad's then…..

A smile spreads over my face,

"Asked? You threatened him. Excellent work Dr. Steffy, I am very impressed"

Stefan nods slowly, he eyes meeting mine as he says,

"Yeah, I threatened him"

That's kind of hot. Fuck, again, why am I attracted to the psycho side of all the Salvatore brothers?

Bad, brain, bad.

"Good. I want him gone Stefan. I know it probably sounds nasty, but I don't want him in my life, and I definitely don't want him in Elena or Jeremy's." I reply firmly, and I mean every word of it.

"I know, I know" Stefan says. It's then that I realise I'm still holding onto his wrist. Stefan notices too, but instead of either of us pulling away, Stefan tugs me into a tight embrace. I wrap my arms around his neck, and Stefan holds me close. For a long time I bask in the warmth and safety of Stefan's embrace. Our bond buzzes even louder with pure contentment, and it helps us both shrug off the tension we've been feeling since we found out Katherine is in town.

"What now?" I ask Stefan.

We pull apart and Stefan looks down into my eyes again,

"Now, I need to talk to my brothers"

"Please don't fight with them. Or actually, please don't let them fight. It's not worth it. Katherine just wants to mess with you guys. You're better than that Stefan, all three of you are" I say, my hand on Stefan's chest, one of his arms still around my waist.

Stefan seems to be searching my eyes for a moment and I let him. I allow our bond to flow freely so that he can see exactly how I'm feeling right now. Stefan seems to unlock something within himself because suddenly I can feel him too. I can feel his emotions running through both of us. It's so intense that for a few long moments I forget to breathe.

But then Stefan snaps us both back into reality by saying,

"Alright, I'll be the better man" he says it with a twinge of bitter amusement, and that makes me frown up at him.

"You are the better man Stefan. Don't let what John said impact on you at all. He's a dick who has no idea what he's talking about. He doesn't know you the way I do. You're one of the best people I know, please believe that, believe me" I smile encouragingly at him, allowing him to feel how much I mean it through our bond.

Finally Stefan smiles, a real smile that lights up his whole face, and he says,

"I believe in you Everlyna Gilbert. There is no one on this earth like you, believe me when I say that"

"Deal" I agree with another smile that we both share.

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in this chapter we had, DEVER, STEVER and even a little KABAD! Please give me your thoughts on anything that happened in this chapter, or just on the characters or the story in general, I really, really, love to hear from you xxx
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Xxx Review please! xxx


	36. The Birthday-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KABAD!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-sixth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Jeremy and I would be having cosy chats about everything! xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

The Birthday-part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

As Stefan helps Jenna shift a few things into the car for the wake, I go to find Jeremy. We need to have a talk. I don't know if he'll open up to me or not, especially about this, but I want him to know he can talk to me about it if he wants to.

Jeremy is in the kitchen sitting at the table. I go and sit down next to him, he looks up at me and for a moment we just stare at each other. It looks like Jeremy's picked up the Salvatore staring thing as well.

But after a few long moments I say,

"Jer, you know, Sin didn't mean to hurt you when he kissed bitchzilla. It's just that she caused a lot of problems for him and his brothers. He blames her for destroying his family, and rightly so, because she pretty much did"

Jeremy bites his lip, he seems to be thinking over what I said carefully.

"I do get that. I know he's still kind of messed up about it. I just….I don't understand why it bothers me so much"

I do, I do, I have to refrain from saying. Because the truth is only Jeremy really knows how he feels for Sin. I reach over and place my hand on Jeremy's,

"Jer, I wouldn't be angry if you did care about Sin being with other people"

Jeremy immediately seems to balk and I worry for a moment that I've pushed too far. But then Jeremy settles back down and tilts his head to the side.

"It's so confusing Ever. I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose…."

I shake my head and squeeze Jeremy's hand,

"I know that Jer. I didn't fall for Damon on purpose, I would have to be pretty insane if I had"

Jeremy laughs and so do I. Jeremy looks up into my face, his expression turning serious,

"Yeah, that would be crazy…but you have….I mean….you're with Damon now, right" Jeremy frowns, he seems unsure of himself and that makes my heart clench slightly. This must be really difficult for him. It took me long enough to accept that I had deep feelings for Damon. For Jeremy to accept that he has feelings for Sin must be almost twice as hard.

I nod,

"Yeah, I'm with Damon now. Sin and I both realised that we weren't right for each other. Jer, just give Sin a chance to explain ok. You can trust him, I do"

Jeremy sighs heavily and I can see the conflict in his eyes,

"If I did….if there was a part of me that has feelings for him…..would you hate me?"

I can't believe he could ever think I would hate him. I shake my head vehemently,

"No way Jer, I do not hate you, and I never will. No matter what, you're still my brother and I'll support you, whatever you decide. Sin….I can tell he cares about you a lot Jer, and there aren't many people in Sinbad's life, past or present, that he trusts. But he trusts you, I know that much, and that means a lot"

Jeremy actually smiles at that,

"I don't understand it Ever, but I can't lose him. He's the one thing that's kept me sane for the last few months. Part of me wants to give in to it. But…."

I frown and lean forward a bit,

"But what?"

Jeremy meets my eyes, and there is so much emotion in his that I almost fall out of my chair. He takes a deep breath and says,

"I don't know what that means, or how I should handle it. I've never felt like this before, not for anyone, not even….not even Vicki. But I've never been attracted to another…man before either. What does that make me?"

He has me there. Damn, why do I always get the difficult questions? I do not have the right smarticles for this stuff. Ironically, Sin would be a way better person to talk to in regards to the whole 'bisexual' thing.

"You know, the best person to ask about all this is….Sin. He admitted to me right from the start that he's been with men and women in his life. Maybe he went through the same confusion that you are right now. I think it would really help both of you to talk about this Jer. But, you don't have to, I'm always here for you, and I'll help if I can"

Again I worry that I've pushed to far with Jeremy, he's always been a private sort of person. But we've always been close enough that he could talk to me about the important stuff. But then our parents died and that changed things for all of us. I really want that closeness back. It seems maybe Jeremy does too, because he says,

"You're right Ever, I should talk to Sin about this, he said I could if I wanted to. I'm just afraid I'll scare him off if I tell him exactly how I'm feeling, you know"

And I do know. I've felt the same way about Damon at times. It's not quite the same obviously, but I still get it.

"Sin isn't scared off easily Jer, I mean, he's had to put up with his brothers for over a hundred and forty-five years. And me. If none of that has scared him off, then I doubt anything you say could"

That gets another smile out of Jeremy and he nods in agreement,

"Yeah, I guess you're right, I'll talk to Sin. Thanks Ever…for everything"

Hell yeah, I'm on a roll with being right today.

I smile back at Jeremy and squeeze his hand again,

"No problem Jer, I'm here if you need me, just remember that"

….

"Looks like the whole town has turned out" Jenna says as we walk up to the front entrance of the Lockwood's mini castle-type mansion. She's right, there are loads of people here.

"Yeah, well, he was the big cheese" I say with a nod.

Jeremy and Stefan exchange 'what?' glances, but it's Jenna who asks,

"Big cheese?"

"Uh, yeah, you know, the big cheese, the top dog, the boss man. He was the mayor remember" I reply, I really don't know what's not to get about that.

Jeremy hides his snickering behind his hand, Stefan has that polite semi-amused smile on his face. Jenna just shakes her head at me, but I can tell she kind of wants to laugh as well.

I frown at them all,

"I don't know what you all find so funny. The boss man is dead, this is serious shiz nit going down right here"

I feel bad for making any kind of joke about this. It is Tyler's father. Tyler had such a complicated relationship with that man though, he must be finding it difficult to know how to handle his father's death. There were plenty of times when Tyler said he hated his father, and at the time I think he actually meant it. How can you know how to feel about someone when they're dead, if you didn't even know how to feel about them when they were alive?

"The Lockwood's were there for us when we went through this. We'll pay our respects, drop off the food, and go" Jenna says.

"In and out?" Jeremy looks over at Jenna for confirmation.

"Sounds like a plan" I say in agreement.

Once we reach the top of the porch steps I catch sight of Damon with a drink in his hand, standing by the patterned railing. I can see the conflict clearly on his face, and in the way he is standing so stiffly.

The moment he see's me though, his expression changes. It's still kind of sad, but there is definitely happiness underneath it all. I take that as a good sign.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a sec" I say.

Jenna smiles slightly,

"So, this thing with Damon, it's the real deal huh?"

My eyes widen slightly, it's the first time she's asked me about it since Damon and I got together. I can't keep the small grin off my face though as I reply,

"Yeah, I think it really is"

Jenna nods once and gives me a 'details needed' look, before walking inside with Jeremy. Stefan looks over at his brother and then back at me. We make eye contact and a shared understanding passes between us. Then Stefan moves off into the house, probably to find Elena, and I go over to Damon.

When I reach him I place a hand on his arm. Immediately Damon wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer to him. Damon reaches down and kisses me. This kiss is sweet and tender, and it lasts far longer than I think either of us first anticipated. He tastes like bourbon and mint and something distinctly Damon that always makes me want more.

I pull back slightly after a while and whisper,

"Hey, how are you doing? Really?"

Damon sighs against my lips, and in that one noise I hear the weariness of the last one hundred and forty-five years pressing down on him. My heart clenches tightly with sadness at everything he suffered through because of his love for one woman.

"I'm great. Walking on sunshine" Damon drawls after a long pause.

"Day-"

"Ev's-"

"Please don't shut me out. I know you're finding this hard to deal with, and that's ok. But you don't have to deal with it alone anymore Damon. I'm here. I'm here for you, whatever you need from me, all you have to do is tell me" I place a hand on his chest, my other arm is around his waist. I look up into those pale blue eyes, waiting for his response.

Damon groans quietly,

"I've only just gotten you Ev's, what if I do something to mess it up? Why did she have to come back now when things were finally….when I finally had you?"

I slide my hand over Damon's chest all the way up to his face, I run my thumb over his strong jaw and he leans instinctively into my touch.

"You still have me Damon. No one is going to take me away from you. Katherine can do whatever she likes, it won't matter, because I know what I want. I want you, only you Day. But for us to work, you have to talk to me. Don't be afraid that something you say will wreck things between us. She's gonna try to mess with your head, but as long as you trust me, and I trust you, then we can work through anything. Together, yeah"

There is a long pause where I can tell Damon is taking in everything I've said and is processing it. Eventually he locks his gaze onto mine and says with a renewed confidence,

"Together. You and me. I just couldn't stand it if I lost you Ever"

"I feel the same way Damon. You won't lose me, ok" I reply strongly. There is no way I'm going to let bitchzilla ruin this for either of us. Not if I can help it.

Instead of saying anything more, Damon kisses me again, it's another claiming kiss, and as our lips come together I know with absolute certainty that I will never feel quite like this for anyone else. Damon is the real deal, and I want this, I want us.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Kitty Kat, leave her the hell alone" I say in irritation.

I was just minding my own damn business, looking out for bitchy mc bitcherson, when suddenly the doors to a room flew open, revealing Katerina holding Bonnie by the throat up against a wall. Ugh, the woman is so dramatic it's unbelievable.

She smiles at me in that way of hers that makes me want to kill her veeeeerrry slowly. It would be so much fun.

"Sinbad" she says almost conversationally.

"Bonnie will set all her witchy ju ju on you Kitty Kat, I'd let her go if I were you….ugh I just pictured myself as you…now I'm gonna have nightmares" I smile sweetly at her, even though I'm still picturing ripping her heart out.

Katerina shrugs slightly and pushes away from Bonnie,

"Ok, just for you Sin"

The bitch walks away from Bonnie and she trails her hand over my chest as she moves past me. Well, now I'm gonna have to burn this shirt along with what I wore last night. If she keeps doing all this touchy, touchy business then I'll end up running out of clothes.

Bonnie turns around and our eyes meet. I wink at her and then head off after Katerina. I am on bitch watch after all. Once I'm close enough behind Katerina I ask,

"What are you doing here Kitty Kat?"

"After the way you treated me last night, I thought a public place would be less violent" She replies.

I sigh heavily,

"You're taking this one a little far. People aren't that stupid, they'll notice three Gilberts running around"

Katerina laughs all tinkly-like,

"Ah, but that's the fun of them being twins" she looks around for a moment, "Damon and Stefan are here, right? I've been avoiding them, for now at least"

"Stay away from my brothers Katerina, you've done enough damage as it is by just existing. It's almost impressive" I comment, careful not to draw any attention to us. She'd just love it if I made a scene, the attention-seeking little twit.

Katerina opens her mouth to reply, when suddenly Matt is there in front of us,

"Hey guys" he says.

I am immediately on alert, I wouldn't put anything past Katerina. She'd hurt Matt in a second if she thought it would get to me. That was always her main goal when it came to me. With my brothers it was simple, she got inside their heads. But with me she always aimed to get right under my skin at any opportunity.

But then she does something even more annoying.

"Hey, Matt" she reaches forward and touches Matt's arm, "I heard that Caroline's doing much better. Her recovery was almost miraculous, you must be so relieved"

For a moment she sounds so much like Ever that I blink in surprise. I gotta admit, the bitch is good.

"I am" Matt says, "Thanks Ever, I wouldn't have been able to handle any of this without you. You're always there for me.

"You know I'd do anything for you Matty" Katerina says slowly, with a weird flirty smile on her face.

Matt nods and smiles at her,

"Yeah, I know. I'll see you later" he says and then thankfully walks away.

The moment Matt is out of ear shot Katerina turns to me,

"Oh my God, is eyes are so blue"

I nod in agreement,

"He is pretty damn hot in that boy next door kinda way" then I frown at her, "Stay away from him too Katerina"

She just smirks,

"You know, I think he has a thing for Ever. But, Isobel told me he's Elena's ex. How much sister drama do you think I could create if I play around with that little bit of information"

"Back off Kitty Kat. If you want to play with boys, then get out of my town and do it somewhere else" I say to her, whilst still keeping my voice deceptively calm.

"You're hurting my feelings Sinbad. You were much happier to see me last night, although, you did think I was your shared girlfriend so…."

"Ha, nice try sweet heart, but I'm not Damon or Stefan, remember. I don't fall for your shit, and I'm not playing with you" I drawl, my tone bored. That's the key to Katerina, she hates being ignored, and she really doesn't like it when you act like you don't care.

Because she's a psycho with a great ass. That was one of my first impressions of Katerina, and I haven't changed my mind since.

Katerina smiles at me,

"Ok, how about we don't have a couple's fight in front of all of your friends" She gestures outside, "Walk with me?"

I shake my head,

"Just tell me what you're doing here Katerina"

She tilts her head to the side and makes a pouty face,

"Maybe I missed you"

"Yeah, and maybe elephants will one day go to space. I'm not talking about maybe's here Kitty Kat, I want to know the real reason" I roll my eyes at her.

She's so annoying.

Katerina moves closer to me,

"Is missing you not an acceptable reason?"

I am about two seconds away from flicking her in the face, no joke. I have urges people, serious urges.

I lean closer to her and whisper,

"I'm not playing this game with you Kitty Kat, so stop dancing around my questions or I'll just rip the black hole some might call your heart out of your chest….you know, to save time"

"Oh, but you like to play with me Sin. And I like to play with you too" she whispers back. Before I can reply she moves away from me and walks towards the exit.

I groan inwardly. This is my punishment sent from above isn't it? My father always said that my sinful actions would come back to me one day. Don't you just hate it when your parents are right?

….

I followed after Katerina and caught up with her. We then began walking away from the house in silence.

Suddenly when we're much too far away for anyone to see or hear us, Katerina says,

"The Lockwood's have a lot more land than they used to. The possessions of all the tomb vampires built them quite a fortune"

I look over at her, my eyes scanning Katerina from head to foot for a moment before I reply,

"Why did you want them dead anyway? You're the one who turned most of them. No one likes a wishy washy bitch you know"

Katerina scoffs,

"There's nothing more annoying than a vengeful vampire Sinbad"

I laugh,

"Aw, don't sell yourself short Kitty Kat, you're much more annoying than any vengeful vampire could ever be"

"I think John Gilbert would agree with you" She says suggestively. Her eyes light up with that mischievous quality that I like to call 'bitch twinkles'.

I shake my head, still smiling in frustrated amusement,

"You haven't changed at all Katerina"

Katerina walks a little way ahead and then turns to face me,

"But you have" she says, her eyes looking me over intensely.

A lesser man would be uncomfortable with a woman like Katerina looking him over in such an obvious way. But I just smirk at her, another thing I know drives Katerina crazy is when I refuse to be made uncomfortable by her. No matter what she does or says.

Katerina continues,

"You're stronger. Meaner. Very sexy"

I arch an eyebrow at her,

"I was always sexy"

"I know" Katerina gives me another appraising look and winks at me.

I bark out a laugh,

"Don't flirt with me Kitty Kat. I'm not my brothers. You know that shit doesn't work on me. Never has, never will"

"We'll see" Katerina says with a suggestive smirk aimed my way "Based on your choice in women lately I'd say otherwise"

Katerina slowly walks closer to me. I can see the predator in her when she moves like that. The woman's like a black panther I swear.

"Although, I'll admit, it does bother me that you fell for Ever, especially as you refused to even give me a chance"

I move closer to Katerina, my eyes searching hers,

"Ever, is better than you in every way Kat. She deserves to be loved, she's worth more than a hundred of you. And, I think you'll find that both of my brothers would agree with that. I will always choose Ever"

Katerina's jaw clenches and I see anger spark deep in her eyes,

"Yes, it seems like Ever is wanted by all the boys. You can say whatever you like Sin, but I know the truth" she leans in close to me and her hand slides over my chest.

Again with the touchy, touchy bullshit.

I tilt my head to the side and give her a sardonic look,

"The truth is Kitty Kat, that you're the same lying, selfish, manipulative bitch that you've always been. So whatever brought you here, why don't you just get on with it, leave the people I care about alone, and get the fuck out of my town. Because if you don't, I will hunt you down, and I will rip your heart out"

For the briefest of moments, I swear, she looked hurt, really hurt. But then her expression goes right back to that confident anger as she says,

"You want to know why I'm here Sin?"

Careful not to let her see how irritated I am, I say scornfully,

"No, I've been asking you that question for the last hour of my life because I don't want to know. Stop asking stupid questions, for bloody hells sake, you and Stefan….in another life, you would actually be perfect for each other"

Katerina ignores the scorn and the sarcasm. Her face perfectly controlled when she says,

"I came back for you"

Ah, no way is she blaming me for her return. Her words almost knock me the fuck over. I'll give her one thing, she knows how to use shock tactics with supreme skill. I reach up and smooth my thumb over her jaw, leaning in close when I reply,

"Well the problem, Katerina, is that I hate you"

There's that flash of real emotion again in her eyes. But before I can even attempt to read it, Katerina grabs a sharp ended candle stick made of metal that is stuck into the ground and shoves it into my stomach.

Fucking hell that hurts.

I bend over in response, curling in on the pain. Katerina holds onto me and the candle stick, she says,

"You hate me huh. Well, that sounds like the beginning of a love story Sin, doesn't it"

Katerina then pulls the metal candle stick out and throws it to the ground before letting go of me and running off to fuck knows where. Oh, little Kitty Kat is so gonna pay for that one. Big time.

….

It's Ever who I call once I've stopped silently dying on the grass. She comes out and finds me. Now we're sitting on a metal bench with her cleaning away the blood from my stomach.

Ever looks into my eyes and asks,

"You gonna be ok?" she seems really concerned, and I feel bad for giving her one more thing to worry about.

I sigh heavily,

"Yeah, it'll heal"

Ever arches an eyebrow at me,

"That's not what I meant and you know it"

I meet Ever's gaze, she stares back at me, waiting patiently for my response. I try to explain,

"I was trying to figure her out, get a feel for what she's doing here. She pissed me off, and then I pissed her off. Just like the old days"

Suddenly Damon and Stefan come up behind Ever. Damon looks down at me,

"We tried to track her, but she's gone-woah, cover up Fabio, we got a crazy ex on the loose"

I snort dismissively,

"Yeah, yours and Stefan's ex; not mine"

Damon rolls his eyes,

"Yes, yes, you are the 'smart' one baby brother. The one who didn't fall for Katherine blah blah blah"

I raise my eyebrows up and down at him,

"Hell yeah I am, and don't you go forgetting that"

Ever sighs,

"I'm gonna go find Elena and Jeremy, call me when you guys are done" then she gets up, but before Ever leaves she gives each of us a meaningful look that clearly says 'don't be morons'.

Her eyes linger on Damon's and finally he nods once, as if resigned to his fate. He reaches out and pulls on her arm until she is close enough for him to lean down and whisper something into her ear. I don't listen in, because it's none of my business. After a few shared whispered words Damon steals a kiss from Ever.

I look away swiftly. I'm not gonna lie, seeing my eldest brother kiss Ever still isn't easy for me. Not that I don't want them together, it's still just kind of fresh, the break up I mean. Being in love with her wasn't a lie, and a part of me will always belong to her for that very reason.

Although the thing I can't help but notice is that Stefan looks away too. That's when I realise Stefan always looks away, even when Damon and Ever are just touching intimately, hell, even later on in my relationship with Ever, he looked away from us too.

Maybe it's just because Ever looks so much like Elena that it's weird for him, I kind of get that. But….we may need to have a talk soon if he keeps reacting that way.

When Ever does walk away, Stefan is the first to speak,

"You know, we can't fight. Katherine is gonna try to play us against each other"

Damon looks over at me and says,

"The only reason I haven't beaten the shit out of you for what you did, is because Ever asked me not to"

"Oh for bloody hells sake Damon, I knew she wasn't Ever. I wouldn't do that to you" I say in frustration.

Damon's jaw hardens and he locks gazes with me for a few long moments, the tension between us is palpable.

"Fine" Damon finally gets out, "But you just remember, Ever is mine now baby brother. Touch her like you did Katherine again, and I will rip you apart. Understand?"

I nod once firmly,

"Yeah, I get it Damon. She's yours, I respect that ok, you know that I do"

Damon tilts his head, his expression reluctantly accepting. He says,

"Steffy's right. We need to stay united. Luckily, our bond, is unbreakable"

I snort out a laugh,

"Ring power big brothers, ring power all the freakin' way"

That gets a laugh out of both of my brothers. I stand up from the bench and move closer to them. I slap a hand on both of my brother's closest shoulder.

"No matter how much you both piss me off, or how much you piss off each other, we can all agree on one thing, right?"

Stefan nods and Damon says,

"The bitch has got to go"

….

Jeremy texted me to come over and I didn't hesitate. After a majorly shitty day, I really need to touch Jeremy. I just hope like hell he'll let me.

I climb in through his window to find Jeremy sitting on his bed. He looks up at me when I come in, and for a moment I'm not sure what to do. I know what I want to do, but that doesn't mean I should. At least not until I've got things sorted out with Jeremy.

"I'm sorry for kissing Katerina. I wasn't thinking. She…I just hate her so much Jeremy" I say, a desperate note coming into my voice.

Jeremy takes a deep breath and meets my eyes,

"We need to talk about some things Sin….you can come sit with me if you like-"

I'm already on the bed next to Jeremy before he can finish his sentence. Jeremy actually laughs as I sit up by the headboard and pull him in between my legs. Our usual position these days. Jeremy lets his head rest on my chest, and I card my fingers through his hair soothingly.

Jeremy leans into my touch, and that all too familiar spark of desire begins to grow in my gut.

"What is it you want to talk about Jer?" I ask.

There is a long pause where I can practically feel Jeremy thinking hard about something. Eventually though he says,

"I'm not mad at you for kissing Katherine anymore. I don't want to talk about her. I want to talk about this….how I feel about all of this stuff between us. You and me I mean"

I think he just about stole all the breath from my body with those words.

"You can tell me anything you want to Jer. I'm not judging you"

Jeremy takes a deep breath, as if steeling himself, before saying,

"I'm attracted to you Sin, like, a lot. More than I have been with anyone else. But it's more than that, you know. I feel….connected to you somehow, I've felt that way for a long time. I just don't know how to deal with that without losing it completely"

In only two movements I have Jeremy flipped beneath me, the line of my body pressed against his. I hold Jeremy's arms pinned firmly above his head. When I lean in close, Jeremy's breath hitches. My lips graze his jaw and I kiss all the way across it. Jeremy doesn't stop me, so I continue until I reach the corner of his mouth.

"I understand Jer. When I was your age….it was confusing for me too, I think it'd be confusing for anyone. Fancying just one gender is hard enough, but being attracted to both was pure torture in a way. I just couldn't wrap my head around it, even though I secretly knew exactly what I wanted, it still scared me" I whispers the words slowly and meaningfully.

Jeremy nods,

"I feel the same way. I don't know why, but I know I want you"

That makes my face break out into a playful smirk,

"What is it you want, baby, tell me. Tell me what you want me to do"

Jeremy sucks in an audible breath, his brown eyes have widened considerably,

"I don't…..I don't know"

His stuttering is so damn cute that I can't resist another kiss to the corner of his mouth. Fuck, I want him. Just being this close to Jeremy has me burning up, even with all our clothes on. My cock is so hard right now, and I'm sure he can feel it pressing against his thigh. Something about that knowledge makes me groan low in my throat.

"How about, I do a couple of things I want to do, and you tell me if you want me to stop" I whisper huskily against his cheek.

A strangled "Ok" from Jeremy is all I need.

(sexual content)

I bring my lips down over Jeremy's hard, my tongue seeking entrance to his mouth. He opens for me immediately and I take that as a good sign for the future. The whole world seems to freeze in place for a few moments as I kiss the hell out of Jeremy. Nothing on this earth has ever felt so fucking good.

Jeremy tastes amazing and I delve my tongue deeper, he lets me take the lead and fuck if I don't love that. I have to admit, I've always been the dominant one, with both men and women, its just what comes natural to me. I didn't know how Jeremy would handle that, but he seems to like it. For now at least.

I line up our bodies so that my erection is pressing against his, and yes, finding out that he's just as hard as I am does make that pit of desire swirl faster and faster with every passing second. I roll my hips, creating delicious friction between us. Jeremy arches up against me and moans loudly into my mouth.

I take Jeremy's bottom lip between my teeth and bite down hard, this elicits another moan from Jeremy. Fuck, I've been waiting for this since the moment I fucking saw the sad brown eyed boy. I wanted to bite him and fuck him so hard he'd remember me even if I did compel away his memories.

I start up a steady rhythm of rolling my hips, our erections grinding together in perfect harmony. I kiss across his jaw again and down over his neck. Jeremy immediately bares his neck to me. The boy really likes the idea of me biting him, which is lucky because so do I.

I let my teeth graze Jeremy's throat and he whimpers beautifully. I can't stand it, and my fangs come out to play. I can hear his heart beating erratically and I can feel the blood rushing through his veins. I wanna bite him so bad it's almost unbearable. I'm still grinding my encased erection against Jeremy's.

I let go of Jeremy's wrists with one hand and rip Jeremy's shirt from his body, baring more hot skin to my aching touch. I want him, I need him. My body reacts to Jeremy like it never has before with anyone else.

Then my lips are on his chest, trailing down until I reach one dark perfectly firm nipple. I lave it with my tongue for a few moments, which has Jeremy squirming beneath me perfectly. I bit the nipple between my teeth, careful not to nick it with my fangs.

"Sin, please, fuck, Sin" Jeremy pants loudly, unable to conceal his moans as I work my way back up his body to his neck. His lust filled words have me bursting in my jeans, so fucking hard now that I swear I could cut through glass.

"You like that Jer? I can feel that you do. Can you feel me, so fucking hard for you baby" I growl against his neck and Jeremy grinds back, his hips rolling I time with my own.

"Bite me, oh God, please Sin, fucking bite me. I want it, please" Jeremy chokes out the words between moans of pleasure, and I cannot refuse either of us any longer.

I bite into Jeremy's neck, one of my hands threading into his hair and yanking hard so that his neck is even more bared to me. I half pleasure half pain filled shout erupts from Jeremy's mouth as my fangs penetrate his skin. Jeremy's blood explodes into my mouth and I groan with the absolute pleasure of it.

Jeremy's blood tastes so fucking good. I keep my hips rolling, our erections creating wonderful friction that is causing fireworks to go off inside of me. And that same thought comes to me again,

Mine

He's mine, he's mine, he's mine. Completely. Fucking MINE!

"Fuck!" I hear Jeremy practically scream through the haze of pleasure. And with that sound comes a fierce wave of pleasure that crashes over me again and again, over and over until my body feels it can take no more without completely imploding.

After a few more moments, I force myself to unlatch from Jeremy's neck. The world comes back to me slowly and roll off of Jeremy so I don't crush him beneath me. Jeremy is breathing hard, gasping, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Some primal part of my brain doesn't like that we're not touching anymore, so I yank Jeremy's body against mine so that our legs tangle together and I wrap an arm around Jeremy's middle. I keep him plastered against me as we both try to come down from our mutual high. Not too long after I realise we've both come in our jeans.

Fuck, I haven't done that since I was a teenager. Well, obviously I didn't do it in jeans, but you know what I mean.

After what could have been hours, or minutes, I have no concept of time right now. All I can concentrate on is Jeremy being in my arms. Everything else can fuck off for a while. Jeremy suddenly manages to say,

"Sin?"

I kiss Jeremy's bare shoulder,

"Yeah, Jer"

I feel more than see Jeremy's smile,

"For future reference, we can definitely put that on the list of things I want you to do"

I reply wryly

"Oh, baby, we are doing that again. I promise"

Jeremy and I both laugh, and the sound of Jeremy's laugh warms me in a different way. But still in a way I really like. I feel like this is the beginning of something, I'm not sure what that something is exactly, but I want it anyway. I want it with all my heart and soul. I can only hope Jeremy does too.

My fingers twine with Jeremy's and I realise he's wearing one of those life rings. I frown at it for a moment,

"Who gave you this baby?" I whisper against Jeremy's ear.

"Uncle John. He talked about the Gilbert legacy of killing vampires and then he gave me the ring" Jeremy says, I can feel him frowning and it makes me smile.

"You planning on killing me Jer?"

Jeremy snorts out a laugh,

"I just let you bite me-"

"You begged me to bite you. And I loved it."

I run my teeth over Jeremy's shoulder and he shivers.

"I loved it too Sin. But what would my father say. He'd hate me for this. You're a vampire"

"I don't know what your father would say Jer. All I care about is what you say. I care about what you want. My father hated vampires for the same reason yours did." I whisper, it hurts to think that Jeremy might choose to hate me just because his family hated vampires.

Jeremy sighs and brings my hand to his lips, he presses a kiss to the back of my fingers and then says softly,

"I want you Sin. I don't care what anyone else thinks."

Ever's P.O.V

I'm meeting Damon at the boarding house. Stefan and Elena are out somewhere, and I think Sin is with Jeremy at home. I hope they are sorting things out between them. I don't like to see Jeremy or Sin upset.

What happened between Sin and Katherine today has us all on edge. The fact that she's pretending to be Elena and me, or actually just me so far, is worse because she could doing or saying anything to people we know. If I get in trouble because of her then I'm gonna be all kinds of pissed off.

I hear their voices when I come in through the back door of the boarding house. The moment I realise Damon is talking to someone I freeze. I'm hidden behind the corner so neither of them can see me. For a crazy moment I think it's Elena's voice I'm hearing, but I quickly realise it must be Katherine.

"What is it going to be Damon? Kiss me, or kill me?" I hear Katherine say. Then I hear crashing and someone being slammed into the floor. A moment later I hear the unmistakable sounds of kissing, high level passionate kissing.

And I die a little on the inside.

I hear more crashing and someone being slammed up against a wall. My heart is slowly breaking and I can't seem to make myself move. I want to run, I want to run so far and so fast that everything else will fade into nothing. But I can't, my legs won't work. They are rebelling the act of movement.

Just when I think I might actually be sick from the pain and hurt swelling inside of me I hear another crash and then Damon's voice speaking.

"No, Katherine. I can't do this with you…..I spent one hundred and forty-five years loving you. Or, I thought it was love, but….the truth is I was obsessed with you, and that isn't the same thing as loving someone. I thought it was, I had nothing to compare it to, but….now I do. Now I know what it feels like to really be in love with someone. And I know what it feels like to be loved back by that person. I will not lose her because of you."

Just like that my heart starts beating again without the agonising pain.

I hear Katherine huff in annoyance, or anger, or both,

"Oh, not you too Damon. What is it about her anyway? She's got Sin and Stefan wrapped around her little finger. And now you as well. All three of the Salvatore's…..I'm almost impressed"

I hear a growl from Damon,

"Ever is everything to me Katherine. She loves me despite all of the reasons why she shouldn't, all of the reasons why I'm wrong for her. She chose me, I can still barely believe it most of the time. And I'm going to spend the rest of our lives proving to Ever that she made the right choice. Maybe one day she'll even love me half as much as I love her. Get out Katherine, and if you hurt Ever in any way, my brothers and I will hunt you down and destroy you"

Moments later I hear the front door slam and suddenly I can breath again. Holy shit!

I can't help myself, I run into the room at full speed and throw myself at Damon. He catches me in surprise, but he doesn't let me fall. I wrap my legs around his waist my arms around his neck. He looks up at me, shock clear in his eyes.

I can see the moment he realises I heard everything that just happened in here. He stiffens and his hold on me tightens. His expression is imploring when he says,

"Oh, God, Ever, please, I didn't mean to…..I just lost it for a moment I swear, I will never kiss her again. I don't want her, I want you, please believe me-"

I can't hide my grin as I interrupt him to say,

"I love you Damon"

Damon stops as shock once again takes over his features. But then a moment later his eyes flash with deep intense emotion and a disbelieving smile breaks out on his face.

"I love you too Ever"

That's when he kisses me with such passion and intense longing that everything else in the world fades away until it's just us. Damon and Ever. The love we feel for each other washes over both of us in intense waves. I love him. I love Damon Salvatore and he loves me. This is right, this is everything I've ever wanted.


	37. Brave New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DEVER!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-seventh chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Stefan and I would brood together ;) xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Brave New World

Ever's P.O.V

(Sexual content)

One moment we are in the living room and the next I'm crashing down onto Damon's bed, his body instantly moving to cover mine as we kiss hard and desperate. I have never wanted anyone so much in all my life. My core burns and swirls with an intense desire that steals my breath and makes my body ache for his touch.

Damon's lips move away from my mouth to trail down over my jaw and then my neck. I feel his teeth graze my throat which makes concealing a groan is impossible. My body arches up against his as he slides a hand over the front of my t-shirt until he reaches the hem. When his hand touches the hot skin of my stomach I cannot stand to have clothes between us for another moment.

As if reading my mind Damon tugs up my t-shirt and I help him remove it. He throws it to the floor and in another instant his demanding mouth is on mine again. Damon's tongue invades my mouth and I rush to unbutton his shirt. My hands are shaking so hard that eventually I take hold of the two ends and rip the shirt open, causing buttons to ping off.

Damon shrugs off the shirt and chuckles darkly against my lips,

"In a rush are you?"

I can't help but smile in response,

"Shut up Day, only you would tease a woman who's attempting to have sex with you. Over confidence that is, I could change my mind-"

I am cut off by Damon ripping my shorts away from my body in one quick motion, leaving me in just my black lace underwear. Damon discards the material and then takes my mouth in another claiming kiss, a kiss that leaves me breathless and on the edge of begging.

My hands go to Damon's jeans, I unzip them with slightly more steady fingers. I slide a hand up over Damon's toned abdomen, the muscles ripple beneath my touch and I smile sensually up at him.

Damon is straddling my body, he sits up and then stares down at me. His expression is one of pure wonder. He looks over every inch of my exposed flesh and then his pale blue fire eyes dart back up to meet mine. I feel more naked now than I ever have before in my life. Damon does that, with just one look.

"So beautiful Ev's" he whispers almost to himself and my breath hitches.

I reach up so my hand can touch his chest, my lips coming to be level with his stomach. I kiss a trail downwards. I stop at the waist back of his jeans. Then I look up at Damon, he smoothes a hand through my hair, his touch a caress of possession.

Damon moves off me so that I can help him remove his jeans, along with those come his boots and mine. I straddle him, but within moments he spins us again so I am beneath him. His lips come crashing down on mine and from that point on things are faster, more fierce and desperate. Both of us have been waiting a long time for this, and it feels as if nothing could ever matter as much.

With harsh movements Damon removes my underwear, tracing the seams so damn softly before practically ripping them from my body. I can feel his erections so thick and hard against me that I groan wantonly. I want Damon inside me so bad that it burns my very core and boils the blood within my veins.

Once his underwear is gone there is nothing between us and suddenly the moment feels so intimate and exposing that I close my eyes. It's too much, everything I feel is tumbling around inside of me and I can hardly bare to feel it all so intensely.

"Open your eyes Ev's, let me see you" Damon whispers, but the commanding tone to his voice is unmistakable.

I do open my eyes and the moment that I do they meet Damon's, he stares right down to my very soul as he lines himself up with my entrance and without moments hesitance he sheathes himself inside of me.

Fuck for a moment I cannot breathe with the size of him impaling me to the bed. I open my legs wider to attempt to accommodate him. But even with the intensity of Damon filling my I cannot look away from his eyes, his gaze captivates me as it always has from the moment I first saw them.

They are so blue and clear and damn beautiful that I'm sure part of me is in love with his eyes alone. The emotion within them makes me whimper, I see desire and longing and want, and more than anything else, I see love.

Damon hasn't moved yet, he's waiting for me to become used to his girth within the hot caverns of my body. He brings one hand to my face and his thumb strokes my cheek.

"I am so in love with you Ever. I don't deserve you, but I'm not selfless enough to give you up either. Please forgive me for that" Damon whispers, his voice is heavy with emotion and I feel a tear fall from my eye at his words.

I lift one hand to caress his handsome face, and I try to let him know my eyes all of what I feel for him, because words just aren't enough to describe it.

"I love you Damon Salvatore. And I'm not sorry for it either. It doesn't matter to me what you deserve. I need you, I want you. Never let me fall Day"

Damon smiles, and again it's a smile filled with so much emotion that it steals my breath,

"I can't promise that. But I can promise to always catch you when you fall Ev's"

"Move Day, I can handle it, don't hold back" I whisper, my voice half choked from the whirlwind of emotion that is overwhelming me.

Damon pushes impossibly deeper into my body and I arch up against him, a loud moan escaping my lips. I meet Damon's eyes again as he begins to move at a steady pace, his thrust smooth and steady. I start to move against him, matching him thrust for thrust.

I pull Damon down and kiss him, pushing my tongue into his mouth and staking a claim of my own. Damon growls into my mouth and I whisper,

"Fuck me Day, please, make me really feel you"

That seems to snap something inside of Damon because suddenly he is thrusting deeper inside of me. Fast, fierce and gloriously hard. Damon fucks me deep, his cock so big that it stretches me unbelievably, and yet I can't get enough of it. Even the slight pain mixed in with all that pleasure consumes me, making me beg with my moans and shouts of complete ecstasy.

Damon pounds into me wildly with complete abandon, he looks deep into my eyes and traces his hands all over me, as if wanting to touch every part of my body as he fucks me.

"Mine, Ever. Tell me that, tell me that you're mine. Tell me that you'll never be anyone else's. Mine. Completely"

I look right into his eyes as he fucks me so deliciously and just about manage to gasp out,

"Yours Damon, just yours"

Damon growls dangerously sexy and takes my mouth again in another ferocious kiss that sends my mind whirling uncontrollably. The fire in my core burns like an inferno, consuming me completely and making every nerve ending on my body alight with pleasure.

This isn't like the first slightly awkward time with Tyler. Nor is it the sensual love making that was my first time with Sin. This is hard and rough and oh so fucking perfect.

I can feel myself reaching my climax,

"Damon…I'm coming Day…oh fuck…harder Day…..just like that….yeah, please…..fuck"

I come screaming just moments before Damon, who seems to explode within me, his whole body shuddering with the after affects of his intense orgasm.

Damon and I both try desperately to get our breathing under control, or in my case just the ability to breathe at all. He collapsed when he came, and so that I'm not crushed by his weight, Damon moves, making sure that he stays deep inside of me, my body now on top of his. Our skin is slick with sweat, we're plastered together, hot skin on hot skin.

After a long while of just breathing, both of us try to come down from our high of coming so hard and intensely. Damon shifts me so that he can kiss my lips tenderly, his hand brushing my face in a loving caress. His eyes lock with mine and we both smile like idiots. Well fucked idiots.

"I love you Ev's"

"I love you too Damon, with all my heart and soul"

….

"Katherine looks just like you and Elena" Bonnie says for about the fifth time in the last ten minutes since she found me setting stuff up for the carnival. Bossy pants a.k.a my evil twin has ordered me to do….stuff. I would refuse, and by refuse I mean run away and hide, but she's strung so tight, especially after she found out that Katherine was at the Lockwood house.

I don't want to upset her, although I really think she could do with letting off some steam. Maybe I'll challenge her to a duel, or fist cuffs at dawn. Better yet, I'll have Stefan or Sin fight her for me. Not Damon, he'd just laugh in her face and flip her over onto her ass. Because he's annoying like that.

I woke up in bed with him this morning and I felt….better than I can ever remember feeling. The level of intimacy between us has gone up another ten notches. Vampire sex for the win people, seriously. Damon could barely keep his hands off me, we even showered together, which led to more sexy times. Really, really hot sexy times.

"It was freakish" Bonnie adds.

I sigh heavily and give Bonnie a side ways glance,

"Well, she is my ancestor. Unfortunately for all of us"

Bonnie shakes her head as if she really can't wrap her head around it,

"But she didn't just resemble you, like a family member would. She was you"

I knock lightly on the side of Bonnie's head and smile in amusement,

"Bonnie….how is that freakish? I have a twin, remember, you must be used to seeing two of me by now"

Bonnie rolls her eyes,

"Yeah, I guess. How do you know she's not still out there, pretending to be you?"

I carry some stuffed toys over to a booth, Bonnie follows me, obviously waiting for an answer. I turn to her and say,

"I don't know. She might be. But I'm not gonna stand around thinking about it. I won't let her take over my life just because she might be doing stuff"

Bonnie leans against the booth and raises an eyebrow at me,

"Yeah, you have enough to worry about with Damon"

"Bonnie, please, can we not do this. There's nothing I can say that will make you change your mind about Damon, I get that. But you have to accept that there's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind about Damon. I love him, he loves me, end of. Alright?"

I cross my arms and wait for Bonnie to either let it go or get pissy. Bonnie nudges me with her hip and sighs,

"Fine, you love the crazy psychopath and he…..wait, did he say he loves you?"

A grin spreads across my face before I can stop it,

"Yep, Damon said he's in love with me. He even turned down bitchzilla because he loves me"

"How do you know he turned down Katherine?" Bonnie asks, real interest shining in her eyes now.

"I overheard them when I went to the boarding house. It was amazing, well, not the first part, but when he pushed her away and admitted his undying love for me, that part was great" I say excitedly.

Bonnie gasps,

"Oh my God, did you-", she lowers her voice to a whisper "have sex with Damon?"

I bite my lip, but the smirk is probably obvious on my face anyway,

"Kinda, sorta, hell yeah" 

Even Bonnie is smiling now, she leans closer to me and asks,

"So…how was it?"

I'm practically bouncing on my toes as I whisper back,

"Seriously, there are no words that could describe just how amazing it was. But please never tell him I said that, his ego does not need any assistance"

Bonnie snorts out a laugh,

"I promise, as long as you never tell him, that I asked"

I nod in agreement,

"I wouldn't do that to you Bon, there's no way he'd let you live that down"

Then we're both laughing and I begin to feel slightly more relaxed. Although I have no idea how long that will last in this town.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Have you heard from Katherine?" Stefan asks me.

Damon squeezes some blood from a blood bag into a glass and then comes to stand next to me by the sofa. I look over at him and he shrugs, but he's smiling too. Damon's being weird. Well, alright, not weird, but he seems…..happy. Like really ridiculously happy.

Although, I suppose I am too, what with every that happened between me and Jeremy. I can't seem to get the boy out of my head, those brown eyes of his find their way into my every thought. It's insane, but I kind of like it.

I arch an eyebrow at Stefan,

"Why are you asking me that question? I'm not her best friend. We don't have girly chats over the phone. Leave me alone Stefan. God, you're so jealous sometimes"

Stefan shakes his head in exasperation,

"No, but she seems to be paying you a lot of attention"

"Stop bullying Sin, Stef, it's not very nice" Damon drawls.

I turn on Damon,

"What is with you today?"

Damon simply raises an eyebrow at me as if he has no idea what I'm talking about,

"Nothing"

"Lies"

Damon frowns in thought for a moment, then says,

"I'm just…happy"

"Why?" I ask suspiciously.

Damon shakes his head and looks between me and Stefan,

"Am I not allowed to be?"

"No" I answer with a smirk, "It's weird. Stop it"

Damon laughs,

"Too bad. I've spent the last one hundred and forty-five years looking for the woman I love. Now I've found that woman, and her name is Ever Gilbert. All these years I've been looking for the wrong doppelganger. Now I'm in love with the right one"

"Ah, so it all worked out in the end then" I say contentedly. Stefan gives me an incredulous look as if I've lost my mind. Actually he's looking at both me and Damon like we've gone off our rockers. Fair enough, we have, or we did, the moment we met the Gilbert's.

"We need to figure out what Katherine is up to" Stefan says meaningfully.

Damon looks at Stefan for a long moment, then says,

"I think the Lockwood's have a family secret"

Woah, throw a curve ball into the conversation why don't you Damon.

Good actually. I don't want to talk about Katerina, even thinking about the woman has my mind straying to places I'd rather it didn't go.

"Because the Gilbert device affected them, but the vervain didn't, which means they're not vampires, they're something else" Damon continues.

I think back to being in that basement with Damon. The vervain didn't affect me either, but I'm pretty sure my reasons are very different to the Lockwood's. The worst part was watching Anna die, the deputy had orders from John to stake her even before they set the place on fire. I was still weak from the device at the time. I managed to snap the deputy's neck though.

I could have gotten Damon out most likely even if Jeremy and Ever hadn't come for us. But that would have led to a lot of questions, so in some ways I'm glad. There are things from my past that I never want anyone to know about, even my brothers. Especially them actually.

Stefan narrows his eyes at Damon,

"Is this your new obsession?"

Damon aims a sardonic look Stefan's way,

"If you'd rather let some unknown supernatural element go running rampant in our town, then….fine, I'll drop it"

"Ha, in what universe are we living in where you would drop it? You didn't 'drop it' for over a hundred and forty-five years. Don't tarnish your insanity reputation now by being a quitter" I say wryly.

Before Damon can respond Stefan sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose like our father used to do and says,

"We haven't seen the last of Katherine, you two know that right?"

Aaaaaaand we're back to bitchzilla.

"We have no idea what she's up to" Stefan gets his 'I'm about to do some serious pacing' face on.

Damon scoffs,

"Sure we do. Katherine came back for Sin, because two Salvatore's under her belt just isn't enough. She's very ambitious. So, I say, we let Sin deal with her."

I bark out a laugh and hit Damon on the arm,

"Yeah, well, this Salvatore isn't interested in her fucking games. I have more important things to do"

"Like getting into the youngest Gilbert's pants. Or boxers. Whatever kids are wearing these days" Damon says with another smirk at me.

Stefan's eyes widen,

"Sin…please tell me he's joking"

I shrug,

"What? You two get to have a Gilbert, but I don't. That's very unfair of you Stefan"

"You cannot seduce Ever and Elena's little brother" Stefan argues.

I arch an eyebrow at Stefan,

"Uh, yeah I can. I want him. So I'm gonna have him."

"What happens when you break his heart like all the others?" Damon asks me, now looking thoroughly amused.

I growl low in my throat in annoyance at my two brothers,

"I'm not going to break his heart"

Both Damon and Stefan make dismissive noises at that.

"You always break their heart Sin. People fall in love with you all the time and you smash their hearts to pieces by the end of it, it's just who you are" Damon says matter of factly.

I look over at Stefan incredulously and he just nods,

"For once Damon's right Sin, you've left more broken hearts all over the place than me and Damon combined in the last hundred and forty-five years"

The problem is, they aren't wrong.

…

"Jer, wait up" I call out to Jeremy. I have to shout because of the carnival sounds going on all around me.

He stops at the sound of my voice and turns in my direction, his eyes immediately finding mine. Jeremy grins at me and my heart just about explodes inside my chest at the sight of it. He walks over to me and for a moment it seems like he wants to touch me. But he holds himself back.

No way am I having that.

Without another word I wrap my hand around Jeremy's wrist and I drag him to a place between a booth and a tent where nobody will be able to see us. I push Jeremy up against the booth hard and bring my mouth down over his.

My tongue invades his mouth, tasting him deeply. Jeremy doesn't even resist, he lets his arms twine around my neck so that I can press my body closer to his. Our chests are touching and my groin is now creating delicious friction with his.

Yet again Jeremy allows me to take the lead, my kiss is rough and passionate. After a while though, Jeremy starts to kiss me back, his tongue skates across mine as he moans into my mouth. It's amazing and exhilarating to be able to touch him like this.

I roll my hips, which causes Jeremy to smack his head back into the booth and arch up against me, a sweet whimper escaping his mouth. God, I love that sound. The way Jeremy is so damn responsive to my every touch is dizzyingly erotic.

If I wasn't already falling for the kid, then I definitely am now.

I go to work on his neck, the mark of where I bite him last time has my cock turning to lead in my jeans. Nothing has ever turned me on so much in all my life as seeing my mark on Jeremy's throat. I kiss his neck, allowing my teeth to graze the sensitive area of my bite mark.

Jeremy whimpers again, his whole body shivers against me. It makes me smile. But then Jeremy is panting something and I pull away from his neck to try and understand what he is saying. Jeremy's brown eyes are wide and full of lust.

"Sin….stop…..or I'm gonna come in my jeans again….and I'll never be able to look anyone in the eye for the rest of the night with come in my boxers"

For a moment I think about going to my knees and taking Jeremy's come down my throat instead. But then I realise it wouldn't be fair on Jeremy. I don't want our first time doing anything sexual to be around other people. I want Jeremy completely to myself when I make him scream.

So, I pull away from Jeremy, giving him one last tender kiss on the lips. I take hold of his wrist again and tug him away from the booth. After a few moments of Jeremy getting his breathing under control, we both go back out to join the rest of the carnival.

I let go of Jeremy's wrist, allowing my hand to slide over his hand and squeeze it affectionately before letting go completely. Jeremy looks over at me, and I can tell there is something he wants to say, or ask. But as usual it takes Jeremy a while to work up to saying it. We walk in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Have you ever held hands with anyone Sin?" he asks tentatively, as if he's not quite sure what he wants my answer to be.

I eye Jeremy for a moment,

"Do you mean have I held hands with anyone as in anyone, or anyone as in another man?" I ask.

Jeremy swallows hard and it's another few minutes before he answers,

"Another man"

I have to think about that one for a bit. Have I? I've been with plenty of men in my life, but most of them have been short flings, not actual relationships. My first real relationship was Ever, and we held hands. I liked it. Holding someone's hand may seem like a little thing, but if you're just walking around with someone you love, it can really nice to be connected in that way.

I shake my head,

"No, actually Jer, I haven't. Not because I don't want to, or would be ashamed to. It's just never come up"

Jeremy arches an eyebrow thoughtfully. I ask him,

"Have you ever held hands with someone before Jer?"

He looks startled for a moment, but then he replies,

"No, not really"

I decide to take a risk, a big one, by asking,

"Do you want to Jer?"

I worry that I've pushed him too far, and I feel like shit for putting him on the spot like that. But then he turns to me, his face showing clear signs of blushing as he says,

"I want to try it. With you, just with you"

I should bloody well hope just with me, I refrain from saying. This is no time to let my possessive instincts take over. Even though I'd really like to. It feels like every time I even look at Jeremy these days my mind growls the word 'mine'. But I don't want to scare him off by pushing too hard. This is all so new for Jeremy, it makes sense that he needs time to get his head around it.

Slowly I let my hand brush Jeremy's and when he doesn't pull away, I slip my hand into his, intertwining our fingers.

Ever's P.O.V

"Where the hell is he?" I ask Stefan.

We've both been looking for Damon. I saw him briefly when he arrived, but then he said he had some 'research' to do. I didn't even ask him what that meant, probably not anything good.

"There he is" Stefan says, pointing over at where Damon is leaning against a wall. He seem to be watching Tyler arm wrestle with people.

I know that Damon is convinced there is something going on with the Lockwood's. He thinks they're supernatural. I'd like to know why the device affected Tyler as well, but I don't think staring at them is going to help.

I look up at Stefan and he shrugs,

"He's going to obsess over this isn't he?" I say in a tired tone of voice.

Stefan gives me a sympathetic look,

"Probably. He's good at that"

"He's an idiot, that's for damn sure" I reply, which gets a huff of laughter out of Stefan.

We walk up to Damon. I lean on the wall next to him and Stefan does the same on Damon's other side. Damon looks between us and then crosses his arms, as if preparing to be annoyed.

"Ah, you're lurking" Stefan says.

Damon frowns at his brother,

"No, I'm observing"

I poke him in the stomach,

"Either way, you're definitely being creepy"

"I am not creepy" Damon pokes me back.

Stefan nods in my direction,

"Ever's right. You are creepy"

I narrow my eyes at Damon and then look over to meet Stefan's eyes, I say,

"He's in denial"

Stefan nods again in agreement,

"Seems like it"

Damon makes an irritated sound in the back of his throat,

"Would you two shut up, I'm busy"

"Being creepy, we know, we can see" I add with a smirk.

Tyler slams a guy's hand down, beating him easily.

"The guy's got strength" Damon comments to us.

Stefan sighs,

"He's a varsity athlete, of course he has strength. You're reaching"

Mason takes on Tyler and Damon says,

"Enter the uncle"

"This is ridiculous" Stefan says, "Ever, help me here, tell him"

I squeeze Damon's bicep, which by the way wow, and I say,

"Stefan said that you're a moron and that he doesn't like you. He also said that you're hair is flat and boring"

Stefan snorts out a laugh and Damon smirks. He places his hand over mine and holds it there. I've noticed that Damon is apparently the touchy feely type, not something I would have originally thought. But I can't say that I'm disappointed either.

I watch as Mason kicks Tyler's ass arm wrestle style. Tyler laughs and says,

"Alright, he's a champ. Who wants to go next?"

"Stefan wants a go" Damon calls out. Stefan narrows his eyes at Damon, but goes over to Mason anyway.

"Go Steffy!" I clap my hands. Stefan looks over at me and I wink at him.

"Come on Stef!" Damon says with a smirk that I know I shouldn't love. But damn it I really do, even when he's being annoying and smirkmasterish.

After a few seconds Mason slams Stefan's hand down onto the table and I frown. There's no way Mason could actually beat Stefan unless Stefan let him.

Stefan comes back over to us. I catch Tyler's eye and he smiles at me, I smile back. I've known Tyler all my life. I find it hard to believe he has some sort of big family secret.

"You didn't put in any effort at all" Damon chastises Stefan.

Stefan looks between us and replies,

"Yeah, actually I did"

What? That can't be good. In fact that is the opposite of good feelings.

Damon raises an eyebrow,

"Is he-?"

Stefan shakes his head,

"No, it wasn't that kind of strength, but it was more than human, if that makes any sense"

"Not really. You're useless Steffy, you were obviously the wrong agent to send in under cover" I say in mock exasperation.

"What is up with that family? If they're not vampires then what the hell are they?" Damon says, sounding thoroughly frustrated.

Stefan shrugs,

"Oh, maybe they're uh, ninja turtles"

"You're not funny"

I jump up and down on my toes,

"Oh, oh, I really, really, hope that they're fairies, or pixies. That would be epic"

Stefan nods in agreement with me,

"They could be zombies. Oh, or werewolves"

"I vote werewolf" I say.

"Both of you are being stupid. This is reality, where there's no such thing as werewolves or zombies" Damon says.

"Ah, so you're leaning towards fairy too" I smile sweetly at Damon, he gives me a sardonic look.

"No, fairies don't exist-"

I gasp dramatically,

"Oh my God, you just murdered a fairy. What is wrong with you?"

But Damon just ignores me and carries on,

"Pixies don't exist and neither do….combat turtles"

Then Damon walks away from us and over to this guy who is trying to fix the sound system.

I look up at Stefan,

"Did he just say combat…..turtles?"

"It's a ninja turtle" Stefan calls after Damon, then he looks back down at me and shrugs again.

I shake my head,

"He never listens to us"

Stefan shakes his head too,

"I know, it's distressing. Besides, who doesn't believe in fairies?"

"You're right. He's a fairy murderer, we can't trust him" I say in agreement.

We move over to Damon just in time to hear him compel that guy to fight with Tyler. To not back down no matter what. The moment he walks away I hit Damon over the head, hard. He frowns at me and rubs the spot where I smacked him.

"What the hell was that for?"

I glare at him,

"If you need to ask then I'm gonna hit you again"

Stefan sighs,

"You do know that someone is going to get hurt"

Damon just shrugs,

"Someone is going to get mad, like, rage"

"And what is that going to accomplish?"

"That Tyler kid is incapable of walking away from a fight. Let's see who intervenes. Maybe it's the ambiguously supernatural uncle"

I hit him over the head again,

"You're an idiot. I should just spend more time with Tyler, I could get him to tell me, if he knows anything that is."

"No" Damon snaps with more anger than I think is warranted.

"What do you mean no. I've known Tyler all my life, if he's going to tell anyone his secrets, then it's gonna be me. Just let me try" I argue.

"No way in hell" Damon says firmly.

I cross my arms,

"You don't trust me?"

Damon meets my eyes, and I almost stumble backwards at the intensity of his gaze,

"No, I don't trust him" Damon gestures over at Tyler.

I look over at Stefan,

"Steffy, my best friend in the whole wide world, back me up here"

Stefan has his stoic-y face on though, and he says,

"We don't know how he'd react to you asking questions Ever. At the very least he might tell his uncle, and he's definitely hiding something. You don't want to be on his radar"

I let out a frustrated groan,

"Fine, we'll do everything the hard way"

"Good" Damon says, "Glad we got that sorted out"

I glare at him again, but there's not much heat in it. Damon smirks down at me and then wraps an arm around my waist. He tugs me to his side and kisses my temple. I lean into the touch and sigh contentedly.

"I still think you're an idiot" I say even as my body gives in to Damon.

"I know, and that's why I love you" Damon whispers to me, sounding much more relaxed than he was before.

…..

Ok, there is definitely something going on with Tyler's family. Me and Stefan just saw Mason go all super ninja on the guy Damon compelled. It was insane. Mason jumped over a freakin' car.

Then we get a text from Damon telling us to meet him in Ric's classroom. Stefan and I rush to get there, thinking something must be really wrong.

When we arrive, Sinbad, Jeremy and Elena are already there. Damon then precedes to tell all of us what happened between him and Caroline. Apparently she just about kicked his ass vampire style. Caroline is a vampire. Holy son of a biscuit tin on a shelf in bloody hell! Why can't we just have one town event that doesn't turn out crazy.

"How could this happen?" Stefan says, now looking very frustrated and I can't blame him.

Damon shrugs,

"Well, I fed her blood, Katherine obviously killed her. A plus B, equals-"

"Damon" I snap, "Helpful thoughts or none at all remember"

"But why?" Elena asks, she seems very upset. I'm more pissed off to be honest. Where does this Katherine bitch get off turning our friends into vampires? She cut off Uncle John's fingers, got blood all over one of our good knife's, stabbed Sinbad (ruining one of his best shirts by the way), tried it on with my boyfriend, and now she's turned Caroline.

Seriously, it's a good thing I know how to smack a bitch.

"Because Katherine is a manipulative nasty little slut" Damon answers.

"Amen to that brother" Sinbad nods in agreement.

I've noticed Jeremy and Sin are standing close together, like more than just friends close together. It makes me want to pepper Sin with questions. What, I'm a nosy bitch alright. I want them both to be happy, and if that means them being together then I'm all for it.

"And she said game on, what does that even mean?"

"Means she's playing dirty and she wants us to know"

"But why Caroline?" Elena questions.

"It doesn't really matter why. She's obviously a psycho" I say angrily.

"We have to find her" Sinbad says.

I can hear what Damon is about to say before he even says it, so I get there first,

"Damon, if you even think about killing one of my best friends then I'm gonna be really pissed off"

Damon makes an exasperated sound,

"She's a liability, we need to get rid of her"

I narrow my eyes at him. Elena looks about to argue, but I silence her with a look. I turn my gaze on Damon,

"Fine. Then I get to talk to Tyler about his family secrets. I'll spend every day at his house if I have to. Maybe I'll even stay over, just like I used to when we dated"

I see Sinbad hiding a smirk out of the corner of my eye. Jeremy seems to be trying to do the same. Elena looks curiously between me and Damon. Stefan just looks frustrated with the whole situation.

As for Damon and I; we're in dead lock.

Damon stares at me, and I see the anger and jealousy flickering in his eyes. It's a risk, as Damon is so unpredictable sometimes. Plan B is we lock Damon in a supply cupboard.

After a very long moment Damon growls, the sound coming from somewhere deep inside. He says through gritted teeth,

"You stay away from Tyler, and I'll stay away from Blondie"

I nod in acceptance. Obviously we will address the me staying away from Tyler thing later after we've dealt with the Caroline situation.

Sinbad's P.O.V

We managed to convince Ever and Elena to stay behind. Ever, because Damon refused to let her go without him, so she stayed to keep Damon away from Caroline, just in case he did something crazy. Elena, because Jeremy wanted to come. Both Elena and I were against that completely. But Elena couldn't very well say Jeremy wasn't allowed to come and then come herself.

So, by a stroke of pure luck, all of the Gilbert's are safe for once. I can't imagine this will ever happen again, so Stefan and I are enjoying it while it lasts.

Suddenly Stefan stops mid stride and tilts his head to the side,

"Do you hear something?" I try to listen out for what he's hearing, but instead I'm hit by the smell of spilt blood.

Damn.

Stefan and I exchange glances, and without either of us having to say anything, we head in the direction of where we can smell the blood coming from.

It doesn't take us long to find Caroline sitting on the back of truck crying….with a dead guy next to her.

I move closer to her and she says,

"He's dead. I killed him. What's wrong with me"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with you sweet heart" I put my hand on her back carefully and start rubbing it soothingly.

Stefan and me help her down from the truck. She still seems about two seconds away from losing her shit, which would be very counterproductive.

But then just about the worst thing that could possibly happen right now, happens.

"Caroline?" Bonnie gasps. Caroline looks over at her best friend and, oh, I can already see that this isn't going to end well.

Caroline has blood all over her face, she must look half dranged to Bonnie. Personally, I've seen worse. Hell, I've been worse. But Bonnie won't see it that way, she's already got a thing against vampires, for good reason really, but still. This won't help any.

Caroline all but whispers,

"Bonnie?"

Bonnie comes closer, shaking her head,

"No. You can't be" she says in disbelief.

But then she touches Caroline's arm and jerks back in horror.

Ok, that's really not helping.

"Oh God" Bonnie goes around Stefan to look at the man Caroline killed who's still on the back of the truck.

Stefan and I exchange another look. I nod, and he responds with a slight tilt of his head. I take hold of Caroline's upper arm and I steer her away from Bonnie, Stefan and the dead guy.

Caroline doesn't put up a fight as I take her inside and head for the bathroom. We need to get that blood off her Caroline's face before anyone else see's her.

Once we're in the bathroom I check for other people, and Caroline grabs onto the sink like it's her lifeline. She starts sobbing and my heart clenches for her. I know how awful it is when you first turn. Even with Lexi and Stefan there to help, it was still a lot to handle, there's nothing in the world that can prepare you for how it feels to become a vampire.

I wet a paper towel and pull back some blond hair from Caroline's face. I start to clean the blood off,

"Hey, come here, it's gonna be alright Caroline"

Caroline is still crying,

"Bonnie-….she…she hates me"

I shake my head,

"No, she doesn't, she's just in shock"

I carry on trying to clean the blood off her face. Caroline grips the sink tighter,

"What about Matt….what am I going to do about Matt-"

I turn Caroline around and continue to wash the blood away,

"Don't think about that right now Caroline, let's just get this blood off your face, ok"

Caroline takes the fresh wet paper towel I offer her and rubs the blood off her hands,

"I'm a murder" she says "I'm a monster"

I clean more of the blood away,

"Your emotions are heightened right now, it's part of the transformation. You're not a monster Caroline, trust me, I know what a monster looks like and you ain't it"

Caroline looks into the mirror again and then shouts in frustration. She spins around, and covers her face with her hands,

"Uh, why does this keep happening to my face? I'm hideous"

I'm assuming she means the whole vamp face thing. I take hold of her wrists and pull her hands away from her face.

"Caroline, look at me, come on, look at me"

Caroline looks up at me. And I nod,

"Look at my face Caroline"

I allow my face to change, revealing my vampire appearance. Then after a few moments I hide it again.

"See, did you see that?"

Caroline nods. I cup her face gently and say,

"When you feel the blood rushing, you tell yourself that you're gonna get through it. Tell yourself that you're strong enough"

Caroline starts to shake her head, no.

"Yes, yes, you can. No matter how good it feels. No matter how much you want to give into it. You have to fight it, bury that feeling. Watch me"

She stops and watches me, I hold her face firmly in my hands, letting her see me not give in to it.

"Come on Caroline, try. It's the only way you're gonna survive this thing"

I start breathing in and out slowly, encouraging Caroline to do the same. After a moment she starts breathing in time with me, and eventually her face goes back to normal.

"That's good Caroline, you got it" I say calmly.

I smooth some more blood away from her face gently and Caroline lets me.

"Why did Katherine do this to me?" Caroline asks.

I take a deep breath and then let it go,

"Because she's a bad and twisted person Caroline. I wish there was a better reason I could give you, but that's all I got. I'm sorry"

I search her eyes for a moment and then continue,

"I promise you, Caroline, that I will not let anything happen to you. Alright"

Caroline nods and I pull her into a hug, because I sense that she damn well needs one by this point. I let Caroline cry into my t-shirt, because I think she's earned the right to be as upset as she wants.

I swear, when I get my hands on that bitch I'm gonna tear her apart. The thought that any of this could be my fault weighs heavily on my mind. Before I came to this town, I hadn't felt true guilt in over a decade, now I'm feeling all sorts of things all the fucking time. It's exhausting, but I could never regret coming here. It's changed my life, and my brother's lives, forever. I refuse to let Katherine ruin that just because she can.

Ever's P.O.V

"Day, where are we going?" I ask, half excited, half apprehensive as Damon drives up down some old country lane.

Damon looks over at me and smiles,

"Patience Ev's, I'm not ruining the surprise, so stop asking."

I sit back in my seat. We've got the top down on the car and Damon's been driving for about an hour.

"There's no shame in admitting you're lost Day" I shake my head, trying desperately to work out where this mystery late night date is taking place.

"I'm not lost" Damon replies.

"We could ask for directions" I suggest.

Damon snorts in indignation,

"I do not need directions, I know exactly where I'm going"

I sigh in mock frustration,

"Seriously, what is it with guys and asking for directions? I thought it was a modern day guy problem, but you were alive over one hundred years ago, so obviously it's just a guy thing. It's in your blood"

Damon doesn't say anything, which frustrates me even more, and he knows it. I can tell that he knows it because he's smirking, damn him.

After we got Caroline home, Elena, Jeremy and I were dropped off at our house. Stefan, Sin and Damon went back to the boarding house. I was asleep when Damon came through my window and woke me up. I was startled at first, and confused, but Damon convinced me to get dressed and go out for a 'drive' with him.

I was obviously intrigued, so I got dressed quickly and let Damon vamp style me out of the window. So, like I said, we've been driving for about an hour now, and Damon still refuses to tell me what the hell is going on, or where we're actually going.

I decide to just try and enjoy the ride. It does feel good with the top down and the wind blowing my hair all over the place.

Eventually though, we go down another country road and stop at a clearing with a big barn. I narrow my eyes at Damon,

"Day, seriously, what-"

Damon presses a button on the side of the car and suddenly a hidden compartment in the back of the car opens. It's a film projector I think. My thoughts are confirmed when right in front of my eyes the side of the barn shows a big cinema screen sized projection of some film credit thingies.

I look over at Damon in shock and he smiles at me.

"Oh flipping hell Day. This is amazing. What film are we watching?"

Damon arches an eyebrow at me,

"Wait and see. But first-"

Damon opens another compartment, which just so happens to have proper cups of popcorn in it. Then he reaches into the back and pulls out a few bags of some of my favourite cinema sweets. And in a cooler there are some drinks, as well as a few blood bags.

I have no idea what to say, like, internally, I am screaming like a 13 year old girl. But instead of screaming I reach across the middle console and smash my lips over Damon's. I can feel him smiling against my mouth, but then he's kissing me back, and for a few moments I kiss the hell out of Damon.

When I finally sit back and look up at the projected screen I see the title of the movie we are about to watch. I start laughing uncontrollably and when I look over at Damon he's smirking in that devilish way that I love.

"Peter Pan. I knew it, you do listen to me." I say with a grin. I think back to today when we were talking about the Lockwood's and I made the Peter Pan reference. I can't believe Damon would do all this, it's incredible.

A wave of love and appreciation washes over me and the grin on my face just gets wider. As the movie starts Damon reaches over and takes my hand in his, our fingers intertwine and he asks,

"So….do you like it?" he gestures around him.

I'm about to laugh, as if any girl would not like it. But when I look over Damon I stop myself from laughing. The vulnerability on Damon's face isn't something I see often, but when I do see it, it reminds me of how sensitive Damon really is, even if he pretends not to care most of the time. It's moments like this when I can really see what Damon must have been like as a human, and it makes me fall in love with him even more.

I squeeze Damon's hand and I lean over the console to kiss him again. The kiss is tender and loving, and it lasts for quite a while longer than I first intended it to. When I eventually pull back, I cup Damon's face and look right into his eyes as I say,

"I love it Day. And I love you"

Damon smiles that real smile that has the butterflies in my stomach turning into fucking supersized bats. He kisses me again, and after that we settle back to watch the film. But our hands stay locked together.

I know he did this for me, because he knows how upset I am over Caroline, and Katherine and all the supernatural bullshit that keeps messing with our lives. He did this for me, and I love him to pieces for it

So, for a while, I turn off my brain, and let everything else go. For now, it's just me and Damon, having a normal, and incredibly amazing, first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first of all we had DEVER SEX, I hope you all thought I did them justice ;) We also had a really sweet Jerbad moment. A few funny scenes with the brothers, and then one with Ever. And at the end a scene that I loved writing, Damon and Ever's official first date. I hope you liked this 
> 
> Please, let me know what you thought, and what you liked/loved ect. 
> 
> Thank you all soooo much for reading! xxx


	38. Bad Mood Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stever time x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-eighth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Damon would be my first choice drinking partner! xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Bad Moon Rising

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Thanks for coming Ric" Stefan says to Alaric as Damon lets him into the boarding house.

Alaric comes to sit down on the sofa opposite me, Elena and Stefan. Sinbad is next to Ric. I feel like we're kind of trapping him. Although he is technically part of team 'Supernaturals United', so he needs to be included in these things.

"Yeah, well, Ever mentioned you needed my help" Alaric looks over at me and I smile, he smiles back.

HA! Alaric smiled at me. I am so his favourite student.

Stefan nods as Damon comes to sit next to me on the arm rest of the sofa.

"We were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family"

Alaric frowns in confusion,

"Why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?"

"Well you wouldn't" Damon says, "but your dead-not dead vampire wife might"

"Isobel's research, from when you guy's were at Duke together" Elena says.

Stefan adds,

"You said she spent years researching this town"

Alaric sighs,

"Isobel's research here, in Mystic Falls, was rooted in folk lore and legend. At the time I thought most of which was…fiction"

Damon looks up suddenly and smirks,

"Like that amazing vampire story"

I flick him on the arm and ask Alaric,

"Apart from vampires, what else did our egg donor find?"

"The lycanthrope" Alaric answers.

We all exchange glances and I try to keep the grin off my face.

I knew it, I knew it. I voted werewolf. First win of the day. Excellent.

"Werewolves" Elena says in disbelief.

Damon shakes his head,

"No way. Impossible. "

Stop ruining my win Damon!

"Is it?" Stefan questions.

"I've been on this planet for one hundred and sixty odd years and never come across one" Damon replies scornfully.

My boyfriend really doesn't like the idea of sharing the supernatural limelight.

Sinbad sighs heavily and leans forward. I notice the expression on his face and my entire body goes on alert. He knows something. But he doesn't want to tell us. Damon notices my reaction and looks over at his youngest brother. His expression quickly turning to suspicion.

"What are you not telling us Sin?" I ask him.

All eyes are now on Sinbad. He closes his eyes tight for a few long moments, when Sin opens his eyes he says,

"I've…..met werewolves"

Holy elmo shit biscuits!

"What?" Damon demands, surprise evident on his handsome face. Much the same expression is being displayed on all of our faces right now.

Sinbad clasps his hands tightly in front of him, a clear sign of reluctance on his part. Sin really doesn't want to talk about this, and I feel bad for almost forcing him to talk about something he's clearly uncomfortable about. Sin sighs again before saying,

"It was a long time ago. There aren't many werewolves left, vampires took a lot of them out. Natural enemies and all that. I met a man, and I knew from the moment we met that there was something different about him. He introduced me to his girlfriend, and I felt the same thing. We spent quite a bit of….time together. They revealed to me what they were….but their pack didn't like them spending….time, with a vampire, so eventually we went our separate ways"

I can tell that there's more to it than that, but no way am I going to push. Sin doesn't respond well to being pushed for information. If he wants to tell someone something then he will, if he doesn't then he most likely won't, no amount of pushing will make a difference.

Damon is smirking again,

"'Time'? Care to be more specific with what you did during that 'time'"

I roll my eyes, Damon is messing with his brother. We all know what Sin meant.

Sin narrows his eyes at Damon,

"Sit on it and spin dickhead"

Damon laughs and Stefan raises an eyebrow at Sinbad.

"Do you think Tyler and Mason are werewolves?"

Sinbad shrugs,

"I don't know, they could be, that's all I'm saying"

Damon tilts his head in annoyance,

"Fantastic"

…

"Are sure you don't want to come with us?" Elena asks me as she packs some stuff in a bag. She's going to Duke to look through some of our egg donors stuff. Sinbad knows more than he's told us, I can feel it, but if he's not willing to share then there's nothing any of us can do about it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I counter her question with another question.

"Which part? The going through our birth mother's life work, or going to Duke with Damon?" Elena makes a pained face and I laugh.

"Either, both?"

"Well, I'm sure about the first part, but then again Alaric is a good buffer"

Yeah, that's my favourite thing about Alaric too.

"I wish you and Stefan were coming though" Elena says.

Stefan is staying behind to help Sinbad with Caroline and I'm staying because….I really don't wanna go. I've had enough of Isobel. If I thought Elena really needed me then I would definitely be going anyway, but actually seems alright with everything. Then again she's been pretty relaxed since her and Stefan went out on that date. It was the same night of mine and Damon's first official date.

I'm glad Stefan and Elena seem to be getting along better than ever before. I can honestly say I've never seen a more sickeningly sweet couple in my life. I might need to invest in one of those sleeping masks for daily use whenever I'm around them. The cuteness makes me want to mock.

"Do you think I should stay?" Elena asks me.

I look up at her in surprise. Elena's looking unsure now. I take her hand in mine and say,

"No, you should go. You have questions about Isobel and Katherine and all that crap. Everything will be fine here. I'll look after Stefan and Sinbad and Caroline, and you look after Damon"

Elena gives me a sardonic look,

"Sounds like I'm getting the raw end of the stick here. You get Stefan, Sinbad and Caroline and I have….Damon. Totally unfair. For me"

I huff out another laugh,

"Yeah I know. But, if you can handle a road trip with Damon, then you can handle just about anything. Think of it as a survival test"

"Hello evil twin, can I have a private word with naughty twin?"

Speaking of …

Damon walks in, his eyes meeting mine almost instantly. My heart starts jumping all over the place just because he's in the same room as me. I've got it bad, big time.

Elena looks over at me and I nod in acceptance. As Elena walks past Damon out of the room he says,

"Looking forward to our little trip Elena?"

Elena rolls her eyes in response,

"I can hardly stand the excitement" she says completely monotone.

But Damon just laughs and then comes to stand only inches in front of me. His expression suddenly turns serious and he starts to twirl one of my curls around his finger. Something that has become a habit of his.

"I want you to come" he says.

"Why?" I ask. I know why though. He doesn't want me to be here alone with Caroline and a couple of potential werewolves running around. I am officially a few sparkles away from being in a Twilight novel.

Damon places a hand on my waist and pulls me closer so that my body is pressed flush against his.

"You'll be safer with me" Damon argues.

I shake my head, he's so over protective, but I do love him for it. I wrap my arms around his neck and reach up to kiss his jaw gently.

"I'll be fine Day. I have Sinbad and Stefan here to 'protect' me from the non-existent danger"

Damon growls low in his throat and I feel that growl vibrate through the rest of his body. He grasps my chin and moves my head so that I have no choice but to look him in the eye.

"I hate this" Damon grumbles, almost like a child who isn't getting his way. Some might find it ridiculous but I think its cute as hell. He's like an angry hedgehog.

I smile at him, unable to keep my happiness below the surface.

"I know you do. But somehow I think you just might survive it"

Damon's lips come crashing down over mine then, and I allow myself to be swept away by the intense emotions his kisses cause me to feel.

When we're down by the car and saying goodbye, Damon looks at Stefan for a long moment. They make eye contact and Damon says almost aggressively,

"If you let anything happen to Ever whilst I'm gone, then I will rip you apart"

Stefan takes the obvious, and very real, threat in his stride though and replies firmly,

"I won't. And same goes for Elena"

The two brothers simply stare at each other. I feel like now is definitely not a good time to interrupt them with a feminist speech about how Elena and I can damn well take care of ourselves thank you very much. I happen to have saved the Salvatore's enough times without any supernatural powers. I have skills. Many, many skills. Not all of them useful, but still, many, many skills. So there.

"Ok, the testosterone is killing me. Damon get in the damn car and take your manliness with you. I'll stay here with Stefan's" I say finally after a very long pause.

Something passes between Damon and Stefan, a secret knowing look that only people with siblings could understand. Damon turns around and presses me up against car, stealing one last bone melting kiss.

Stefan and me are left standing on the sidewalk, our loved ones driving off together along with Alaric. I turn to Stefan, he looks down at me.

"Who do think will snap first. Elena or Damon?"

Stefan chuckles quietly for a few moments before saying,

"Either way, they'll come back friends, or one of them will be dead by the end of the trip"

I nod in agreement,

"Poor Alaric, he's right in the crossfire. If nothing else they'll be bonded forever because of their dark secret"

Stefan frowns slightly,

"Dark secret?"

"Yeah, the murder of Alaric" I reply.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I don't even know how to make a day walking ring" Bonnie argues. She agreed to meet me in the Grill to talk about Caroline and so far I don't think it's going very well.

I lean forward on the table,

"Emily made mine, and she made both my brothers'. The instructions must be in the grimoire"

Bonnie still looks sceptical,

"That doesn't mean I can cast the spell"

I arch an eyebrow,

"Bonnie, you can bring down vampires with a single look. A skill I am very impressed with by the way. I'm sure you can do this. But I think we both know what the real problem is"

"Caroline killed someone Sinbad. I can't make it easier for her to do it again" Bonnie says, confirming my thoughts on the reason for her reluctance.

I sigh heavily,

"We're not making it easier for her Bonnie. We're just giving her the chance to survive. Everyday that she's away from her friends and her normal human life, it becomes harder and harder for Caroline to hold on to her humanity"

"How do you know she won't hurt anyone else?" Bonnie asks me.

"I don't. I don't see the freakin' future Bon. But I do know that if we don't help Caroline now, then we might as well just sign her off completely. Because neither of my brothers will allow a blood crazy vampire to go running around a town both their girlfriends live in. We need to trust her"

Bonnie bites her lip and looks down for a moment before saying,

"I don't know if I can trust her. Not with this."

I place my fingers under Bonnie's chin and I make her look up at me,

"Then trust me Bon"

….

"So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear for the rest of my life" Caroline complains.

Bonnie's jaw tightens,

"Hey, if you don't want it-"

"No, she wants it" I interrupt and nod for Bonnie to continue.

"Now what?" Caroline asks.

"Now's the part where I explain the rules, the witch who spells the ring has the power to despell it. So if you ever do anything to hurt anyone-"

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone"

Bonnie shakes her head,

"You're a vampire now, which means the urge to kill is a part of you. The minute you let it take over, I'll stop you"

Caroline frowns at the little witch,

"Bonnie, you're supposed to be my friend"

"I can't ignore what happened" Bonnie exclaims, "If you want to be friends then you have to prove to me that the Caroline I remember isn't gone"

I can see this going down a potentially very bad road. Maybe I should just give Caroline my ring, I don't technically need it, but then I'd have to explain why I don't burn in the sun without my ring and…..yeah, that ain't happnen.

Damn, why did I get stuck with baby vamp duty, this is more Stefan's style of work. But he's off with Ever, and I figured I'd better get started on all this. Plus, Bonnie likes me best, and I like Caroline. She's a nice girl, even though she is a bit obnoxious.

Then again, so am I. So really, we should be best buddies. Caroline also trusts me the most after what happened at the Carnival, and I figure the more comfortable she is, the better chance we have of getting her to be able to handle all this shit.

"Put the ring on the bed" Bonnie orders. Caroline mercifully does as she's told and Bonnie opens the curtains. Caroline flinches back from the light.

Bonnie closes her eyes and holds her hand out over the ring. After a few moments Bonnie opens her eyes and says,

"There, done" she picks up the ring and hands it to Caroline.

Caroline puts the ring on and narrows her eyes at Bonnie,

"That's it. I mean, nothing witchy happened. Have you even done this before?"

Ah, I can't imagine my brother took her attitude very well when he was compelling her.

"Caroline" I say in warning, "Play nice with the witch who could just as easily despell your ring"

"What? I just want to make sure it worked" Caroline says.

I exchange a look with Bonnie, and I smile in amusement as the witch opens the curtains completely, shining sunlight all over Caroline.

Caroline yelps and curls up into a ball on the bed.

"It worked" Bonnie says.

When she realises nothing has happened to her, Caroline slowly uncurls herself and glares at Bonnie,

"Yeah, and what if it hadn't Bonnie?"

Bonnie looks down at me, and I swear there is a ghost of a witchy smirk on her lips as she says,

"She's all yours"

Oh, great. This is gonna be super fun times.

….

After a very frustrating few hours of getting Caroline used to drinking blood from a blood bag, I agreed to take her to the swimming hole…lake….party…thingy. I dunno, she talks a lot, I have to filter.

Ever and Stefan are meant to be meeting us here, since they blew me off to have 'best friend forever time'. I swear Stefan will do anything Ever wants him to do. Then again I'm not much better when it comes to her, or Jeremy for that matter. Having emotions has turned me into a pushover these days. It's not a bad trade to have them in my life.

Caroline and I get out of car just in time for Mason Lockwood to drive past us. He's got his arm hanging out of the window, and as he passes us he looks right at me. I narrow my eyes for a moment and then wink at him. The guy is hot, in a surfer extended gap year kind of way.

"Why are you looking at him with your flirty vampire look?" I hear Caroline ask.

I turn to her as she gets a bag out of the trunk. I arch an eyebrow,

"My flirty vampire look?"

Caroline nods,

"Hm hm, I mean it's different from your amused sex me vampire look, neither of which stray far from your 'I want you up against that wall' look"

I bark out a laugh,

"Caroline Forbes, are you calling me a man-whore?"

She honestly wouldn't be the first, and she probably won't be the last. Even as a human I had a renowned reputation. And becoming a vampire just amped that reputation from small town to world wide in the last one hundred and forty-five years.

Caroline tilts her head from side to side with a small smirk on her pretty face,

"Well, I wasn't gonna say it like that"

A little while later I see Caroline compelled a girl who was talking to Matt, the jealousy clear on her face. Damn it. Stefan will not be best pleased when he finally gets his ass down here. If it were up to me then, honestly, I don't care who Caroline compels, if she's not hurting anyone, then what's the big fucking deal?

But , I'm not a good person, so I don't understand good person rules.

I walk over to Caroline, Matt has pretty much just stormed off in annoyance. Wow, Matt's hot when he's angry. Ok, it's thoughts like that isn't it?

When I reach Caroline she crosses her arms and looks up at me.

"I saw you compel that girl Caroline"

"She deserved it" Caroline argues angrily.

I can't help but laugh a little, although I try to hide it because I'm afraid Caroline might actually try to kick my ass right here with the mood she's in.

Caroline narrows her eyes at me,

"And now you're laughing at me"

I shake my head,

"No, no, I'm not laughing at you. Mostly. It's just that when someone becomes a vampire all of their natural behaviours get sort of….amplified" I gesture up and down Caroline, managing to keep the smirk off my face by sheer power of will alone.

Caroline frowns,

"What do you mean?" she asks.

I try to think of the best way to describe it.

"I mean, when I was a human, I was…extremely loyal to the people I cared about, and I was admittedly a bit of a flirt. So, as a vampire, all that got….magnified"

Caroline stares at me for a good few seconds before saying,

"You're saying that, now, I'm basically an insecure, neurotic control freak on crack?"

I can't hide the smirk anymore,

"Well, I wasn't gonna say it like that"

Ever's P.O.V

"So, how are you feeling about everything? Want to suck anyone dry lately?" I ask Stefan. We're at the Grill having a few drinks before we go meet Caroline and Sin.

I'll be honest here. One of the reasons I wanted to stay behind was because since Damon and I got together, me and Stefan haven't had any time to really hang out, just us. I've been kind of missing our friend alone time, which is probably weird of me, but it's true nonetheless.

Stefan leans forward in his chair and replies,

"I'm feeling alright. I've been a bit….antsy for the last week"

I nod,

"Yeah, I kind of sensed that" through our bond, is the part I don't say, although I'm pretty sure Stefan knows anyway.

"I don't understand why. I feel better today though, sitting here, with you, I'm not thinking about blood, or even really wanting it. I just wish I could feel that way all the time" Stefan explains, and I can sense his frustration. So I decide to try and take his mind off of it.

"So, do you think the Lockwood's could actually be werewolves then?" I ask him, curious as to what his answer will be.

Stefan's eyes widen slightly in surprise at my question, but he says,

"I don't know"

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"I really don't know"

"Dr. Steffy, have I ever told you that you are a world champion conversationalist? What do you and my evil twin talk about? Or do you just screw all the time?" I ask the last question to purposely push, and by push I mean fucking shove, Stefan right out of his comfort zone. Because it amuses me to see Stefan flustered.

I'm a horrible, horrible person, I know. In my defence…it's really funny.

Stefan simply stares at me for a very long time. I think he's trying to figure out if I'm serious. I look him dead in the eye and attempt to keep a completely emotionless expression on my face. Eventually Stefan raises an eyebrow and says,

"I can tell you what we don't talk about Everlyna. We don't talk about names for our bats-"

"I thought we agreed your bat's name is Bert"

"Or if vampires should still wear capes-"

"They definitely should. With their names sequined on the back"

"Or my time as a ripper-"

"You were one scary motherfraker my friend"

"Or how I'm handling my bloodlust-"

"You're handling it brilliantly for a secretly psycho vamp boy"

"Or if Häagen-Dazs is a better brand of ice cream than Ben&Jerry's-"

"It definitely isn't. Ben&Jerry's has an ice cream with chocolate fish and marshmallow in it. Ultimate win"

"And we definitely don't talk about other people's sexual activities. We don't talk about yours and Damon's"

"Oh, Damon and I have lots of sex, loads and loads, all the damn time. Right, your turn"

Now we're both laughing so hard that I'm pretty sure I might fall right out of my chair. Stefan has his hands covering his face slightly as he truly lets go and laughs his ass off. It's a beautiful thing, watching Stefan lose it completely. The guy needs to laugh more often, seriously.

"I've missed this Dr. Steffy, just us hanging out being all….weird and shit" I say when we've finally calmed down enough to talk properly without needing a bag to breath into.

Stefan's slightly more serious face is back as he replies,

"Honestly, me too Everlyna"

I think about it for a moment and then an idea springs to mind.

"We should have out own day of the week" I suggest.

Stefan frowns and tilts his head to the side curiously,

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, people have date nights and stuff, we should have a best friends forever night. Just for us" I explain.

"Which night?"

"Ummmmm, details, details Dr. Steffy" I wave my hand in a dismissive gesture.

"The details are rather important" Stefan says.

I make a face at him,

"Well….you would say that"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're so damn logical sometimes"

"You say that like being logical is a disease"

"It is. Logic creates boring people"

"Or sane ones"

"Same thing"

"No it isn't"

"See, there you go with that logic tripe again"

Stefan shakes his head in defeat. Ha, win.

"I do have one question" Stefan finally says.

I hope he's about to ask what I think he is.

"Yes?"

"Why have you got straight hair today?" Stefan looks up at my hair. It is straight, and for good reason.

I smirk at Stefan,

"Because Spenny, the love of my life, is working today, and I want to give it a go at pretending to be Elena. See if I can fool Spenny. If bitchzilla can pretend to be me, then I can pretend to be my evil twin"

"Please tell me I am not involved in this plan" Stefan says suspiciously.

I just keep on smirking at him,

"In due time Dr. Steffy, you shall see"

Not long after that I get 'the signal' from Zack, the other bar tender that Spenny has come into work. Ha, my time to shine folks.

I stand up, startling Stefan slightly with my abruptness. I pull on Stefan's arm to get him up too. He reluctantly gets to his feet and I loop my arm through his. I walk to the bar with Stefan and when we stop there I slide my hand into his and twine our fingers together.

Stefan looks down at me and raises a questioning eye brow, I just smile at him meaningfully. I take a moment to appreciate the ability to hold Stefan's hand. I like it. Somehow Stefan and me touching connects us on an even deeper level, one that doesn't have anything to do with our bond. I squeeze Stefan's hand and he squeezes back almost instantly.

Then Spenny comes out of the back and all my attention goes to him. Right, time to go full on Elena. I try to school my expression into something resembling Elena's kind, caring, goodie goodie look that she's so expert at. As Spenny moves closer to me and Stefan, I attempt to talk to Stefan in an Elenaish way.

"Oh, Steff-I mean Stefan, my love, I…..really like your hair"

For a moment I think Stefan is going to sell me out, but then he says,

"Thank you Elena. I like your hair too"

"Yeah, but you know….I like everyone's hair…..because…because everyone deserves to have their hair liked"

"You are very nice and kind like that"

"Oh…really, you think I'm nice…..good Steffy-Stefan, because I think you're really nice too. I think everyone is nice….somewhere inside. Even badgers…because people say they're mean…but….maybe they just….want…..baths"

"Baths are good"

"I know….I…..like….baths"

If this is actually the kind of conversations Elena and Stefan have, then I can only hope the sex is really great.

I watch Spenny out of the corner of my eye, trying to see if he seems suspicious. When I'm almost certain he doesn't suspect anything I say,

"Can I have a glass of Pepsi, please"

"Sure" Spenny says to me, and he actually smiles.

Holy son of a jabberwocky! He smiled at me! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I wonder what colour wedding dress I'll buy for my marriage to Spenny. I don't think white would work for me….maybe even something with a bit of gold….or blue. Ohhh silk, definitely silk.

When Spenny comes back with the drink, Stefan hands over some money. As my pretend boyfriend that was very sweet of him. I'll have to get Elena to kiss him for me in appreciation.

Before Spenny can move away again I ask him,

"What do you really think of my sister? She talks about you all the time?"

I can feel Stefan struggling not to laugh, and I will him to hang on a little bit longer.

Spenny frowns at me,

"Why?"

I shrug pretend nonchalantly,

"Just wondering I guess" I add a little Elena 'I'm so sweet' sigh onto the end of that sentence.

Spenny's suspicion seems to melt away and I call a silent triumph. I am obviously the best actress who has ever lived. I expect awards damn it.

"She annoys me so much, it drives me crazy" Spenny says.

"Do you hate her?" I ask as Elena.

Spenny frowns and seems to think for a moment before answering,

"No. I don't exactly hate her"

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I allow the Elena façade to fall completely and I shout,

"Oh my God, I knew it, you love me! We are meant to be together Spenny, oh my beautiful wonderful Spenny!"

Spenny's eyes open so wide that for a moment I think they are going to pop right out of his head. But then his expression turns from surprise to anger. Very, very angry.

"You are insane! I do hate you, I hate you more than anything!"

I ignore Spenny and turn to Stefan,

"Steffy! He loves me, come on, we have to go pick out my china pattern"

Stefan is still not laughing by this point and I can tell its taking conscious effort to hold it in. I drag Stefan away from the bar with Spenny yelling things at us as we go. I manage not to fall apart until we are outside, but then it's impossible for me not to laugh.

The moment I lose control, so does Stefan, and we both start laughing like lunatics outside the Grill. We laugh so hard that people are staring at us, and I honestly don't care, that was epic friend work in there. Top notch if I do say so myself.

Stefan and me are still holding onto each other, our bond striking like lightening between us. Eventually we start walking down the street, away from the Grill, and we're still laughing like crazy people.

Sinbad's P.O.V

When it starts to get dark the party draws to a close, and Caroline keeps staring at Matt in a way that makes me want to call the stalker police.

"Go talk to him, I'll wait" I say

Caroline looks at me and makes a face,

"He's mad at me"

"So? Charm the pants off him, that's what I do when I piss someone off" I shrug one shoulder.

Caroline grins at me,

"Sin, that's what you do all the time, with everyone"

"Well, then I should know, it works" I say with wink at her. Caroline laughs, and it feels good to have been able to make her laugh after everything she's been through.

Ever and Stefan texted me ages ago saying they wouldn't be able to make it. Damn them. I think they're doing it on purpose to punish me. Stefan isn't even the chatty sort of person, which becomes evident after a few minutes of meeting him. But somehow when Stefan and Ever are together they talk for fucking ages, about what I have no idea.

Caroline goes to talk to Matt and I get a phone call from Elena. She just confirms what I already knew. The sun and the moon curse yadda yadda, werewolf bite can kill a vampire blah blah blah. It's a full moon tonight, so I need to get Caroline and me inside, just in case Mason Lockwood goes all wolf man on us.

I look around for Caroline but I can't see her anywhere. Oh shit. I call her mobile but there's no answer. She must be off somewhere with Matt. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I run off into the woods in search of Caroline. Using my vampire hearing I try to latch on to something, hopefully Caroline's voice.

When the noises I hear lead me to a car in the middle of the woods, and not just any car but Mason's, I start to get a really bad feeling. I move closer to the car, that bad feeling just keeps getting worse and worse.

I touch the rear car window, peering inside.

"MOVE SIN!" Ariel shouts and on instinct I obey the order.

I drop the ground and a moment later a wolf comes crashing through the back window. He jumps right over my head and runs at full speed into the forest. After a few moments I stand up and immediately look towards where Ariel's voice came from. But she's not there. Just as well, the last thing I need is Ariel or Evan coming back into my life after all the effort I put into pushing them out.

In an attempt not to dwell on the past I'd rather forget, I head out again to look for Caroline. If Mason has gone full on furry, then I need to find her before he does.

When I eventually do find her she's about two sucks away from killing Matt. I grab Caroline and I push her away from Matt, holding on to her upper arms firmly,

"Stop Caroline, stop now! Stop!" I shout at her.

She does stop then, and her face goes back to normal after another few moments. Caroline catches sight of a slumped Matt, she gasps and tries to go over to him. I hold her back, and when I hear a warning growl my whole body stiffens.

Oh fuck, fluffy is here and he's ready to play bite the vampire. I am not fond of that game when it includes werewolves.

"Matt, stay down, and for bloody hells sake don't move" I say calmly to Matt, who is still on ground in a very substantial amount of pain.

I grab hold of Caroline again and I make her look at me,

"We need to run Caroline, so we can lead it away from Matt, alright, do you understand me?"

Caroline nods frantically.

"Good, ready, go, now" I say and we both run at full vampire speed far away from Matt.

Suddenly Caroline stops and I almost collide with her.

"Wait, what is it?" she shouts at me.

Once again I find myself grabbing hold of Caroline,

"It's a werewolf, it will try to kill us, and trust me, it can"

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

My head snaps up to see Tyler coming out of an old Lockwood basement. I narrow my eyes at him. Tyler isn't a wolf. Most likely because he hasn't killed anyone yet, so the curse hasn't been activated. Goodie for him.

Also, one less werewolf to worry about, so yay us.

Out of nowhere the wolf comes flying at Caroline and it takes her down to the ground. Caroline starts screaming and struggling beneath the wolf.

I rush at the werewolf and knock it off of her. The werewolf hits the ground hard, but immediately gets to its feet again. I stand back directly in the wolf's line of sight, and I ready myself to fight it off.

The werewolf growls and looks about ready to pounce on me when Tyler shouts,

"NO!"

Nice, very commanding wolf boy. But the wolf actually does stop and looks over at Tyler. He must realise the family connection even in his wolf form, or Tyler has a bit of alpha in him, possibly both.

The werewolf growls for a few more moments and then runs off. I fight the urge to sag in relief. I was not interested in a wolf on vamp fight tonight. Or an night actually.

….

Caroline compels Matt to forget her going all vamp master on him, and she compels him to believe he was attacked by an animal.

Afterwards she walks over to me and asks,

"What are we going to do about Tyler?"

I look at her and she meets my eyes,

"I took care of it" I gesture over at Matt, "We'll get Matt on vervain, it'll mean you can't compel him, and it'll also mean you can't feed on him"

Caroline shakes her head in disbelief,

"I cannot believe that I hurt him"

"I know"

"I mean, he's the one person in the entire world that I never wanted to hurt"

I shake my head helplessly,

"It's not gonna get any easier, I'm sorry"

Caroline squeezes her hands tightly together and says,

"I shouldn't be with him should I?"

I sigh heavily,

"I'm the last person who could pass judgement on that Caroline. If I did tell you to break up with Matt then it would be pretty hypocritical of me since I could never walk away from Ever" Or Jeremy.

"Do you ever think you should?" Caroline asks me seriously.

I shrug,

"Yeah, I guess, but when it comes down to it….I guess I'm just not that selfless"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review my peoples, I really like hearing what you think, and it helps me with my writing a lot. Any kind of feedback would be great. Xxx
> 
> Thank you for reading! xxx


	39. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR FLASHBACKS!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the thirty-ninth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd be dancing around the boarding house by now! xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Memory Lane

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

(Flashback)

1863-Just outside of Mystic Falls

My father and Damon are arguing yet again. I do not understand why one of them cannot simply put their pride aside and admit they are wrong. Or if not wrong, then at least concede there is fault on both their parts.

To be fair to Damon our father has always been a difficult man, and he has been especially harsh on Damon, as he is the eldest. Stefan is as always the golden child, our father's favourite. I am the youngest, arguably the extra Salvatore brother. Our father treats me with distant care, and for that I am grateful. Never have I felt the need to impress my father, and he feels no need to pressure me into doing so.

But when my eldest brother argues with our father I do feel the need to escape. Stefan does so with his journals. My method is much more mundane. I go riding, sometimes far away from Mystic Falls. It gives me time to reflect.

I am riding down a country lane quite a while away from my home town when I see the carriage. One moment it is travelling quietly and the next it is being attacked by men with weapons and torches. My eyes widen in shock, and my curiosity spikes. I have always been curious by nature, and I cannot resist this show of complete barbarity. 

Whoever is inside that carriage simply cannot deserve this surely. I immediately dismount my horse and draw my weapon, readying myself for a fight. I rush towards the carriage calling for the men to stop. There a four of them and they instantly turn their aggression on me, I am quite the skilled swordsmen, attributed to my endless practicing. 

They seem unskilled, and are most likely attempting to steal from the people inside the carriage. As I fight the men out of the corner of my eye I see a someone emerge from the carriage, quite gracefully considering the carriage is now practically on its side.

When all four men lay around me, each with their own fatal wounds I have a chance to look at the woman more clearly. The sun is setting rapidly, so it is somewhat dark and the woman is wearing a hood. I move forward slowly as not to startle her. The man who had been driving the carriage is dead, killed by the carriage robbers.

The woman does not move, or scream or even speak as I come closer and closer until I am within touching distance of her. 

"Are you quite alright Milady?" I ask carefully, as not to startle her.

The woman steps forward, her hood is obscuring her view of me as much as it is obscuring mine of her. The shadows cover my face, and I attempt to move into the light so that she will be able to see that I am not a threat to her.

Suddenly I hear shouting and more men come running towards the carriage. It seems there are more thieves on this road. The hooded woman turns and moves forward, her arms held out in front of her. The thieves are thrown back seemingly by nothing at all. 

I conceal my gasp as the hooded woman turns to me. Witch. She must be. The woman pulls back her hood and reveals a dark and all knowing face. Her eyes, so strong and wise, she is most definitely Witch. I have known more than one in my life.

"Help Miss Katherine, take her away from here" the witch commands me.

It is then that I hear noises from the carriage. There is another woman inside. I truly believe in the strength of Witches, so I do not worry that the Witch cannot handle herself against the men that now getting to their feet. 

I sheath my weapon and immediately move to the carriage. I hold my hand out to the woman I cannot yet see,

"Please, Milady, your Witch wants you safe. Come with me"

A feather soft hand takes mine and allows me to pull her from the carriage. My hand goes to the woman's waist to steady her. Once she is safely on the ground I look down at the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life.

Even in the darkness cannot hide her beauty. The breath is knocked from my body as my eyes meet hers. A wave of possessive desire courses through me and the almost ethereal creature gasps, her chestnut eyes widening as she stares back at me.

"You must go now" the Witches command knocks me right back in to my senses.

The beautiful woman turns to her Witch, and the two woman exchange a knowing look between them. The woman looks back at me, her eyes fixing on mine intently. 

I waste no time in leading her to my horse. The woman seems reluctant to come with me. My hands instinctively slide into hers and my gaze locks onto hers. I see the hesitancy in her eyes.

"Trust me" I whisper, and the words sound almost intimate.

Surprise flickers in the woman's eyes, her beautiful face changes from hesitant to determined.

"Yes, I trust you" she whispers back, and those words set heavily over my heart.

She allows me to help her onto my horse and soon enough we are riding away from the carriage together, the sound of dying men left in our wake.

I take us both to the one place I know that no one knows of. It is a place I found quite by accident many years ago, and has such become my place. It is by a river, trees enclose the space so it is completely private from onlookers.

The beautiful woman and I do not speak as we ride, but she does allow my chest to press firmly against her back. Our bodies fit together perfectly and have to force myself to not think on other ways in which they could come together.

When we reach my intended destination, I dismount my horse yet again. I help the woman down from my horse, my hands on her waist. She moves out of grasp slowly and walks towards band of the river, the water gently lapping up onto the rocks. 

Suddenly the woman turns to me and again I am shocked by her beauty. Truly I have never seen a face so divine. She must have endless suitors wherever she goes. 

The woman tilts her head in fascination at me. I move forward only a few steps and ask a question I would very much like to know,

"What is your name?"

The woman smiles slightly, and that one smile alone has my heart beating faster than before. With a smile like that I imagine she could get anything she wanted from a man. Something tells me she knows it too.

"Did you not hear my Witch call me Katherine?"

I raise an eyebrow,

"I did. But that wasn't my question. I asked for your name, not what I have heard you being called"

The woman's eyes widen in surprise, she does not seem to know what to do with herself or my words. There is something about this woman. She is different, and not only because she is so attractive.

After a long pause I begin to worry that I have pried too far. It would not be the first time I had done so. My father always chastises me for asking too many personal questions. 

"You do not have to tell me your name Milady. I understand how powerful a name can be. It is a person's first show of identity. A name has the ability to define a person, whether they want it to or not"

Again surprise flickers in the woman's eyes and again she seems unsure of how to react. I start to turn away from her, to check on my horse when suddenly she says,

"Katerina"

I turn back to face her and our eyes lock, the intensity of the moment consumes me completely and I wait for her to continue.

"My name is Katerina Petrova" she says slowly, as if unsure of what my reaction will be. 

I frown slightly,

"Bulgarian?"

"Yes" she replies. Her accent has changed from British to what I imagine is Bulgarian.

"Katerina, Imatye krasivo imye" I say, trying my best to get the words right.

Katerina smiles, and this time it appears to be real and far more genuine.

"Thank you. You know Bulgarian?"

I smiles in response,

"A few phrases, yes. I have always been interested in foreign languages"

"May I inquire the reason for your interest?" Katerina asks, sound quite curious, her eyes still locked with mine.

I debate with myself on whether to tell Katerina the true reason. Although, I hardly imagine she will have a negative reaction to my secret dreams for the future.

"I wish to travel. I want to see the world"

"And what is your name, may I ask that of my rescuer?" Katerina's tone has become deeper and more enticing. 

I move closer to Katerina until we are only a few feet apart by the edge of the river. My eyes burn into hers as I reply,

"My brothers call me Blue"

Katerina laughs, it is soft and almost as beautiful as her face. She arches one eyebrow,

"That isn't what I asked"

My answering grin is wide and equally as inviting,

"My name is Sinbad. Sinbad Salvatore"

(End of flashback)

I jerk awake in my bed, breathing hard from the weight of the memory.

"Are you alright Sin?" I blink my eyes at Ever as she looks down at me, concern in her eyes.

I shake my head slowly and I run a hand through my hair. As I sit up Ever starts rubbing soothing circles on my back. I sigh in satisfaction. I must have made some loud noises to get Ever coming in here all worried.

"I'm fine, just a bad dream"

I look over at Ever and immediately I stiffen, something doesn't feel right.

Fuck.

I vamp speed so fast out of that bed that I give myself a headache. I glare at her and pretty much growl,

"Katerina"

Katerina smirks and leans back in the bed,

"You have to admit, I'm getting better at this"

"I'd rather admit that you're a life ruining bitch who I want to strangle the non-life-life out of" I snaps, probably sounding like an irritated ten year old.

The woman ruined my sleep. I hate her.

Katerina gets up off the bed slowly, her eyes fixed on me,

"It was hard to get into your head. I had to do a lot of pushing to bring that memory out. You buried it deep"

"I'd like to bury you somewhere deep. Very, very deep under ground" I reply, and I run a hand through my hair again, pushing the black locks away from my forehead.

"Are you really going to be all moody with me again? There are much more fun things we could do with that passionate temper of yours" Katerina says suggestively.

I roll my eyes,

"What the hell do you want Katerina?"

Katerina sighs,

"I wanted to see you. I missed you Sin. Indulge me for a little while, please"

"Ok, I'm gonna say this slowly. Because, I think maybe there is something wrong with your brain, why. Are. You. In. town?"

Katerina walks closer to me, and I refuse to back away from her. Katerina incites a lot of emotions in me, but I have never been afraid of her, and I'm not about to start now.

"Three reasons" Katerina says, "You. You. And…..you"

"WWhhhyyyyyy, go irritate my brothers, they're the ones who 'loved' you, or whatever. I am an innocent bystander. Innocent bystanders, such as me, should be left out of your games. So go away. Shoo. Be gone. Ostavi mye na mira!"

Katerina smiles, which just makes me want to hurt her even more. She moves forward again and trails a finger down over my chest,

"We both know that you're nowhere near innocent moyat spasitel. Somewhere inside you know that there's a lot more to our story than what your brothers think. You've buried the memories deep, but they're still there"

….

"You shouldn't read someone's journal. Stefan will not be best pleased" I walk in on Katerina sitting in the living room with one of Stefan's journals on her lap.

I go to pour myself a drink. A strong one. Something tells me I'm gonna need it.

Katerina sighs and smiles up at me,

"I know, I'm sorry. It was just too tempting. Reading all of Stefan's inner thoughts and feelings"

"Nosy" I say.

I take the journal away from her and let it fall down onto the table.

"I read that Stefan doesn't do human blood. Or he didn't, now he does. Want to know the reason why?" Katerina says as I walk away and sit down on the sofa.

I raise an eyebrow at her,

"Nope. Try again. I'm not that easy Katerina. Give it another go, hit me with your best shot."

Katerina tilts her head to the side and plays with her curls for a few moments before saying,

"I also read that you've had a werewolf sighting. Quite a shock, was it?"

I lean forward in my seat,

"Not really"

Katerina cocks an eyebrow interestedly,

"So you have met werewolves before. I thought you might have. If any of you were going to, then I knew it'd be you"

"What do you know about the oh so fluffy ones Katerina?" I ask her.

"I know….not to pet one" Katerina replies.

"Well then you haven't really lived yet"

Katerina smiles again and stands up,

"Who ridded this town of vampires?"

"The Founding families? Helped by you" I reply, watching her carefully as she leans on the back of the chair she's been sitting in.

"Spear headed by….."

I nod in realisation,

"The Lockwood's. Oh, excellent."

Katerina tilts her head to the side,

"You remember the Founders Ball, right?"

Oh fucking hell, how could I ever forget that night.

"Yes, it was definitely….eventful"

"From the moment I met George Lockwood, I knew he'd be a problem" Katerina says thoughtfully, and I know she's remembering that night. I try my best not to.

"So, are all the Lockwood's werewolves, it usually runs in families" I say, trying to move the conversation along.

Katerina nods,

"Yes, it runs in the Lockwood family, not that they're all wolves"

Katerina comes closer to me and says,

"Right, now it's my turn to ask a question"

I arch an eyebrow, waiting, because I know she'll ask no matter what I do or say.

"Why do you still have this letter?" Katerina takes a piece of paper I recognise well out of her back pocket. She opens it up, a small picture held by her thumb was inside the folded letter as well.

I don't say anything. Katerina narrows her eyes,

"Why not burn it? Tear it up. You wanna know why came back. Well, I have a better question, why didn't you tell your brothers what happened between us? To spare their feelings? No. You didn't want to admit that what we had was real, that I didn't compel you. I didn't have to."

Still, I say nothing.

After a moment, I use my vampire speed to move closer to Katerina. So close that we are only inches apart. My hand moves to cup her face, gently I smooth my thumb over her cheek. Our eyes are locked as I say,

"There's always been something about you, Kat" My lips hover only one movement away from them covering hers.

Katerina leans in to my touch, her eyes close. And that's when I reach back and take the syringe full of vervain out of my waist band. I stab her in the back with it and I push the liquid in. Katerina gasps and falls against me. My arms go around her. The letter and the picture fall to the floor.

….

After chaining Katerina to a chair in one of the basement cells, I step back and lean against the wall. As Katerina start to get her strength and ability to speak back, I say,

"Now, where were we Kitty Kat. Oh yeah, why the fuck are you back in town?"

"You didn't have to do this" Katerina chokes out as she struggles against the chains.

I laugh deeply,

"Maybe not, but I really wanted to. Answer the damn question Katerina"

"I came back….for you"

"Bullshit Kitty Kat" I shake my head and go to pick off a piece of vervain from the plants. I come towards her with it and she shies away from me.

I grip hold of her neck, and I slide the piece of vervain down her cheek. It burns her and Katerina screams. When I pull back I whisper harshly,

"Why are you here Katerina?"

Katerina narrows her eyes at me,

"You're going to torture me now?"

I smile,

"Oh Kitty Kat, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get the truth out of you. I know telling the truth is a foreign concept for you, so think of this as a learning curve"

I move away from her again and wait. Katerina looks up at me and says,

"Later that night at the Founders Ball-"

"No, no more bullshit Katerina. I don't want to hear any more stories about the past"

"Yes you do Sin, that's exactly what you want to hear"

Katerina then goes on to explain to me how she went to George Lockwood and revealed that she knew what he was and that he knew what she was. George asked her what she wanted from him.

"What did he want Katerina?" I ask her.

She doesn't say anything and I sigh heavily. I go to the corner and grab a chair, placing it in front of Katerina before sitting down. Hey, if I have to be here, then I'm gonna be comfortable damn it.

Ever's P.O.V

"Why are we doing this?" Damon whinges, he's stretched out on my bed with his pouty face on.

"Because it'll be fun" I reply and I throw a shoe at him. He catches it in mid air though, damn him and his vampy reflexes.

Damon looks over at me with an expression that has me smirking,

"Seriously, if your idea of fun is us going on a double date with Elena and Stefan, the most boring couple in existence, then I really think we need to revaluate what we both want out of this relationship"

I put my hands on my hips,

"I think it will be fun. Besides, we should all get used to spending time together"

"But why?" Damon demands, irritation clear in his tone.

I arch an eyebrow at my boyfriend,

"Because life is unfair. Stop whining"

Damon narrows his eyes at me,

"You're doing this to punish me"

I move closer to Damon and I straddle him on my bed.

"It's just having some lunch down by the waterfall. Man up Day, I'm sure you can manage it"

"For you?"

"For both of us dummy. He's your brother, and she's my sister. We could have fun"

"No, no, I better get something extra special out of this" Damon says, he waggles his eyebrows suggestively and moves his hands up to grip my hips tightly.

I bite my lip and bend down over Damon, letting my chest brush his deliberately. Damon's hands slide up my back and I shiver as his hands go under my white vest top. His hands on my hot skin cause alarm bells of pleasure to slam through my core.

When Elena first suggested the idea of a double date, I wasn't so sure. Mostly because I had no idea if Damon would behave long enough for a date to take place. But since their road trip Elena has been more accepting of Damon, and I really don't want that to stop.

Eventually I agreed and we planned to have lunch by the waterfall. One of my favourite places in Mystic Falls.

My lips brush Damon's and suddenly his hands press hard into my back so that I am completely moulded against him. Damon's lips crash against mine and he claims my mouth once again with that naughty tongue of his. Wow, the things that tongue can do…..I'm having a mini meltdown just thinking about it. That tongue makes me scream.

I moan into Damon's mouth as he rolls his hips, grinding against me hard enough to make pleasure spike through my entire body. Damon continues his torment on my clit and on my mouth, the ability to breath is becoming harder and harder. I never want him to stop.

Knock, knock,

"Ever! Come on, we're leaving now. Stefan's loading stuff into the car"

Damon growls against my mouth, which sets me off into a fit of giggles. I pull away slightly from Damon, his grip is still iron tight on my back though, so I don't get far.

"This isn't over Ev's. I'm gonna drive into you so hard and rough tonight that you'll be feeling me for weeks" Damon half growls, half whispers, his pale eyes sparking with a dark promise. I shiver in pleasure at his words. I love it when he says things like that.

I nip at his jaw before moving off of him. He reluctantly lets me go and sits up, getting to his feet and lifting me off the bed in his arms. I gesture for Damon to grab my sandals up from the floor. He complies rather than letting me get down at pick them up myself. He can be so damn stubborn.

I take the sandals from him and he carries me out of my room and down stairs. Elena and Stefan are waiting by the door for us. Elena raises an eyebrow,

"You lost the ability to walk Ev's?"

Damon winks at my evil twin,

"Yep, I'm just that good"

I smack Damon over the head with one of my sandals even as I start laughing. Stefan and Elena shake their head and start out towards the car.

I narrow my eyes at Damon and he looks at me innocently,

"Shut up Day, and carry me to the damn car. That is after all a man's main purpose, to carry things"

"Heavy things?" Damon suggests with a smirk.

I lift the sandal as if you to hit him again,

"One more word Day, and I swear…..I'll make this a weekly event. Yeah, a double date night. I'll do it, you know I will"

Damon gasps dramatically,

"Ha, so that's the reason we're doing this, so you can threaten me with it happening again"

I roll my eyes,

"Yes Day, that's the reason I want us to have a lovely day out with our siblings, so I can threaten you with it. That is obviously the only logical assumption" I say dead pan.

Damon groans as he follows Elena and Stefan out to the car,

"Fine. But I don't like this"

"Yeah well….I don't like…your face"

"Liar, liar, black thong with blue bows on fire"

"Damon! Stop going through my underwear drawer"

"I was looking for t-shirts when you asked me to get you one, and I got distracted"

"I hate you"

"I love you too"

"Idiot"

"Says the one who forgot to put on pants this morning"

"Oh crap. Damon take me back, I need to get pants"

"Sorry, too late, Elena and Stefan are waiting"

"You're so annoying"

"And you're still not wearing any pants. I'm pretty sure I win this round based on that fact alone"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You know, when you start to desiccate, there's a nice big old tomb with your name on it" I lean back in my chair and cross my arms, waiting for her to speak. Or melt back into hell like the demon I know she is.

"I've been doing all the talking. It's your turn" Katerina says. When I don't reply she contiues, "You know, I've learnt that your new toy is that brown eyed little lost boy. Jeremy Gilbert. The brother of your ex-girlfriend. My, my, how naughty of you Sin"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"You stay the hell away from Jeremy. You don't know anything, he's not my toy. I don't make people into toys Katerina. I'm not you. I've never forced anyone to love me"

Katerina's jaw clenches,

"Do you pretend to be human with him Sin? I'm sure he would hunt you down just like his ancestors would have if you showed your true self to him"

"I don't pretend to be anyone other than who I am now Katerina. He knows what I am, and he knows how dangerous I could be. But for whatever reason he still wants me" I say evenly, every word of it the truth.

Jeremy likes it when I bite him, and there's nothing wrong with that, not to me anyway. He doesn't know why he likes it, but he's young, he'll understand it some day, and I want to be there for that, and everything in between. I don't know what draws me to him, or why he brings out emotions in me that I though I would never feel again. But he true nonetheless, and that's all that really matters.

Katerina tilts her head to the side,

"Does he know that you love me?"

I bark out a laugh,

"It's pretty hard to know something that isn't true Katerina"

"That's where you're wrong Sin" Katerina meets my eyes, "Don't you remember, our time by that river?"

I push the memories away, refusing to let them penetrate through the wall I have built between those memories and the rest of my mind. But somehow one leaks through and I feel powerless to stop it.

(flashback) 

1863-Outside of Mystic Falls

Katerina, or Kat as I have taken to calling her, has yet again agreed to meet me at the river. For weeks now she has been staying a town near by, we meet at the same river whenever we both get the chance. I knew there was something different about her, and I feel that losing I am giving more and more of myself over to her.

As well as being the most beautiful woman in this world, Kat is also funny and stubborn and clever, and at times she can be quite clueless when we speak and I say something that surprises her. Kat is sweet and despite her vanity and independence, I know that there is a part of her that is still the young scared girl who lost her entire family far too young.

I ride faster than the wind to the river, where Kat is already waiting for me. I cannot contain myself as she turns and smiles at me. That sultry smile has long since stopped appearing, and now all I get are her genuine smiles. And those I truly love. They speak of the girl inside with even more secrets than I myself have. But also of the need for acceptance, for real love.

I want to give Katerina those things, and I will, if she allows me to. I grab hold of her by the waist and lift her, spinning us both in circles. Kat laughs, and my heart soars at the sound. Making Kat truly laugh has become a new lifetime ambition of mine. 

"Sin, moyata lyubov. I have missed you" Kat looks up into my face as I lower her back to the ground. I slide one of my hands to small of her back and I pull her body to mine. My other hands cups her beautiful face gently, my thumb stroking her cheek lovingly.

I smile down at her,

"You are in my every thought Kat. I wish you were with me always. "

Kat's smile widens, and her eyes show the love that she feels for me.

"I wish for that also moyata lyubov" Kat reaches up and cups my face, her hand caressing my jaw.

I have never felt more alive than I do when I am around her. I never want this feeling to end. My expression turns serious, and I say,

"Then, please Kat, come with to my home town. Meet my family. Marry me, be mine forever. We can travel the world together my love"

Kat blinks up at me in shock, but she does not move away from me. After a few moments I frown,

"Have I upset you?" I ask, concerned at her silence.

Kat shakes her head vehemently,

"No, of course not Sin. I am….simply surprised. But then, everything with you seems to be that way. There is always something you can surprise me with"

I smile in understanding,

"Think on it my love. Kat, I have never met anyone who makes me feel so deeply, so intensely. I will one day travel the world, that has always been my dream. I didn't think it was possible to have two dreams, to have two things that I want with every breath that I take. But now I do. I want you by my side, always, that is my other dream. That is what I desire with everything that am and ever will be"

For a moment it seems that Kat is overcome with emotion, and unable to think of what to say in response. Finally she gasps and whispers,

"I love you moyat spasitel, with everything in me. There is no one like you in this world"

Before I can reply Kat twines her arms around my neck and pulls me down into a kiss that makes everything else fade away to nothing. There is only this. Only us. Forever.

(End of flashback)

I come back into myself gasping for air, my head in my hands as I try desperately to maintain some kind of control over myself and my mind.

"Go ahead Sin, torture me, keep me captive, drain me of my blood until my body turns to dust, it'll never change the truth." I look up at Katerina, and our eyes lock once again, the emotions are rushing through me too damn fast for me to stop them. Her eyes burn into mine as she says,

"I never compelled your love. It was real. And so was mine"

Ever's P.O.V

I'm sitting between Damon's legs on a blanket by the waterfall. Elena is in much the same position as I am on the other side of the blanket. So far, things have been going well, and by well I mean there haven't been any fist fights between Stefan and Damon, or snippy arguments between Damon and Elena.

"Did you guys used to come here when you were human?" I ask the two Salvatore's.

I look up at Damon, who's gaze flickers over to his younger brother. Stefan nods,

"Yeah, we did. The three of us"

"We'd swim here when we were boys" Damon adds, his eyes seem to become slightly glassy, as if he's remembering something from long ago.

Stefan laughs suddenly and looks over at Damon,

"Do you remember when we would throw Sin into the water as far as we could?"

Damon, surprisingly, smiles that real smile that I love so much and nods,

"Yeah, he was always daring, he liked to go right into the deep end. He'd scare us both half to death by staying under the water for a really long time"

I smile at the thought of three young Salvatore brothers, playing together.

"That must have been a lot responsibility. Looking after your younger brothers" Elena says to Damon, with zero anger or resentment in her tone.

That road trip really did do her some good where Damon is concerned. Damon and Elena told me everything they found out whilst at Duke. It was all pretty interesting.

I still wish I could just talk to Tyler about it. But Damon would have a cow and maybe even a little goat as well if I did, and I won't go behind his back, no matter how much I want to.

Damon exchanges glances with Stefan before saying,

"Stefan was a good little boy. It was Sin that got into trouble all the time. He used to do it on purpose to see how far he could push our father. And I still got the blame by the end of it anyway"

"Like you didn't do anything to deserve it? I always felt like the odd one out with you and Sin always doing crazy stuff all the time" Stefan says, but he's smiling as if the memories are fond ones.

"Well, we had a vote, and decided you are the good one. I'm the bad one. And Sin is…..an insane mixture of the two. Don't go backing out now just because you don't like your role" Damon drawls with a playful smirk. Stefan shakes his head, but there's amusement in his eyes too.

We lapse into silence again, but it isn't an uncomfortable silence like you might think. It's actually nice, and relaxing.

Damon's arms encircle my body and he pulls me closer, his lips going to my shoulder. He kisses my shoulder and I lean back against him, sighing contentedly. I look over at Stefan and Elena. The two of them are smiling at each other all Disney style again.

"Do you think we look at each other like that?" I whisper to Damon.

Damon laughs under his breath,

"Like we're both constipated?"

I huff out a laugh,

"I believe the word is twitterpated"

"That's it, no more Disney movies for you" Damon says.

"Awwww, fine, but remember one thing"

"What?"

"Humans are friends, not food"

"That's why no more Disney movies. I've had enough of the Disney puns"

"Finding Nemo is Pixar actually"

"Yeah well….I don't like…your face"

"Real mature Damon"

"You said it first"

"I'm a teenager. You, are over one hundred and sixty years old"

Damon chuckles darkly against my neck. He shifts us slightly so that he can tilt my face up to look at him. Our eyes lock and he whispers,

"I love your face Ev's. I love everything about you, even the things that drive me crazy"

"Even my puns?" I smile, my heart melting at his words.

Damon sighs, but he's smiling too,

"Yeah, even the puns, you lunatic"

He kisses me then, and it's tender and loving. I never want it to end. But eventually it does, and after a few moments I realise we're being watched.

"What are you two talking about?" Elena asks almost suspiciously.

Damon looks up my sister and says completely dead pan,

"Your face"

And before Stefan or Elena can say anything in response I say,

"Damon didn't know that Finding Nemo was made by Pixar"

Damon narrows his eyes at me,

"Ever isn't wearing any pants"

Stefan's eyes dart between me and Damon in confusion. Elena slaps her forehead,

"Now I know why you're in love with each other. Only the two of you could hadle your mutual insanity"

Damon and I exchange a look of understanding, and then at the same time we say,

"Yeah well….we don't like…your face"

Then we're all laughing, and I actually realise our double date was…fun. I know it won't always be this easy, my boyfriend is Damon Salvatore after all. But for now, I enjoy how good things are for all of us despite everything.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Hearing the truth after a century and a half of denial must be overwhelming" Katherine says tiredly.

"Well, whatever feelings I had for you back then. They've all turned to hate" I clench my hands tightly together as frustration with both Katerina and myself builds inside of me.

"Love. Hate. Such a fine line. I can wait. Anyway, I made a deal with George"

"He'd save you from being locked in the tomb with all the others" I say, I'd already assumed as much the moment I found out she wasn't in the tomb. Or if I'm honest with myself, I always suspected Katerina wasn't in tomb. But I buried that along with all the memories.

Katerina smiles,

"You were always the smart one Sinbad"

I nod and snort out a strained laugh,

"My brothers died for nothing Katerina. I can never forgive you for that. And you betrayed all the other vampires just to save yourself. Then again, they trusted you. Bad move. Trusting you always is"

Katerina narrows her eyes at me,

"I made one mistake, and you threw away everything we had"

I turn a glare on her,

"You kissed my brother, that was not a mistake. That was you showing me your true colours for the first time"

"There was a connection between me and Stefan, I felt it from the moment we met. I gave into it, for less than a few seconds. I loved you Sin, I said I was sorry, that it would never happen again. I never even looked at another man when we were together until Stefan. It was a mistake" Katerina argues heatedly.

I sigh heavily,

"I could have forgiven you for a lot of things. I forgave you when I found out you were a vampire. I forgave you when I found out you compelled me into keeping us a secret. But when I saw you kissing Stefan…..I could never get that image out of my head. I still can't, and it broke my heart. It broke me, in ways that I'm still not over."

"I was angry at you" Katerina argues.

I shake my head,

"What, because I refused to be your toy? Because I wouldn't betray my brothers for you. You knew what kind of person I was. Family comes first. I wanted to make you part of my family. Kissing Stefan….it just showed me how stupidly blind I'd been. I thought behind all that bullshit and selfishness was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You proved me wrong, and that was your choice, not mine"

Katerina is breathing hard and my control is definitely slipping. So I try to get this conversation onto more level ground.

"What did you offer George in exchange for his help?"

"Something he wanted desperately" Katerina answers.

"Oh, I do enjoy it when people are cryptic. You were obviously running from something, care to be a little less cryptic about who, or what, you were running from?"

Katerina shrugs slightly,

"I didn't lie to you Sin, I told you who I was running from"

I nod thoughtfully,

"Nick"

"So, the rumours are true, you've met the Originals"

"I have secrets that go far beyond what you and I had Katerina"

"I don't doubt it. You were always secretive. It's in your nature"

"And being a selfish bitch is in yours"

I stand up, hoping that moving around will get rid of my frayed emotions. I turn back to Katerina and say,

"So, I'm assuming your return to Mystic Falls also has something to do with Nick hunting you. Care to tell me why he's hunting you? You never did get to that part"

Katerina arches an eyebrow,

"Klaus never told you, I was under the assumption that you became quite close with the original family. If the rumours are true then you were experimented on by dark Witches when they found out one of your little secrets. Apparently the results were….quite surprising. Is that why you can touch vervain without even flinching, or is that another one of your many secrets Sinbad?"

I am not affected by vervain. I can sense it though, which is good because it means I can pretend to let it affect me, the last thing I want is anyone, especially my brothers asking questions. Being taken by those witches was a dark, awful, time in my life. I blocked most of it out. After that was the first and only time I ever flipped the switch on my emotions.

"Why are you here Katerina?"

"I want what I want. And I'll do whatever it takes to get it. My list of victims is long, and I have no problem with adding one more name, or even two, to that list" she replies.

"If you wanted Ever or Jeremy dead, then they'd be dead Katerina"

"They still could be. I would snap Jeremy's neck like a twig and you know it"

My temper snaps and rush at Katerina, but not before snapping a chair leg off to use as a stake. I push Katerina up against the wall and let the point of the makeshift stake hover only inches away from driving into her heart.

Our eyes meet and for a moment everything comes rushing back. Every emotion she ever evoked in me and I can't fucking stand it. So I drop the stake and move away before I truly lose it.

"Guess you don't hate me as much you thought" Katerina says, "I don't want you seeing Jeremy anymore. If you don't remove him from your life, I will kill everyone that he loves. Maybe I'll start with Ever"

The rage comes back full force and my hand is around her throat again in seconds. The stake is back in my hands as I growl at her,

"Don't think for one fucking second that I won't kill you Katerina"

Then it's Katerina's turn to growl, she shoves me away from her and I fall to the ground. She breaks right out of her bindings. She fixes her gaze on me again,

"I have been sipping for vervain for the last one hundred and forty-five years. You caught me by surprise once, I wasn't going to let it happen again. It doesn't hurt me, the same way it doesn't hurt you, although your reasons are different from mine"

"Why?" I ask simply.

"I've told you, I missed you Sin. I just wanted to spend some time with you" Katerina kneels down beside me.

The weight of his presence crashes over me moments before I hear his voice,

"Hello? Sinbad, you here?"

Jeremy. Damon.

My eyes flicker to Katerina and she smiles slowly at me,

"I think it's time for an introduction, don't you?"

Katerina vamp speeds out of the room before I can do or say anything to stop her. I immediately get to my feet and race after Katerina.

I come into the room just in time to hear Jeremy say,

"How do you look exactly like my sisters?"

"Jeremy" I call out, and he looks past Katerina at me. Our eyes lock.

In the next moment Katerina is gone.

"Are you alright?" I ask a confused looking Jeremy.

Jeremy shakes his head,

"I just saw…..nope, I'm really not alright"

Without even thinking twice about it I move over to Jeremy and I pull him into a tight embrace. My heart is hammering with so many fucking emotions that I can hold on to any of them long enough to truly feel.

Jeremy hugs me back hard,

"Are you okay?" he asks against my shoulder.

I let out a horribly strained laugh,

"I've been better Jer. But…..God, having you in my arms is helping big time, so no moving for a few hours ok baby"

And it really is helping. Jeremy's presence is calming me, making everything feel more solid and real. Jeremy is real. Holding him is real. The way I feel for him is real. So real that it hurts.

Jeremy laughs lightly, and he hugs a little tighter,

"Yeah, I'm good with that Sin. There's nowhere else I want to be"

Eventually I take Jeremy up to my room and I explain everything that happened today. Or at least most of it. We're in our usual position on the bed as Jeremy asks,

"So, you met her first, you loved her first, and your brothers have no idea"

I sigh heavily,

"Yep, that's basically it"

I run my fingers through Jeremy's hair, my other hand holding his, our fingers intertwined. Jeremy looks up at me,

"What was in that letter Sin?"

My jaw clenches for a moment before I answer,

"An explaination that came far too late. A goodbye. A waste of paper. A mixture of all three."

"She wants us to stay away from each other?" Jeremy says.

I nod once,

"Yeah"

"Because she loves you" Jeremy looks upset and my heart twists at the sight of it on his face.

I move us so that I can kiss Jeremy, my lips hot and insistent on his. When I finally pull up for air I stroke his face possessively,

"It doesn't matter. I want you, and nothing she can do will ever change that Jer"

Jeremy smiles against my lips,

"Good, because I'm not letting her have you….Sin, I have to talk to you about Caroline. You know, I went to check on her today, before I came over here, and she was acting…..weird"

Jeremy then goes on to explain to me what happened with him and Caroline today. One thing becomes obvious, Katerina has gotten to her. Threatened her. My mind is still half on the letter though, and another memory leas through into the front of my mind.

(Flashback)

My brothers are dead. Because of her. Because of that woman. Because of their own idiocy. Because of father's over reaction. 

I'm waiting for Stefan to wake up. Damon is already awake, sitting outside by the river. Emily Bennett informed me of their location, and I came to see them. I don't know what we will do. Or what the right path onwards from here is. Both of my brother's only way of survival now is to become vampires.

I am looking out of the window, contemplating all of our futures when Emily comes to me with a letter in her hand. I tilt my head questioningly and Emily holds out the letter for me to take,

"She wanted me to give you this" Emily says simply.

I have no doubts about who 'she' is. My hatred for that woman rises to the surface for a few moments, and I have to beat it down. Now is not the time. I take the letter from Emily and she leaves the room, most likely to give me some privacy to read the letter. I open it slowly, having very little idea of what Kat would have left to say to me.

The letter reads:

Dear moyat spasitel,

I understand your anger with me and my actions. I have upset you, and done things you may think now you could never forgive me for. But I must tell you, that the day I agreed to marry you, was one of the happiest of my life. You are the one man who has ever made me feel….truly human. Truly alive. I have wished, many nights, that we could have met when I was a human. You would have loved me completely. I would have been the girl you always saw behind my cold and harsh shell. I would have been only Katerina Petrova, your Kat, not Katherine Pierce as well. I truly fell in love with you, please believe that if nothing else. There is no other man in this world who could possibly compare to you moyata lyubov. I love you Sinbad. We will be together again. 

Love always,

Your Kat

My eyes close and I squeeze them shut to stop the tears that threaten to fall. Waves of pure emotion hit me over and over, I barely stay standing. When I open my eyes I realise that there is a picture inside the envelope. The picture is of Kat and I. By the river. My arms are around her and we're both smiling. Kat's smile is that genuine one. The smile I fell in love with. The Kat in this picture is the woman I fell in love with. On the back of the picture are the words;

'Our dream of forever'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, Bulgarian index for phrases in this chapter:
> 
> moyata lyubov-my love-
> 
> moyat spasitel-my saviour
> 
> Imatye krasivo imye-you have a beautiful name
> 
> Ostavi mye na mira!-Leave me alone
> 
> I know I've completely changed some stuff, but I hope you all like it. Because I really liked writing it. So, Sin and Kat, tell me what you think of the twist. Please don't hate me for it if you're a Kat and Stefan fan. xxx
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xxx


	40. Kill or be killed-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dever fight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fortieth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd be one lucky daughter of a bitch! xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY

Kill or be Killed-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this part-Parachute - The Mess I Made)

I wake up to someone kissing my neck. I crack my eyes open and let out a throaty moan as Damon ghosts his lips over my sensitive skin. Damon slides his hand down over my body and I instinctively arch up into his touch.

"Day" I breathe harshly on the end of another moan.

I can feel Damon's smirk against my neck,

"Yes Ev's?"

My hands are above my head and I bring them down to his shoulders, I grip hard as he nips the skin at the hollow of my throat.

"Where did you go last night? I fell asleep before I could ask"

Damon sighs heavily and braces himself above me so that he can look down at my face. He pushes some hair away from my eyes and caresses my jaw, his pale eyes are as intense as ever as he looks at me. He makes an irritated sound,

"I failed at killing Mason Lockwood, now I feel like I'm not living up to my best self"

I freeze, my whole body tenses and Damon frowns in response. I push up and Damon has to move off of me. I have no idea what to say, I have to make myself think before I speak. One thing I do know is that I'm pissed as all hell right now. How could he do that? Without discussing it with me. We're in a relationship damn it, he must have known I wouldn't like this.

I don't look at Damon as I get out of bed, moving to pull on one his shirts over my naked body. There's no way I can have this conversation naked, he'd enjoy it too much. I pace at the end of his bed for a few seconds and run my hands through my hair.

Finally I stop and look over at Damon. He's now out of bed and pulling on jeans. Damon is staring at me in confusion, and that just pisses me off even more. I wait for him to get at least semi-dressed before I say,

"Did it even occur to you, that attempting to kill Mason was something we should have talked about together?"

Damon opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. I know from the expression of complete bewilderment on his face that Damon did not think about me at all. He just went and did it. I know how impulsive he can be, but that's no excuse.

"No. You didn't. Why would you, it's not like we're in a committed relationship or anything. It's not like we promised to tell each other things, and talk before we make big decisions" I continue, the anger inside of me making my tone sharper than normal.

Ugh, I just want to beat him over the head. HAND ME MY METAPHORIAL GOLF CLUB JEEVES!

Damon's expression turns from confused to indignant rather quickly, he takes a few steps towards me, and I take a few steps away from him. Damon narrows his eyes,

"It wasn't a big decision. He was a threat to all of us, he needed to be dealt with"

I throw my hands up in the hair, melodrama filling me to the brim,

"That's not the point you idiot. Whether trying to kill Mason was right or wrong, you still went off and did it without talking to me"

"What difference would talking to you have made?" Damon asks angrily, his hands are fisted at his sides now. As if he has a reason to be pissed off with me.

Fuck that shit.

"Again, that's not the point Damon. I need to be able to trust you, how can I trust you if you're gonna go off and do crazy shit all the time without telling me" I shake my head in frustration.

I know this isn't the time to be arguing over our trust issues, but I want to make it clear right now that I will not put up with his bullshit. We're not just friends anymore. He's my boyfriend and I want him to be able to talk to me about things. There's no way I would go off and do something like that without talking to Damon about it first. I probably wouldn't kill anyone anyway, but that is neither here nor there.

It would be one thing if Mason was an imminent threat, or if Mason attacked first, or if it was a spur of the moment decision. But it obviously wasn't. Damon planned on killing Mason and purposely chose not to tell me about it until afterwards.

"I told you about it just now, I wasn't keeping it a secret" Damon argues vehemently.

"Yeah, after you did it. That's like me deciding to go away for the weekend and then only telling you about it after I've already left"

"What the hell are you saying?" Damon snaps, it's obvious he didn't think I would react like this. Or maybe he did and that's why he only told me what he did when I asked him about it. That pisses me off too. Only because it makes me feel so uncertain.

"I'm saying that you still don't trust me" I can't help but yell. It hurts to think it, but I don't see any other option. Damon doesn't trust me enough to tell me his plans.

He's still treating me like the enemy rather than someone who is completely on his side. Because that's the sort of relationship I want. Where we both trust each other enough to talk about things, even when we're not sure how the other will react. We don't have to agree, I'm not saying that, but we do need to at least try to talk about things instead of just running off and doing them.

Damon takes another few steps towards me, and again I back away shaking my head.

"I do trust you Ev's" Damon says quietly, his tone sounding defeated.

"Just words Damon. Those are just words. You have to show me you trust me, I need to feel it, not just hear it…..maybe you need to think about what you really want from me" It breaks my heart to say it, but it'll hurt even more in the long run if he keeps doing stuff like this.

Damon's head snaps up at my words and disbelief crosses over his face,

"What do you mean?" he asks carefully.

I hug my arms around myself and say,

"I'm not gonna be your girlfriend just when it suits you Damon. Either it's all the time, or not at all. Just…..think about. If you're not ready for this-"

Anger replaces the disbelief in Damon's eyes,

"I've given more of myself to you than I've ever given to anyone else in my entire life, and that's not enough for you?"

Maybe I'm being unfair, and I should be happy with whatever Damon is willing to give. But I don't want to settle. I want a real relationship with Damon, not one that only goes half way. So that's why I reply,

"No. Everything, that's what you asked for, that's what I'm willing to give. And that's what I want in return. If you don't think even trying to give me everything is something you can do, then…maybe we rushed into this too fast"

Utter devastation is what I see in Damon's eyes. The pain is so clear and intense on his face that I have to look away from it before I break down and take it all back. I hate hurting him, but if I do let this go, then it will only happen again and again until I'm smashed to pieces by my love for Damon. I don't think I could survive that.

I walk out of the room before Damon can say anything else. Damon calls after, his voice breaking at the end and I can't stand it. I go to one of the empty on suit bathrooms. I rush past Elena and she calls my name, but I don't stop. I can't stop.

I lock the door so Elena can't come in and I turn on the shower. As soon as it's hot enough for me not to freeze to death, I strip off Damon's shirt and I get in. The warm water soaks my body, and hides my tears as they fall.

…

I spend a long time in the shower, trying to pull myself together. I can't go downstairs and see Damon. I can't stand the thought of seeing anyone right now. But eventually I hear Elena's voice through the door.

"Come on, Ever, I've brought you some clothes and stuff"

I sigh and turn off the shower. Luckily there's a towel that I can use, so I wrap it around myself and go to open the bathroom door. Elena is waiting on the other side with an armful of my stuff. I have quite a lot of it over here by this point.

Elena doesn't ask me anything as I get dressed quickly in some shirts and a grey vest top. I rub my hair to dry it a little bit. I can tell Elena is dying to ask me questions, I can feel her buzzing like a buzzy buzzy bee. A buzzy buzzy bee on a mission. She's the bee and I'm the flower that hasn't bloomed yet. Me flower, evil twin bee. A buzzy buzzy evil twin who is evil and buzz-like. Me no buzz, she buzz. And she's fluffy. This analogy is getting weird.

I've lost my ability to think like a humany non-bee type….thingy. See.

"Thanks for the clothes bee-I mean Elena" I say finally, and apparently that's all Elena needs because she asks me,

"What happened between you and Damon? Did you fight? What was the fight about?"

I hold my hands up in surrender,

"Woah, woah, calm down your evil beeness, one question at a time please"

"Who's an evil bee?" I hear Jeremy's voice from the doorway. He comes in and looks betweens us.

"It isn't important who the evil bee is, although obviously it's Elena" I say, making a dismissive hand gesture. With Elena's hand.

Elena pulls away from me with a frown on her face. Jeremy arches an eyebrow,

"Who is this Elena person you speak of?"

I nod soberly,

"Sorry, I meant that good looking bitch over there" I point dramatically at Elena.

"Ah, right, that evil bee" Jeremy says in mock understanding.

Elena throws her hands up,

"What the hell are you two talking about?"

I look over at Jeremy in fake fear,

"Ahhhh, Jeremy, the evil bee lady is getting angry"

Jeremy slaps a hand over his heart,

"Oh no, we'll never survive another attack. New york is still getting over her last fluffy rampage"

Elena scowls at us both,

"You two are being stupid"

I jump into Jeremy's arms and he catches me with ease. Damn, Jeremy's getting all manlified. I blame Sinbad. And puberty.

I cling onto Jeremy hard and we both shout,

"aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's the evil bee, run for your lives!"

Jeremy and I start laughing, and then Elena does too. All three of us end up led on the big bed in the random room. Good shower though. Conceals crying noises very well. I'll have to remember that.

When we've stopped laughing Jeremy sits up and leans over to look down at me,

"Did something happen between you and Damon?"

I frown up at him,

"Yeah. Why'd you ask?"

"Because he stormed out of here looking really pissed off. Sinbad said that Damon is really upset about something" Jeremy answers.

"So what was your fight about?" Elena asks me.

I sigh heavily and I look up at the ceiling.

"He tried to kill Mason. And no, he failed apparently"

Elena frowns and exchanges a glance with Jeremy,

"So, you argued about him killing Mason?"

I shake my head,

"No, we argued because he did it without talking to me first. He just went out, all reckless Damony-like. He didn't trust me enough to tell me his plan"

"Oh, that's really crap" Jeremy says.

I make an annoyed sound,

"I know. Stupid Damon and his psycho killer ways"

"What did you say?" Elena asks, her eye brows firmly raised.

"I said maybe he isn't ready for a real relationship with me, and if that's the case, then we shouldn't be together" I reply slowly.

Elena gasps

"Wow, so you practically broke up with Damon"

I didn't really think of it like that, but suppose she's right. I did kind of semi-break up with Damon.

Jeremy looks thoughtful for a moment,

"But you still love him though, right?"

I nod instantly,

"Of course I do. I'm so completely in love with him that it fucking hurts. But I don't want to be in a one sided relationship. It's just not me"

"I get that" Elena says, "It took me a while to completely trust Stefan"

"It did?" I ask curiously.

"Yeah, after finding out about Katherine-

"Bitchzilla" Jeremy and I correct her at the same time.

"Fine, after finding out about bitchzilla I had to work through a few things with Stefan"

I bite my lip, it's kind of confusing for me, because I've always trusted Stefan, even with all the Katherine stuff and the blood stuff. There's an instinctive part of me that has trusted him right from the beginning.

"But your bond helped right?" I say.

Elena frowns,

"Bond?"

I sit up and nod,

"You know, that electric feeling bond that ties you together. You can feel his emotions and there's that weird buzzy tangible feeling between you all the time"

Elena's frown deepens,

"I don't know what you mean"

Now it's my turn to frown,

"You said that you felt connected to him from the moment you met"

Elena nods slowly, still frowning,

"Well yeah, it felt like I'd known him forever. I mean, we're in love, so there's that obviously and I do feel connected to him. But that's it, there's no….'bond', or whatever you're talking about."

Oh. Shit. I'd been under the assumption that mine and Stefan's bond was just like his and Elena's. Wrong, apparently.

Elena and Jeremy are now staring at me like I've lost my mind and I can't blame them. I have. To direct attention away from me I look at Jeremy and say,

"So, how are things with you and Sin?"

Jeremy blushes instantly and I become very interested. There have obviously been some developments. Elena tilts her head to the side in confusion,

"You and Sin are…..?" she asks Jeremy

Uh oh, I forgot she technically doesn't know about that.

Jeremy bites his lip and shifts nervously on the bed,

"Yeah we kind of are…..sort of"

I can't stop myself from squealing a little in excitement,

"What do you mean sort of? Are you together or not?"

Elena still looks confused,

"Jeremy, are you gay?" she blurts out.

Jeremy makes a face and shrugs,

"I don't know. Me and Sin are just kinda…working things out. I don't fancy other men, it's just Sin"

"What does that mean?" Elena asks.

I smirk,

"It means they're getting it on. Like, non-stop sexy times"

Jeremy blushes even more and I have to fight the urge to laugh. You'd think I would feel jealous or uncomfortable, but I really don't. I want Jeremy and Sin to be happy, and I think they're good for each other.

Elena gasps,

"Seriously? Do you love him?" her eyes are on Jeremy.

Again he shrugs,

"I'm not sure how I feel exactly, other than he makes me feel special. I know that I really care about him and that I've never felt so connected to another person. He's amazing. And funny, and clever and gorgeous and sexy and….like, amazing"

"Ahhhhh, you've got it baaaaaad for Sin" I poke Jeremy on the chest and he shoves me playfully.

"Shut up Ever" Jeremy says.

"So, now we're all kind of with a Salvatore brother" Elena looks between us thoughtfully.

I think about for a moment and then I frown slightly,

"Yeah, weird"

"Really weird" Jeremy agrees.

"They are some sexy motherfrakers though to be fair" I say. Elena and Jeremy nod in agreement.

Sinbad's P.O.V

The historical society volunteer picnic. Wow, I forgot how many events this town likes to pull out of its ass. Many, many events. Jeremy and me talked a lot last night about….well, everything involving Katerina, and also about Caroline reporting back to her. Although we have yet to talk about our actual relationship. For example, we haven't decided if it actually is a real relationship yet.

Elena, Stefan, Jeremy and me get out of the car. Ever said she'd come by later, I think she's worried about seeing Damon here. I saw Damon storm out this morning looking like he wanted to kill someone, or multiple someone's. Jeremy and Elena have informed us that Ever and my eldest brother had a big fight. But there's no way they'll actually break up. I've seen how much they love each other.

Plus, Ever is the best damn thing that's ever happened to my brother, if he screws this up then I'll have to run the idiot over with my car.

Jeremy looks so fucking hot today, he's really been filling out lately and I honestly can't wait for tonight. There will be definite nakedness. I want him in my bed and squirming underneath me for hours. My cock hardens at just the thought of what I'll be doing to Jeremy's body.

With that in mind I pull Jeremy behind the car so that no one will see us and I press him up against it. My mouth comes down hard over his and Jeremy instantly gives in, moaning into my mouth as I hold him firmly.

When I finally let him breath again Jeremy pants against my lips. I let my fangs come out and I graze them over his jaw. The urge to bite him is almost too much, but I just about manage to control myself. That's the thing about Jeremy, he makes me want to lose control completely.

"What was that for?" Jeremy whispers, his eyes searching mine.

I smirk slowly,

"I wanted you. So I took what I wanted"

Jeremy shivers at my words and it's too much to resist, I lean in to kiss him again when I hear someone clear their throat. Damn. I move away from Jeremy and look up to see Stefan, one of his eyebrows firmly raised.

"I gonna go talk to Mason. Maybe try to smooth things over" Stefan says, gesturing behind him at Mason who is unloading things from a car only about ten feet away, "You coming?"

Ah, yes, Damon tried to kill Mason and failed miserably. He's losing his touch. I don't trust Mason one bit, but I still agree with Ever. Damon should have talked to her, or at least someone, about it before just going off and….being all….Damon-y.

Elena comes round next to Stefan,

"Come on Jer, I said we'd help out Caroline"

Jeremy and I exchange glances. I nod once and Jeremy nods back, then he follows Elena off to do….historical society picnic….stuff.

I look at Stefan and we both move towards Mason,

"Do you think we should have bought an 'I'm sorry' card and forged Damon's name?" I whisper to Stefan.

Stefan frowns,

"There are 'I'm sorry' cards? Where?"

I huff in mock frustration. Honestly, only Stefan would ask that.

"Fine Mr. Logic, then do you think we should have made him an 'I'm sorry' card and forged Damon's name?"

"Where would we get the stuff to make a card? We don't even have coloured pens at home" Stefan says.

"Why are you always so difficult?"

"I'm not"

"It was a joke"

"Oh….it wasn't very funny"

"I hate you"

Mason looks up at us when we get close. Stefan does his usual subtle hello head tilt.

"You're Sinbad and Stefan right? The other Salvatore's" Mason says.

I shrug and I gesture at Stefan,

"Actually this is Stefan, he's a Salvatore brother. I'm the other Salvatore. I have a t-shirt at home that says so"

"We're offering an apology" Stefan says.

"Not interested" Mason shakes his head and narrows his eyes at us suspiciously.

Stefan sighs,

"Look, our brother acted impulsively"

I lean against the car and look Mason up and down. Definitely hot, if a little douche-like, although I'm beginning to suspect that's a Lockwood thing.

"You think?" Mason says incredulously.

I arch an eyebrow,

"What my brother really means is, our eldest brother is a moron. A big dummy, if you will. And, you know, if anything, he's not really our brother, he's more like our pet idiot" I say casually with a smile.

Stefan sends me a hard look which I completely ignore.

"If you and Damon keep at each other's throats, then somebody innocent is gonna get hurt. And we don't want that. You have family here, so I'm sure you don't want that either. So, what do you say we quit the whole Alpha male thing" Stefan reasons.

"I like the whole Alpha male thing" I say with a wink at Mason.

"Not the time Sin" Stefan says. He looks at Mason, "Can we call it a truce?"

Mason shakes his head,

"Your brother made his opinion pretty clear when he came after me. With a knife" Mason narrows his eyes at us and starts to walk away, "Tell your brother to watch his back"

That's it.

I grab hold of Mason's arm and I yank him back, slamming him up against the car with some force. I pin him there and I growl under my breath. No one threatens my brothers. Even if Damon is a dickhead.

"Sin" Stefan warns, his tone firm. I ease off a little.

"I'm guessing he only has to worry about that during a full moon, otherwise you're not as strong" Stefan says, "am I right? Or you would have killed Damon by now. There's one of you, and three of us. I think you're the one who has to watch his back"

Passive aggressive, nice.

"Yep, you come after one of us, and you get all three of us coming after you. Remember that" I say calmly. I could crush him, and it would be so easy.

Mason's jaw locks,

"If he comes at me-"

"He won't" Stefan assures Mason.

He probably will, this is Damon we're talking about. Although I wisely don't actually say that.

Stefan holds out his hand and Mason reluctantly shakes . Mason turns to me and holds out his hand, instead of taking it I hook my finger around one of his belt loops and I pull him closer to me so that there are only a few inches separating us. I lean in to whisper in his ear,

"If you bite me, then I'll bite you. And I promise you'll enjoy it" I let my lips and my teeth graze his jaw as I move away. Mason sucks in a harsh breath, his whole body tensing.

I release him moments later, my hand sliding over the top of his jeans suggestively. Mason gives me a flustered look and then pretty much stumbles away from us.

I turn an amused expression on Stefan, who is scowling at me full on pre-brood style. He shakes his head,

"Do you have to flirt with everyone?"

I raise an eyebrow,

"No. Only the pretty ones"

I feel Damon behind us before he even speaks.

"What are you two doing?" he asks suspiciously.

"Negotiating peace on your behalf" Stefan says.

Damon makes a frustrated sound,

"But I don't want peace"

Stefan shrugs,

"Well, consider it opposite day"

"Bloody hell, Stef just made another funny. Life is good again" I say mockingly.

"And what are you doing here instead of begging Ever to forgive you and take you back?" I ask Damon.

"You two don't seriously think a handshake just solved our problem?" Damon says instead of answering me.

Stefan shakes his head,

"No actually, I think that the first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's gonna drive a stake through your heart. And then mine and Sin's. All because you took it upon yourself to try and kill him"

Damon groans in annoyance,

"Why is everyone being so sensitive about me trying to kill Mason today?"

"By everyone, I assume you mean Ever" I say.

Damon's jaw tightens and he looks away from us. But despite that, I can still see the awful amount of pain on his face. He's really upset about this. Then again, if I was semi-dumped by the love of my life, then I'd be pretty upset too.

"I don't know what she wants from me" Damon says almost to himself.

"I think you do. You're just scared of giving it to her" Stefan says in a surprising moment of confidence.

"Listen to him, he is Ever's best friend forever" I say, gesturing at Stefan.

"I'm not scared" Damon snaps, "I'm just afraid of losing her if I give her every part of me and she doesn't like what she see's"

"Yeah, well, if you don't at least try, then you'll definitely lose her. She's made that pretty clear"

"I know" Damon makes a pained face and shakes his head despairingly.

Ever's P.O.V

I'm at the Grill, just thinking about all my shit. Around and around, that's what my thoughts are like. I can't seem to grasp hold of one long enough to really concentrate on it. Maybe I was too harsh with Damon, but at the time it just felt like a huge punch to the stomach that after all this time he still doesn't think of us as an 'us'.

I'm so lost inside my own head that I don't notice Tyler has come to sit next to me until he says,

"Ever, are you alright?"

My head jerks up and I look over at him, feeling slightly startled. I shake my head,

"Not really. I'm a bit crap at the moment"

Tyler nods,

"Yeah, me too"

Then I remember that Tyler actually has a proper reason to be upset,

"How are you feeling? About your dad I mean, I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately"

Tyler smiles sadly at me,

"That's alright, I haven't really been feeling sociable if I'm honest"

"You, honest? Well that's a first. Wait here whilst I go get my camera so I can capture this perfect moment" I tease.

Tyler rolls his eyes, but he's smiling too.

"I've missed you Ever, you make me smile even when everything is pretty shit"

"And I've missed your weird compliments that sort of sound like insults" I hit him lightly on the arm.

Tyler laughs,

"So….do you wanna come over? We could watch a movie. Get drunk. Talk. Get drunk. Listen to some music. Get drunk. You know, like old times"

I think back to all the times I've gone to Tyler's home and hung out with him. Too many times to count, when we were together we spent nearly all our time together. And, yeah, there's a part of me that misses that sometimes. Even though we're not going out anymore, I've still known Tyler pretty much all my life. We're friends, despite his tendency to be a complete prat.

"Fine, but only if we can get drunk. I noticed that you didn't mention that, so I'm throwing it out there" I say with a completely straight face.

Tyler barks out another laugh, ironically, and says,

"Sounds good Ever"

….

I'll admit, part of why I'm going with Tyler is because I want to see if I can find out more about this whole werewolf thing. I'm pretty sure Tyler doesn't turn, but he might know some stuff about his uncle that could be useful.

Damon wouldn't like me doing this, and it's definitely the type of thing I would normally talk to him about first. But, at the very least, I can show him how it feels to be treated the way he treated me. A bit petty, I know, but I'm tired of putting myself on the line and getting knocked down over and over again.

I'm not stupid enough to go in asking Tyler loads of questions without telling anyone. So I text Stefan, he'll respect my choice even if he doesn't agree with it, because that's just the type of person Stefan is. I'm glad my sister has someone who is as good for her as Stefan is.

Right now I wish I didn't love Damon so much, but I really truly do love him, which means I'm gonna have to give him as many chances as I can.

"You want a drink?" Tyler asks. We're in his house, or his mini palace really. I used to really like coming here, especially when his parents were out. We has a lot of fun. Me, Tyler, Matt and Elena would spend hours here. When it was just the four of us. Before my parents died and everything changed.

"Do you really have to ask?" I say with a sardonic eyebrow raised at Tyler.

Tyler laughs,

"I guess not"

He pours me a glass of whiskey and then pours one for himself. We go to sit down on the sofa. I turn to Tyler and he smiles at me, I return the smile, and it's actually a real one, despite everything that's going on in my life right now.

Tyler takes a drink from his glass and I ask,

"So, are you werewolf or not?"

Tyler pretty much chokes, which would be slightly amusing in any other situation. He looks at me with wide eyes once he's finished almost dying.

"Did you just ask me that?"

I narrow my eyes at him,

"Do you really expect me to say no to that question?"

Tyler shakes his head and squeezes his eyes shut,

"Why would you ask me something like that?"

"Because I know your uncle is a werewolf, and I was just wondering if you were too" I reply simply.

Tyler is staring at me open mouthed. He sputters for a few seconds before saying,

"How do you know about that?"

I shrug,

"Shit happens, it doesn't really matter. So, are you a werewolf or not?"

There's a long silence then, and I'm worried Tyler might not answer me at all. But finally he says,

"Me, a werewolf? No….not yet. You know…..just saying that out loud….I sound insane"

I tilt my head from side to side,

"Not as insane as you might think. But….I'm weird, so, not much sounds insane to me"

Tyler huff out a laugh. He looks away from me for a moment, and then he turns back to meet my gaze,

"According to my uncle, you have to trigger the curse. Somebody has die at your hand, like murder, or an accident. I basically have to cause death and then boom, the next full moon I'm howling on all fours"

"That's some kinky shit Ty" I tease openly, "Was that why Mason came back, to tell you all this?"

Tyler scoffs and shakes his head,

"Yeah right. He had to tell me, I caught him. He's not here for me." Tyler puts his drink down and reaches into his pocket, he takes out a almost completely see-through stone, "He's here for this" Tyler holds it out to show me.

I reach out to take it and Tyler lets me, I turn it over in my hands,

"What is it?" I ask him.

"It's a moonstone. I looked it up online, it's a natural rock. But they're supposed to have all sorts of supernatural legends attached to them"

I frown slightly,

"Nice research work there Ty….but why didn't you give it to Mason?"

Tyler chuckles and shrugs,

"Because he wants it. I'm a dick that way"

I raise a sardonic eyebrow,

"Yeah, I know. No need to sound so proud of it, you big dummy"

Tyler looks at the moonstone in my hand,

"It's important to him for some reason, but, I don't trust the guy. I'm not just gonna hand it to him"

Smart Ty, I don't trust surfer fluffy either.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Stefan and I go over to Damon, who was just talking to Mason by a lemonade stand. If they try to kill each other here, then I will be thoroughly pissed off. Damon already ruined comet night, the bachelor auction, and the Founders party, he will not ruin the historical society…picnic….thingy…..for me. I shall not allow it. If anyone's going to ruin a Mystic Falls event, then it's going to be me damn it.

Back when we were human, it was always me who set fire to stuff, or got caught kissing someone's wife (or husband), or just basically ruined an event for the entire town. That's my thing, Damon has no right to steal it from me just because he's gone all vampy badass since he died.

"What's with you and Jerbear being all whispery?" Damon asks me. I look at Stefan who shrugs helplessly.

"We were whispering about our sexual activities, wanna hear about it?" I raise an eyebrow suggestively.

Obviously, that's not what me and Jer have been 'whispery' about. We've just been talking about Katerina, pretending to let it come between us a little for Caroline's benefit.

"I would rather not" Stefan says.

"Seconded, I would rather not give myself permanent brain damage by hearing about your…..sexy times with baby Gilbert" Damon adds with a disturbed expression on his face.

I cross my arms,

"Well then, don't be so nosy and I won't. But since you already asked, we talked about how fucking good it felt to have our naked bodies pressed-"

Damon slaps his hands over Stefan's ears,

"You can't say things like that in front of Stefan! He's just a baby. He won't understand"

Stefan shoves Damon away and scowls at both of us. Damon and me are laughing as Stefan says,

"Sometimes I swear, you two have made it your life mission to annoy me to death"

I make a face at Damon,

"Ooohhh, sounds like someone is suffering from severe case of Middle child syndrome"

"Thank you Sybil" Stefan snaps in irritation.

I wink at Stefan and he sighs, but there's amusement in his eyes too.

"Would you like some lemonade?" A little girl who hopefully did not just hear that conversation asks us.

Damon smiles at her and takes a cup,

"Thank you sweetie"

He takes a drink from the cup, but moments later he spits it all back out again. Damon bends over, coughing and choking. Fucking hell, what do they put in lemonade these days.

Me and Stefan rush to sit Damon down on a nearby bench.

"What the fuck was that?" I whisper to Damon.

"Vervain" he wheezes out the word and my whole body stiffens.

Well, shit on a stick. Fluffy just made a huge mistake.

We give Damon some water and he drinks almost a whole bottle, spitting some out over the side of it out onto the grass. I shield both Stefan and Damon from prying eyes. The last thing we need right now is people noticing us.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Damon growls. He lurches forward as if he's about to go and rip Mason's head off.

Stefan pushes Damon back down,

"Stop!"

"No! I'm not listening to anymore of your give peace a chance crap" Damon snaps, he's really pissed off right now. He might actually attack Mason in front of everybody. Not good.

"Damon's right. We need to get rid of him" I say firmly.

To both Damon and my surprise Stefan nods,

"Alright, I don't like it. But he's making threats, he could expose us"

Damon looks about to agree, but then suddenly he stops and looks up at me and Stefan. He breathes heavily for a few moments before saying,

"Do you think me doing this will upset Ever even more?"

I think about it for a moment. Will it? No, she wouldn't be upset about us getting rid of a threat, she was only mad at Damon because he didn't tell her about it first. I take a moment to admire Damon's personal growth, that fact that he's even asking both us and himself that question means a lot.

I shake my head,

"No, this is different Damon, this time you have an actual reason to attack Mason"

All three of us nod in silent communication,

"Let's do it" Damon says.

…

We follow Mason into the woods. All stealth-like obviously. My years as a true predator come in handy at times like this.

Mason actually looks pretty surprised when we all three of us corner him.

Damon narrows his eyes,

"Don't look at us like that, you knew this was inevitable"

I smile dangerously,

"I told you. You go for one of us, and you get all three in return. It's a Salvatore thing"

"Go ahead, run, we'll give you a head start" Damon says, his anger and need to kill is almost tangible.

I can't deny the urge is growing inside of me too. I have hunted anyone in a long time. If Im'm being honest the primal vampire part of me misses it. My awareness is at an all time high, which is the reason why I pick up on the deputies before they shoot.

Mason's ducks down to the ground before I can react, and a shot is fired at first Damon, and then me and Stefan. The vervain laced bullet hits me, and I feel next to nothing, like a pin prick on my finger. But when Damon and Stefan go down, so do I. Even when they inject us with vervain I don't react, it still feels like nothing to me. I mean, I can sense that it's vervain, but it doesn't hurt.

I can't let them know vervain doesn't affect me, or that any weapon in general has very little effect at all. I'll find a way out of this for me and my brothers. I just have to wait for the right moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler for next chapter-SEXY DEVER! A big Stever moment. JERBAD smexy stuff too! xxx


	41. Kill or be killed-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times all round!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-first chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would have kicked Mason' s ass so hard in this episode! xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Kill or be Killed-part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

"What is it?" Elena asks Caroline frantically.

I came to the picnic thing to tell everyone what I found out from Tyler. A few girls showed up at his house wanting to hang out. Tyler said he'd tell them to leave do that we could spend more time together. And I was tempted. But then I realised I had to stop being a coward and just show my face at the picnic. Even though I'm dreading seeing Damon almost as much as I'm dying to see him. Conflicting emotions suck hard.

But when I arrived I ran into Caroline, Jeremy and Elena, they were running into the woods together. I followed them and Jeremy explained that Caroline thinks something is off with her mom.

Caroline looks back at the three of us and I see the panic on her face,

"It's the Salvatore's"

Caroline starts off running and I share a look between my siblings before chasing after Caroline. My heart starts to pound painfully. They have to be alright. I can't stand the thought of them being hurt, or worse. What if my fight with Damon is the last thing we ever-

You know what, no. I'm not going there unless I have to.

Eventually Caroline stops at a clearing.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"They've been here", Caroline replies.

Caroline bends down and touches a plant, when she brings her fingers back up they are covered in blood. Oh fuck a duck.

"What are you four doing here?" I turn to see Mason coming towards us.

"Have you seen the Salvatore brothers?" Jeremy asks Mason suspiciously.

"Yeah, I've seen them"

"Well where are they?" I ask, now getting a little suspicious myself. If Mason has hurt any of the Salvatore's then he's officially getting a bat to the face, and not a metaphorical one either. A real one. My bat, Kevin.

"You don't need me for that, I'll let your friend here sniff 'em out" Mason gestures at Caroline, "Does your mother know what you are?" he asks her, "I'm happy to tell her"

Caroline growls a little and starts to go for Mason, but then he grabs hold of me and twists me into his arms so he's holding my head in a certain way.

Ah, first time I've been grabbed by a werewolf. That makes several grabs in total by supernatural creatures. Damn it! This isn't funny universe. Why can't it ever be Elena who gets grabbed? Not that I want her to be, but still.

"Don't be stupid" Mason says, quite casually for someone who just GRABBED ME! I feel inappropriately touched right now.

"Hey, stop with the touchy, touchy business Mr. Fluffy. Hands off, or I will bring out some serious ninja skill. Then my boyfriend will kick your ass" I squirm in Mason's arms.

Mason just holds me tighter in response, he whispers,

"Yeah, well, your boyfriend and his brothers are about to die, so I wouldn't be counting on much help from them"

My hear twists. No. They can't die. Stefan cannot die. Sinbad cannot die. Damon cannot die.

"Necks snap easily around here" Mason says to everyone else.

Did he just threaten to break my neck?

Oh, fluffy so just made my bat list big time for this!

Bad fluffy!

"Get off her" Jeremy snaps threateningly. He steps forward, but Caroline stops him with her arm, she looks at Mason and says,

"I can take you"

"Wanna bet"

"Yeah, I do"

Caroline goes all vampy speedy ninja on Mason and in seconds she rips fluffy away from me and pins him to a tree.

Elena and Jeremy help me up from the ground where I fell when Mason let go of me.

"Are you ok?" Elena asks worriedly.

"Stupid fluffy" is my only response.

I'm upright just in time to see Caroline knee fluffy in the trouser snake area. Aha! He falls to the ground in pain and she kicks him again in the stomach so hard that he goes flying into another tree.

Ah, vampires and trees working together again. That's nice.

Caroline turns back to us and I grin at her,

"I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now" I say.

"Yeah, that was badass Caroline" Jeremy agrees.

Caroline smiles smugly,

"Come on" she gestures for us to follow her.

…..

Eventually Caroline stops at a weird underground cellar.

"What is that?" Elena says.

I arch an eyebrow at her,

"It's an underground cellar Elena….see….it has steps….that go underground"

"Shut up Ever"

"Alright, keep your angry buzzing to yourself"

Suddenly Caroline slaps a hand over her mouth and looks like she's about to be sick.

"Caroline, what it is?" Jeremy asks.

"My mom, she's killing them" Caroline says.

Oh, fuck no. I race down the steps, Jeremy and Elena are right behind me. Caroline tries to stop us, but she can't grab all three of us at the same time. It's good to work together as siblings.

On my way I pick up a wooden board as a weapon just in case. As I round a corner a deputy comes at me and I swing the board at him. He goes down quite nicely. Another comes though and I'm not prepared. Luckily, we have Jer, who apparently has become badass in his old age. He punches the other deputy and he goes down too.

I hold my hand up for a high five,

"Nice team work bro"

Jeremy slaps my hand and we both start running again until we reach the cellar. Caroline's mom is holding a gun and all three of the Salvatore's are led out on the ground with bullet wounds.

"You can't kill them!" I shout frantically.

Jeremy and Elena push into the room and come to stand beside me. Ha, Gilbert united force.

"We're not gonna let you kill them" Jeremy says firmly.

Liz aims her gun at us out of reflex. Suddenly there's a rush of air behind me and the cellar door swings closed.

Caroline.

"Who else is with you?" Liz asks a scared voice.

The other deputy holds up his gun as another gust of wind passes over all of us.

"What was that?" he says, only moments before Caroline appears behind him and yanks his head to the side so she can bury her fangs in his neck.

The deputy screams and then passes out. Caroline shoves him away from her. She's in the shadows, but then she walks forward into the light, revealing her vampire face covered in blood. She really does look like a monster. But it's still Caroline, and I've long stopped being afraid of the vampire face. What with all three of the vampires hanging around I've kind of gotten used to it. Again, that says way too much about my mental stability.

Liz, looks pretty distraught though, for obvious reasons.

….

I rub Damon's back gently. He's just fed from the deputy, so he's already feeling better. Sinbad drank a little too, but for some reason I couldn't shake off the impression that he's much better off than both Stefan and Damon. In fact, just like in the basement fire, he looks almost completely unaffected.

Jeremy is sitting with him, and they're talking in hushed tones. Stefan has refused to drink from the deputy. Even though he's trying to get used to drinking bagged blood, he's still not drinking much of it at all. So he's actually much weaker than Damon and Stefan. We keep making eye contact every few seconds, I'm actually really worried about him. I mouth 'you ok?' to Stefan and he shrugs in response.

Damon leans into me, and despite our fight, I can't help but feel so fucking relieved that he's alright. I thought for a horrible few moments that I might have been too late.

I smooth some of Damon's hair away from his face gently and I whisper,

"Please stop making me save you, it's embarrassing for both of us. You're meant to be the manly one. Call me old fashioned, but I want to be the damsel for once" Then my voice breaks a little and I just about manage to choke out, "I almost lost you, Day"

Damon moves with quite a bit of effort and pulls me against him. His arms hold me tightly and he strokes my hair soothingly,

"Yeah, well, now you know how I've felt all day."

"Dummy" I whisper back as I cling onto him.

Damon chuckles darkly and holds me even tighter,

"I love you Ev's"

I sigh heavily,

"I know, I love you too Day"

After a few moments Damon releases me and stands up. He looks around and says,

"This is a most unfortunate situation"

Sinbad laughs,

"Very eloquently put Damon, I was just about to say this is a total clusterfuck"

They're both right.

Damon walks over to a disturbed looking Liz,

"And you, what am I going to do with you".

"I won't tell anyone, will you" Caroline says to Liz, "Look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me, but….I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?"

Liz looks over at Caroline, but then immediately turns away again.

That is not giving me positive vibes.

"Mom, please" Caroline looks between her mother and Damon, "He will kill you"

"Then kill me" Liz says, sounding very upset.

"No" Caroline protests.

Liz shakes her head,

"I can't take this. Kill me, now"

Damon moves towards Liz and then grabs hold of her, lifting the sheriff to her feet. Liz takes in a harsh breath and Caroline shouts "No, no, no!"

I get to my feet instantly and move towards them,

"Damon, don't!"

"Please" Elena says.

Damon turns back to me and says,

"Relax, no one's killing anybody", then he looks back at Liz, "You're my friend".

Right there I see the Damon that I fell in love with. The one who feels, even though he pretends not to. I can't give up on him, I love him too much for that, and I'm in too deep.

Sinbad gets to his feet, bringing Jeremy up with him, he looks around,

"We gotta clean this shit up"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I was about five seconds away from revealing that vervain does shit to keep me down when the girls and Jeremy came rushing in like crazy animal rights protestors. It was pure damn luck, and I'm starting to wonder when my luck will run out. And what the consequences will be.

I come into the living room and Caroline is sitting on the sofa.

"Can I give you a ride home?" I ask her.

Caroline shakes her head and sniffs loudly,

"I can't go home"

"Why not?" I ask even though I'm pretty sure I know what the answer will be.

She looks up at me and bites her lip,

"Because I'm scared"

I move closer to Caroline and I sit on the table in front of her,

"Why are you scared Care? You can tell me, we're friends remember"

Caroline takes in a deep breath and then says,

"Because Katherine's gonna be there. And she's gonna want me to tell her everything that happened today. She told me I had to spy on you and report back to her"

I nod,

"I know Caroline"

Her eyes widen in surprise.

"I've been pretty pissed off with you, and so has Jeremy. But then, Jeremy reminded me that you aren't a bad person, and that you wouldn't choose to hurt me or Jer unless you felt you had to" I say calmly, "So, who did she threaten?"

Caroline is crying now, and I have to admit, I could never stand to watch anyone cry. I move over to sit next to her on the sofa and I pull Caroline close to me.

"Matt, she threatened Matt", Caroline chokes out through her tears, "And I'm so scared of her Sin, I am so scared of her"

"And you should be" I say, "We all should be"

Caroline shakes her head and rests it on my chest,

"Why is she doing this? What does she want?"

I sigh heavily,

"I don't know Caroline, I wish I did. But whatever it is, you don't have to deal with Katerina alone. I promised you that I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I'm keeping that promise"

….

(sexual content)

(Paul Freeman-That's how it is)

When I go upstairs, Jeremy is waiting for me in my room. He's led out on the bed and that sight alone is enough make hard. I've been wanting to touch Jeremy all damn day, and now I finally can. But there's some stuff we should talk about first.

Jeremy sits up slightly and he smiles at me. But then his expression turns serious and he says,

"Are you ever gonna tell me why vervain doesn't affect you the way it does other vampires? Or is that another Sin secret I'll just never know"

My heart twists in my chest. I really don't want to talk about that, it's something I try hard not to think about on a daily basis.

I lay on the bed beside Jeremy and I trail my fingers over his chest and his stomach. He sucks in a harsh breath and I simply cannot hold myself back any longer. I shift my body over Jeremy's and he groans and I kiss him hard and insistent.

Jeremy kisses me back and I can feel his tongue battling with mine for dominance, although he gives into me eventually. He makes breathy little moaning noises and my cock strains against my jeans. I slide my fingers into his hair, gripping the brown strands tightly.

I pull back slightly and rest my forehead against his,

"I'll tell you about it one day baby, but not tonight. Tonight I want you. I wanna fuck you. Do you want that?"

Jeremy shivers against my body and lets out a strained groan,

"Ok"

In seconds I have Jeremy's arms above his head, restraining him perfectly. I can feel his erection against me, hard and throbbing. I chuckle darkly, and bite Jeremy's jaw lightly,

"No baby, you have to say it. Tell me what you want"

Jeremy's breathing has become labored, but I wait for his response, despite the fact that I want nothing more than to rip his clothes off and make him mine. Truly mine. I want to own him, heart, body and soul.

Our gazes connect and suddenly Jeremy lurches up and takes my mouth in a deep earth shattering kiss. Fucking hell, Jeremy knows how to work a kiss. He hits every one of my buttons, even ones I didn't know I had. Jeremy rolls his hip desperately trying to get some kind of friction between us.

Jeremy finally pulls away gasping.

"Fuck me, Sin. Fuck me now"

That's all I needed to hear.

The blood in my body rises to the surface with a heat that threatens to set me on fire. Getting Jeremy's clothes off takes seconds, especially considering I rip most of them to shreds. Jeremy doesn't protest though, and he undresses me with just as much enthusiasm.

Then when we're both naked, everything slows down and I take time to look Jeremy over. His body is so perfect, toned and beautifully defined. Like I said before he's filled out lately, and it definitely shows. He's just….

"So damn beautiful Jer" I whisper and Jeremy blushes up a storm.

The heat coming from his body is like a furnace. I kiss down over Jeremy's body until I reach his hips, I pause there and nip at silk lightly tanned skin. Jeremy is breathing even harder, every few breathes come out sounding like gasps.

My lips trail down to the dark hair that leads to Jeremy hard cock. I bury my noise in his groin and I inhale deeply, taking in the musky scent of what is mine. I allow my fangs to come out and I trail one over the length of Jeremy's firm length. He sucks in a harsh breath and I can't help but let out a little chuckle.

Jeremy's fingers spear into my black hair, and he grips tightly when I take the head of his cock into my mouth.

"Fuck, Sin" Jeremy gasps, his voice so lust filled that it makes my cock impossibly harder.

I suck and play with just the head of Jeremy's cock for a while, his fingers tighten in my hair and he tries to push his cock deeper into my mouth. Jeremy's tastes delicious, almost as good as his blood. Jeremy's yells loudly when I surprise him by allowing his cock to go all the way to the back of my throat.

I work Jeremy's cock for a while, taking my time, driving him to the edge, only to squeeze the base of his cock to stop him from coming. If I wanted to, I could make him come within seconds, thanks to over a hundred years of skill development. But I don't want to rush Jeremy's first time. At least not yet, although when I get inside of him, I honestly don't know if I'll be able to take it slow at all.

Eventually I move back up Jeremy's body, my lips and teeth biting and kissing ever now and again. When I bite one of his pebbled nipples Jeremy yells again. Jer is super sensitive there, I wonder what he would think about pierc-no, get that image out of my head or I'll come before I even get inside of his tight body.

I kiss Jeremy on the lips for a few minutes, claiming his mouth with my tongue once again. But then I reach over to the nightstand and I take out some lube. I bring it into his view, his eyes widen, but he doesn't look uncertain or like he's changed his mind at all.

In fact Jeremy looks excited, and damn it, he must know I am.

I move so that I'm between Jeremy's legs. Jeremy starts to turn over, but I grab him and force him onto his back again. I let my lips ghost over his throat and then his lips before whispering,

"No, baby, I want you to look at me whilst I fuck you. I want you to know whose cock is inside of you when you scream"

Jeremy shivers in pleasure at my words. I squeeze some lube onto my fingers and I let one finger circle Jeremy puckered hole. Jeremy's whole body stiffens at the unfamiliar feeling as I pressed one finger past his tight muscle. I go slow, but my finger isn't small and I don't want to hurt him. I caress Jeremy's thigh for a moment before lowering mouth to his cock again.

I try to get Jeremy to focus on the pleasure instead of the uncomfortable feeling as I work another finger into his tight hole. Jeremy moans and whimpers my name, and after a while I find his prostate and I press against it with my fingers. Jeremy practically jumps five feet into the air, the noise that comes out of his mouth is somewhere between a groan and a shout.

Jeremy grinds back against my fingers desperately and after a few moments I pull them out of his body. He makes a disappointed sound, but then I line up my hard cock with his hole and my eyes connect with his as I slowly push inside Jeremy.

His hands screw up into fists and there's mixture of pleasure/pain on his face. I'm definitely not a small man by anybody's standards, so I'm careful not to not cause any more pain than is necessary. But soon the pain fades, and when I'm buried to the hilt inside of Jeremy's overhwling heat, I lean in close to steal another kiss. My tongue delves into his mouth and Jeremy moans, his hands going to shoulders, gripping hard.

"Are you alright Jer?" I whisper against his lips.

Jeremy nods in response.

"Say the words Jer, tell me what you want" I order him. I want so badly to move, to fuck Jeremy into the mattress, hard and rough. But I need to hear the words.

Jeremy groans again and manages to get out the words,

"Fuck me, Sin, fuck me"

Again, that's all I need.

I move out of Jeremy until my only the head of cock is inside of him, and then I thrust forward. Jeremy shouts again and his grip on me gets tighter.

"Oh, fuck, Jer, you're so tight baby" I growl, my mind fogging over with lust.

Jeremy whimpers and I bury my face in his neck as I start to fuck him, my cock slamming into his body, still quite slowly at first, but then getting fast, and faster until I feel like I'll explode at any moment. Jeremy moans and moves against me, our bodies moving in perfect sync. It feels beyond amazing to be inside of Jeremy.

I fuck him hard, our skin slapping together. Jeremy whimpers again and it's the most erotic sound I've ever heard. I slide my fingers into his hair and I yanks his head to the side so that his neck is bared to me.

I let my fangs come out and I tease Jeremy with them. I slam faster and harder into Jeremy's body and shouts,

"Oh, Jesus-"

"No" I growls against his throat and I pull on his hair again, "You don't say his name when I fuck you, you say mine"

"Oh, fuck, Sin, please, bite me. I need you to bite me, now!" Jeremy shouts desperately, he pushes back on my cock, fucking it with his tight heat.

I growl again, the sound instinctively primal, and I comply with Jeremy's request. My bite into Jeremy's neck and instantly his delicious blood fills my mouth. I fuck his even harder as I take blood from his body. Jeremy actually screams and seconds later we're both coming together. Jeremy's come hits his stomach and mine, his come even reaching my chin.

I come inside of Jeremy, my orgasm seems to go on forever, and all I can think is "Mine". 

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this part-This Is Your Life by Ryan Calhoun)

Elena is upstairs having a shower and Damon is still with Liz when I find Stefan staring down into the refrigerator full of blood bags. He looks antsy, actually he's looked antsy since the cellar incident.

He looks over at me, and I see desperation in his eyes. I can feel it through our bond and it flashes through me like lightening.

"Stefan, what's wrong?" I ask worriedly.

Stefan shakes his head at me and I move closer to him until I can reach out and touch his hand. He intertwines our fingers instantly. I can tell he's struggling with something and everything in me wants to help him.

"I need to be stronger Ever. If I'm going to be of any use in getting rid of Katherine…I need more blood….but I can't drink more than a bit every few days. I'm basically still as weak as I was when I drank animal blood" Stefan says finally.

I squeeze his hand,

"Maybe you could drink more….we could amp it up a bit-"

"No, Ever, I'll lose control. It would take months to get me used to more human blood, and we don't have that time" Stefan argues, and I can feel him getting more frustrated.

On instinct I reach up and cup his face gently, forcing him to look at me,

"Well, when do you feel most in control of your blood lust?"

Stefan's jaw tightens,

"You know when"

And I do.

Then an idea comes into my mind. There are so many things wrong with it, that under any other circumstances I wouldn't even consider it as an option. But Stefan's right, we need all the strength we can get to deal with Katherine.

I look up into Stefan eyes and I say carefully,

"What if you drank my blood?"

Stefan's eyes widen in confusion, he seems startled and I can't blame him. It's a pretty risky idea. He shakes his head,

"No way Ever-"

"Stefan, I trust you. I trusted you that night when you needed my blood, and I'm trusting you now. It might not work, I'm just saying it's worth trying" I say with a small shrug.

Stefan doesn't look at all sure, but I can tell part of him wants to say yes, and there's definitely a part of me that wants to try this. I'm curious about our bond, I want to know how it works, and why we have it. I know it's wrong. He's my sister's boyfriend, but, Stefan is also my friend. There's nothing romantic about it, not really.

I won't force Stefan, it's his choice as much as mine.

"I don't know Ever…..it means a lot that you trust me…..but….it would have to be a secret. Can we really keep a secret like that from Damon and Elena?"

He's right, it would have to be a secret. But…..

"It's not about them Stefan. I know that sounds awful, but this is between us. You're my friend and I'm offering to help you, that's all this is"

I lift my foot and I reach down to take a pen knife out of my boot. Stefan looks at me questioningly and I say,

"What? I need weapons damn it, and I can't carry Kevin around everywhere"

Stefan laughs and I smile at that, I really do like making him laugh when he's all tense. My other hands is still linked with Stefan's and he seems much calmer than he was a few minutes ago, which is good, because of what I'm about to do.

I pull my other hand out of his and Stefan lets go reluctantly, he raises an eyebrow at me, but before he can say anything I've cut into my palm. It hurts, but not that much, I've definitely had worse.

I look up at Stefan and I put the knife down on top of the fridge. At the sight of my blood, Stefan's face changes and I lift my hand to his lips. Slowly Stefan takes hold of my wrist and tastes some of the blood on my hand. After a few moments he presses my hand against his mouth and starts sucking the blood out from the cut.

It stings a little, but again, I've had much worse.

After about thirty seconds, he pulls away from my hand. Stefan's face is still in vamp mode when he looks down at me. I reach up with my other hand and I gently stroke my thumb over his cheek. Our bond buzzes loudly with excitement and an intimacy so great that it's almost too much to handle. I can't explain it, but I need to touch Stefan.

Stefan leans into my touch and the emotion between us goes up a few more notches. It's so intense that I can literally feel the emotions running between us, hitting us like waves, over and over again. Slowly though Stefan's face changes from vampire to human again, his whole body relaxing because of his touch, but at the same time feeling like a live wire.

Stefan lets out a heavy breath and he whispers,

"It's different….to any blood I've ever had before. I don't know how to describe it….but…."

I nod in complete understanding,

"I know Stefan, I can feel it too"

This bond thing shout feel weird to me, and that's probably the worst part. It doesn't feel wrong or weird, it feels right, like it was always there waiting for me to discover it. Waiting for me to find it. Waiting for me to find Stefan.

…..

(Sexual content)

(Song for this part-Anywhere but here by Safetysuit)

Stefan gave me some of his blood so my cut would heal and after that I had to get out of there before we both did or said something stupid.

I find Damon in his room, he turns around when I come in and his face lights up in that way it always does when he see's me. But then there's a shadow of doubt in his eyes that I understand, because of everything that happened this morning, we're both feeling a bit unsure.

"Damon, I have to tell you what I found out today" I opt for a less sensitive topic before we get into another argument.

Damon arches an eyebrow coolly and asks,

"What did you find out Ev's?"

"Apparently, according to Tyler, Mason has come back for this mystical moonstone thingy, and Tyler says that-"

I stop when I see the rage that has come over Damon's face,

"What do you mean 'according to Tyler'?"

I pause for a moment before replying,

"I hung out with Tyler today at his house so I could find ask him some stuff about the werewolf situation-"

All I hear is Damon's, frankly animalistic, growl, and then I'm being slammed up against a wall. Damon's body pins mine to the wall and he practically hisses,

"I'm gonna kill him"

I suck in a harsh breath,

"Damon, no, we just talked, that's all-"

"I'm going to fucking rip him apart!" Damon looks so pissed off right now that I have no doubt he would actually kill Tyler.

Damon's jaw locks and I force him to look at me.

"Nothing happened Damon, we hung out. He's my friend"

"Did he touch you?" Damon asks, his voice low and threatening.

I shake my head,

"Of course not"

"You went to him, the moment we fought you-"

"No! He came to me, and we talked. Please Damon, it was nothing"

Damon doesn't look like he believes me, and that both pisses me off and saddens me. I scream in frustration,

"Damon, you bastard, I love you. I love you more than anything else on this earth, I wouldn't hurt you like that. You have to know I wouldn't"

Damon is breathing hard, and he still looks incredibly angry. Instead of replying Damon shifts me down so that I'm on my feet again, but only so he can rip my shorts, as well as my panties, off my body. I gasp in shock, but Damon just grasps the back of my thighs and lifts me up so that I have to wrap my legs around his waist.

"What are you-"

But I don't get to finish my sentence as Damon's lips come crashing down over mine, harsh and possessive. He invades my mouth with his tongue and I moan loudly. My arms twine around his neck and I kiss him back fiercely.

At the same time I can feel Damon undoing his jeans and somehow he manages to kiss me to death and release his cock. Damon presses me back against the door, and without breaking our kiss he shifts us so his cock drives upwards into my entrance.

I gasp and claw at Damon's back as he fills me up to the hilt with his massive erection. I try to get used to his size again quickly, but then starts to move. His hands are on my hips as he lifts me up and slams me back down over and over again, effectively fucking me on his cock.

"Fuck Day" I pretty much scream as he slams up into me.

Damon suddenly moves his hands from my hips and still manages to keep on fucking me against the wall. He takes hold of my hands and then pins them above my head. His forehead is pressed against mine and our harsh breathing lingers between us.

Damon looks into my eyes as he slams into me and growls,

"You're fucking mine Ev's. There are a lot of reasons why I might lose you, but there's no way I'll lose you because of that dog, or because you think I don't trust you. I love you, Ev's, I love you and you're mine"

"I'm yours Day, just yours" the words come out as a moan. Damon's mouth comes down over mine again and he claims both my mouth and my body as his for a very long time before we both come, hard, and with devastating intensity.

…

A while later Damon and I are naked and in bed. I'm in his arms and he's holding me tight against his body. My head is led on his chest and honestly can't think of a place I'd rather be than right here with Damon, the man I love. The man who loves me with such violent intensity that it rocks me to my very core.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I'm not very good at trusting people, even someone who means everything to me" Damon whispers, he kisses the top of my head and continues, "I'll try to be honest with you Ev's, to trust you with everything. Just….be patient with me"

The insecurity and almost desperate edge to his tone makes me want to hold onto Damon and never let go again. I shift up so that I can look into his eyes. I cup his face gently and my thumb strokes his hard jaw as I say,

"I love you Day, we can work this out, together. I don't ever want to give you up, you're mine Damon Salvatore"

Damon smiles at me slowly and intertwines our fingers as he says,

"All yours Ever Gilbert"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really hope you liked this chapter, there was a big Jerbad moment obviously and some good Dever stuff, as well as a scene I know there will be a divided opinion with Stever. xxx
> 
> REVIEW PLEASE!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xxx


	42. Plan B-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, the funny!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-second chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then the jokes would be endless xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Plan B-part 1

Sinbad's P.O.V

I wake up with Jeremy in my arms and I've honestly never felt more content. His eyes are still closed and I take the opportunity to study is beautiful face. Not that there is anything feminine about Jeremy, he's perfectly masculine and devastatingly handsome when he's relaxed like this. Actually he's handsome all the fucking time, even when he's angry at me. Maybe especially then. His nose does this little crinkling up thing that I love for some reason.

I let the back of my hand gently stroke down over Jeremy's cheek, his lips are full and wonderfully bow shaped. I want to kiss him so damn badly that it hurts. So I do. Jeremy must have already been at least half awake because he moans into my mouth and kisses me back with deep rooted enthusiasm.

Suddenly Jer pulls away and I growl slightly at the loss of his kiss. Jeremy's gaze locks with mine, those brown eyes set me ablaze like nothing else in this world. There's something about the way Jeremy is staring up at me like I own the fucking world that makes me feel like a man; Stronger and more protective than I've ever felt before in my entire existence.

"Were you watching me sleep?" Jeremy asks me with an amused half smile on his face that I just want to kiss right off.

"Yes" I say completely unashamed.

He arches an eyebrow at me,

"That's very sparkly of you"

I gasp in fake shock,

"Oh fuck, did you just make a twilight reference?"

Jeremy half shrugs,

"Maybe"

I shake my head,

"Take that back before I lose all respect for you forever"

Jeremy scoffs,

"Says the one who knew it was a twilight reference."

I mock glare at him,

"Oh you Guttersnipe!" I accuse.

"That isn't a real insult Sin! It's not even a real word!"

"Yes it is, I Googled it."

"It's still not a word"

"Hey, boy, I'm older than you, a lot older actually, so I get to decide when words are real"

"Oh, sorry sir I-"

My lips come crashing down over Jeremy's again and shift myself over him so that our naked bodies are fully pressed together. Jeremy hooks his leg over my hip and almost instantly were are both grinding against each other. Sparks of desire races through me and I am unable to keep a loud groan from escaping as I feel Jeremy's tight body move underneath my bigger frame.

I flip us so Jeremy is on top of me. It doesn't take long to get us both ready, since we've been together and fucking almost non-stop since the first time. What? He's a teenager and I'm…..Il like sex, I'll fully admit that, it's one of my few skills.

As I slip inside of Jeremy's intense heat it feels like I could never get enough of it. I could never get enough of Jeremy.

…..

I sneak out of Jeremy's window and go around to the front door so it'll look like I've just come to get him rather than being with the brown eyed boy all night. I knock on the door and Jenna answers. I know Elena and Ever are over at the boarding house with my brothers, and I'm glad because Elena's look of disapproval and Ever's smirk would have made me crack up for sure.

Jenna smiles at me, but there's a tinge of something else to that smile. Like she knows something I don't, which is more than slightly worrying.

"Come on in Sinbad" she says kindly.

I push away my suspicion and I arch an eyebrow at Jenna as I walk past her into the house.

"You're looking even sexier than usual today Jenna, in fact, you're upstaging me. I take full offence to that" I tease lightly.

Jenna laughs and slaps me on the arm as she closes the door.

"Oh, you. I don't think I've ever met a man whose more comfortable in his own skin"

"It's because I'm a cool, my mum and my physiatrist said so" I reply with a wink in Jenna's direction.

Jenna shakes her head and then squints at the writing on my black t-shirt, then she laughs again and gives me a questioning look. I often wear t-shirts with weird, and often quite funny, quotes on the front. I've collected them over the years and by this point I have a very impressive collection.

Today's t-shirt is black and has a small picture of a pony in the middle under bold blue writing that reads, "Screw world peace. I want a pony".

Jenna leads me into the kitchen where Jeremy is leaning against the counter and eating cereal. He smiles shyly at me and I smile back broadly. He looks so damn cute when he goes shy on me. I want to kiss him again. I want to touch him and hold him and….a lot of other things as well. Why does Jeremy have to turn me on with everything he does? It's most frustrating.

But I can't get all touchy feely with Jeremy in front of Jenna, well actually, I could. Jeremy's eyes widen when I walk right over to him and pull his body close to mine. I kiss his jaw gently, part of me fears Jeremy will pull away, but he doesn't and my heart soars. Jeremy leans in closer to me and I hold him tight.

"I'd have thought you two had enough of that last night. And this morning" Jenna says wryly. She leans on the kitchen counter and arches an eyebrow at both of us.

Jeremy immediately flushes and I blink in surprise for a few moments before letting out a low chuckle,

"How'd you know?" I ask.

Jenna shrugs,

"You're not that quiet you know"

Jeremy flushes even more and it makes him look so fucking innocent. In a sexy way though. Then again I think everything about Jeremy is sexy these days, which should be ridiculous, but somehow it really isn't.

"Are you two having sex then?" Jenna asks us suddenly and Jeremy stiffens almost violently.

I smile at her and reply,

"We prefer to call it an 'intense cuddle'"

Jeremy hits my chest hard and glares up at me,

"Sin!"

"What?" I ask mock innocently.

Jeremy rolls his eyes and Jenna goes off laughing.

Ever's P.O.V

I can feel Damon watching me, but I purposely pretend I don't know he's there. We're in his bed and it's most likely morning. Damn, sunlight, it's working against me. I can feel Damon shift behind me, his body pressed almost flush against mine.

He starts tracing his fingers over my body, getting lower and lower very few seconds. Damon teases my clit gently and then slips a finger inside of me. I do my best not to react, but it's really difficult.

Damon leans in close to my ear and whispers, his voice low and playful,

"Are you sleeping?"

Despite myself, I frown, and a snarky retort forces it's way out of my mouth,

"No, I'm training to die"

"You'd make a very beautiful dead person" Damon replies simply, completely unfazed. He continues to push his finger deeper into my folds, another finger soon joining the first one. I arch back against him and I let out a slow moan.

"You already make a very beautiful dead person" I manage to get out despite Damon's very distracting fingers.

"I know" he says smugly. I can feel his devilish smirk against my shoulder. That smirk drives me crazy. I both love and want to smack it off on an daily basis.

Damon starts to move those two fingers inside my slit, slowly at first but then ramping up the pressure, making me squirm and beg with my body. I know Damon likes it when I fight him during sex, but he also likes it when I give in and become pliant and needy.

Sometimes I don't think he knows how much I crave his touch.

Damon's other hand comes up to tease my breast. He squeezes the nipple between two fingers and I arch into him even more. I moan and somehow I turn my head at the just the right angle so I can steal a deep and sensual kiss from Damon. His tongue delves into my mouth as he moves his fingers in and out of me.

All three of those intense feelings together eventually make me come. I'm rolling my hips, working back on his fingers when my orgasm finally comes to a head. I whimper harshly as Damon bites into my neck.

Somehow he always manages to get me in the same place every time. Soon enough he's going to leave a permanent scare there, a very noticeable one. I'm pretty sure he's doing it on purpose for that very reason. Damon may say he's not a jealous man, but he's a damn possessive one if nothing else.

I don't mind though. It's not like I'm planning on being anyone else's. I know it probably sounds stupid and premature. But I can't imagine not being with Damon, he's it for me. There is no one else on this earth who could ever compare to him. I will certainly never love anyone the way I love Damon, I know that to be true with everything in me.

A few moments after I come, and my heart has stopped trying to escape from my chest, I move on top of Damon. He lets me get settled there before helping me rise up and guide his hard as steel cock into my hot wet folds. Damon has hold of my hips, his fingers dig into my skin as I lift myself up and down on his impressive erection.

My hair falls around us and it frames both our faces. Damon sits up slightly so he can kiss me again, his mouth claiming mine in a fiery heated passion that consumes us both so completely that everything else fades away.

Damon cups my face and pushes up hard into me as he growls,

"Ev's, you're so beautiful when you ride me like this. I could watch you forever. I want us to be like this forever. Everyday, waking up to you, there's nothing else I could ever want more than this" His thumb strokes my jaw and I feel the love in his gaze, it fills me with an intense happiness and a wave of pure love and lust rolled together washes over me.

I kiss Damon, and I drag it out for a long time so I can taste him properly. I pull back slightly and our gazes lock. Something completely otherworldly passes between us and I whisper,

"I love you Day"

Damon's grip tightens and he touches his forehead to mine before whispering right back,

"I love you Ev's"

…

I call a 'Supernaturals United' meeting to tell everyone about what I found out from Tyler. It isn't much, but I can't shake the feeling that the moonstone is important for some reason.

"So, Mason came here to get this moonstone thing" Jeremy says. He looks over at Sin, a knowing look in his eyes, they seem to be silently communicating. Ever can see that their relationship has risen to a whole new level, and she's glad. Damon, Elena and Stefan may be unsure about Sin and Jer's relationship, but I only have to look at them to know that they care deeply for each other.

Sin is my close friend and Jeremy is my brother, how could I not be happy that they've found love together. I just hope they don't get in their own way. For a long time I pushed Damon away because I was scared of feeling so much for someone, I was scared of allowing myself to risk getting hurt.

But now we're together and that massive risk was worth all the bad things and the pain. I could never have imagined how amazing it would feel to be with someone I love so completely, and who loves me just as much in return.

"Do you think it's linked with Katherine coming to town?" I say thoughtfully. The idea has been twisting and turning inside my mind ever since Tyler told me about the moonstone.

"Why would Katherine want a moonstone?" Stefan says, his brows furrowed.

Our eyes meet for a moment and his swiftly dart away. I let Stefan take blood from me again this morning, and I know he's feeling quite unsure about it still. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit weirded out by the situation as well. But I don't think we're doing anything wrong, it's just a friend helping out another friend. By feeding them their blood. Secretly. Yeah, it's very weird.

To be honest after everything that's happened to me since I met Stefan on the first day of school, I never thought anything could be weird again. So this is nice. Now I know that I still have the capacity to find things insane.

Makes me feel all humany and shit.

Or worse, Elenaish….ugh, I'm Elena again. I'll have to start wearing my hair straight and being boring and nice and stuff like that.

I think we can all agree that that's the real tragedy here.

Jeremy gives Sin a pointed look and after a few moments of intense 'say it' 'no, I don't wanna' 'just say it' 'no, leave me alone' type staring, Sin sighs and admits to us something he's been hiding for a while now,

"Katerina came to see me"

We all stare at him open mouthed. Damon is the first to speak, although it comes out as more of a incredulous snap,

"Aw, and when did this little tryst take place?"

Sin shrugs noncommittally,

"Uh, I don't know. What, you think I keep a log full of bitchzilla sightings, times and dates included"

"Sin?" I pierce him with a hard look and he rolls his eyes in response.

But he does say,

"Fine, it was the day you four went on that catastrophe in the making double date….thingy. Whilst you were off 'connecting' and 'bonding' and all that rubbish, I was here dealing a Kitty Kat sized pain in the ass"

"But that was ages ago" Elena exclaims reproachfully.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us before?" Damon demands, the irritation clear in his voice.

Sin shrugs again and Damon looks about ready to snap his youngest brother's neck. I'm pissed off too. How could Sin keep something like that from me and everyone else? Katherine being back affects all of us. He better of had a damn good reason for keeping it a secret. Although from the looks Jeremy and Sin were exchanging I'm going to go out on a limb and guess he told someone at least.

But, then, Jeremy didn't bloody well tell us either. The secretive little shit. Damn, I'm going to have to beat them both with my metaphorical golf club. I might even bring out Kevin, see how they like that.

Instead of answering Damon's question, Sin says casually,

"She went on about something to do with George Lockwood. She offered him something to save her from being put in the church with the others"

"What did she offer him?" Stefan asks his brother.

Sin makes an exasperated sound,

"Yeah, do you people really think she would give me a straight answer? This is Kitty Kat we're talking about here"

I gasp then,

"The moonstone?" I look around at everyone, trying to interpret their response to my suggestion.

"Maybe. But what would that have to do with her being back now?" Elena questions, she looks frustrated and I can't blame her, this whole situation is fucking annoying.

I make a dismissive gesture,

"More importantly" my gaze shifts to Sin, "Why is bitchzilla coming after our Sin?"

Jeremy fixes me with a hard look and clears his throat. I arch an eyebrow at him,

"What, you can't share?"

Damon suddenly pulls me against his side and says,

"He might share, but I don't"

I roll my eyes, but I let myself be held tightly by Damon, the crazy possessive idiot.

"Oh, for fuck sake, all I meant was, why is it always Sin she comes after?"

"She's trying to mess with your heads", Jeremy says simply.

"How would you know?" Elena asks in concern.

Jeremy sighs and his gaze lands on Sin as he says,

"Because I met her"

"You what?!" Elena exclaims in outrage.

Jeremy shifts closer to Sin, seemingly on instinct and Sin moves his hand to grasp the back of Jeremy's neck. The gesture is claiming and protective.

"It was an accident. I came to the boarding house to find Sin and she was just….here. She looks exactly like you both. It's fucking weird" he looks between me and Elena.

"What are we going to do about this moonstone?" I say, to take some of the pressure off of poor Jer, he looks about ready to do verbal battle.

"We need to get it, if Katherine is involved, then we don't want her getting her slutty little hands on it" Damon says firmly.

"I could ask Tyler for it" I suggest.

Damon narrows his eyes at me,

"No"

"But, Day, come on, I could just-"

"No" he repeats.

"We need to talk about it at least"

"Alright" Damon agrees, although I'm slightly suspicious as to why. Usually he's much more stubborn than that.

"Ok then, well I could just go up to Tyler and say I want to study it, or something and then-"

"Nope" Damon interjects.

"Damon, you said we could talk about it"

"We did. The answer is still no. Get over it Ev's"

I flick him in the chest,

"Idiot"

"That hurt my feelings"

"Good" I say with a self satisfied nod.

"You flicked me"

"You deserved it"

"I'm trying to be reasonable and you go and flick me. I am very disappointed in you right now" Damon is smirking now and I want to hurt him.

"Reasonable, when have you ever been reasonable about anything?" I say incredulously.

Suddenly Sin says,

"I have to agree with Damon, I am very disappointed that you would flick him unprovoked like that"

Jeremy nods in agreement, the traitor,

"Yeah Ever, that's just not ok"

I look around at everyone else, and they're all nodding and mumbling their agreement, sharing amused smiles between them at my expense.

"I hate you all. Be warned. Kevin shall avenge me"

…

Elena dragged us along to this Masquerade ball set up thing. I don't even like these parties, yet I have to set them all up. I'm much more a bar/house party kind of girl. All this fancy shit has never appealed to me. Elena is way better at it, she's all elegant and stuff like that.

I'm outside with the fancy pants Girl wonder when I see Bonnie. Elena and I exchange glances and I walk over to Bonnie. She looks up at me and an awkwardness sets over both of us. Since Caroline became a vampire, and Bonnie made her feelings on the subject very clear, we haven't spoken much. I've just been so damn busy with the Salvatore's and Caroline and everything else that's been going on.

"Hey Bonnie, you sexy witch you" I say with a friendly smile. I really hate how awkward it is between us.

"Hey" Bonnie replies less enthusiastically, she looks around almost nervously and I suddenly realise what, or actually who, she's looking for.

I sigh,

"Caroline's not coming, don't panic Bonnie"

"Just making sure" she replies.

I shake my head slowly,

"You know, eventually, you're going to have to talk to her"

"Could you make it a little less obvious that you're on her side" Bonnie says in irritation.

I groan dramatically,

"There are no sides Bonnie. No sides. This a circle situation, not a square situation"

"Why are you comparing this to a shape?"

I throw my hands up,

"Because Bonnie, that's just what makes sense inside my head"

"You're insane. I'd almost forgotten how much" comments Bonnie with a half smile on her face.

I narrow my eyes at her,

"I am extremely offended by those words. Is that why you've not wanted to see me, because of my supposed insanity"

Bonnie's expression almost becomes serious,

"Since Caroline turned we've barely spoken. Losing Caroline was bad enough, I didn't think I'd lose you too"

My own expression softens slightly,

"You haven't lost me" I look around for a moment, and then I grab hold of Bonnie arm and I pull her away from the crowd, "Come with me"

Bonnie doesn't protest and we walk far enough away from everyone that we won't be overheard. I sit down on a stone bench and Bonnie sits beside me. We turn towards each other and I explain to Bonnie everything's she's missed over the last few weeks.

At the end of it, Bonnie's eyes are wide and she says,

"I can't believe it"

"I know it's a lot. I wish I could have talked to you when I was going through my Damon drama, it was our first proper fight. I could have used my best friend. Elena was useless, she has the perfect romance with Steffy"

Bonnie shakes her head,

"It's not that I wasn't there for you….I just….I didn't even know you and Damon were having problems"

"Yeah well, that's what happens when you go all cold shouldery and judgy. You get kicked out of the loop. I've told Elena this many times, it's why she keeps missing stuff" I say.

"You…sound like Damon" Bonnie says, but she sounds more amused than anything.

I slap my forehead,

"I know, I know. He's under my skin and in my head, it's impossible to block him out sometimes"

"You haven't been telling me anything" Bonnie complains, looking hurt.

I sigh heavily,

"Well, you made it pretty clear that you aren't comfortable with the whole vampire thing"

"So, that makes me the odd man out?"

"No, no, of course not Bonnie, if you want to know, then I'll tell you. But you gotta meet me half way here"

"I know where I stand Ever" Bonnie says, "And, I know where you stand. But where do we stand?"

I struggle to come up with an answer that Bonnie will like, so eventually I just panic and reply,

"Ugh, that sounds like an awful lot of standing. Can't we be sitting? I mean, we're sitting right now, and I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying it immensely"

"Ever, seriously" Bonnie raises a questioning eyebrow.

I bite my lips for a few moments before saying,

"You're my best friend Bonnie, without you all I have is Miss bossy pants, vamp Barbie and the boys, and we've already established how much they all suck. I need you in my life. But so does Caroline"

Bonnie tenses up immediately,

"No, not yet. She's a vampire. I can't…..I think we should get back"

Bonnie stands up, but I pull her back down again by sheer force of will, I am a weak little doppelganger. How come vampires and witches and even werewolves get all these super powers, and yet all I'm left with is someone who looks exactly like me….I already had that with Elena. I feel cheated.

I get Bonnie to look and me and I say,

"Please Bonnie, just try. I swear, it's still Caroline. Although admittedly she's gone a bit badass, but I think that's a good thing. She's more confident, but she still needs her friends. That means you, Elena and me need to band together all best buddy-like and be there for her"

Bonnie sigs, but she seems to relent slightly,

"Maybe…..I just need some more time to get my head around it"

I nod,

"Alright, but from now on, you and me need to work on our communication. You're worse than Damon, and he's man for Christ's sakes"

"Fair enough" Bonnie says, she's smiling now, and I call that a win. Excellent. I'm on fire with wins this week.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Alaric brought some Isobel's, otherwise known as bitchzilla's sidekick's, research. Apparently the moonstone was part of the spell that makes werewolves turn on the full moon and vampires burn in the sun, or it's the sun and the moon 'curse' if you want to be dramatic about it.

How I was roped into yet another Mystic Falls event I honestly don't know. It's those damn Gilberts, they have me running around for them like a prat. Like a lovesick prat. And the worst part is, I kinda like it.

Anyway here I am, helping set up the masquerade ball…thingy. And when I say help, what I really mean is stand around and carry stuff, whether it needs to be carried or not. That's all I'm good for, and I'm fine with that.

Mason looks startled at the sight of me as he walks by and I try my best to conceal a smug smirk. Not ripping his head of is a difficult task though. I want to make him bleed for daring to go against me and my brothers. Fluffy is dead, whether I do it or one of my brothers does it, he's a dead fluffy wolf walking.

He's also carrying shit just like me. In fact a lot of the guys around here are carrying random things. I'm starting to think all men have been dragged here by a woman of some sort and are now just carrying things to make themselves look useful. Except for Ever, I imagine she's hiding somewhere from the evil twin. Jeremy should be around here somewhere, I keep losing track of him with so many people around.

"Hey Sinbad" Mason says to me awkwardly. It was definitely a 'hey, so I tried to kill you but you're still somehow alive' moment.

Mason sets something down and then turns back to me,

"I wasn't expecting you here. Or anywhere" he says.

No I bet you weren't fluffy.

I shrug and smirk at him lazily,

"Well, I got shot yesterday by some police type people. Not for the first time to be honest. But now I'm okey dokey again, so it's all good fluffy"

"What did you do to Sheriff Forbes?" Mason comes closer to me, very brave of him actually. Or stupid. Yeah, I'm gonna go with stupid.

I tilt my head to the side and quirk an eyebrow,

"She's fine too, although now you'll have to do your own dirty work. Like I said, it's all good fluffy"

"How could you possibly…wait, did you just call me fluffy?" Mason asks incredulously.

"Yes, sorry, I usually only call you that inside my head. I'm just over excited because of the intense moment we are sharing beautiful"

"Why fluffy?"

"Because you're a wolf…as the tweens like to say, 'um, like, duh!'"

"I'm not fluffy"

"Well now you're just lying to yourself"

"This is a ridiculous conversation we're having right now"

"I'm not the one who brought it up…..fluffy"

"Stop it!"

"Would you prefer scruffy? Or Locky? Oh, oh, or Tramp. Like Lady and the Tramp? No wait…..Jacob….yep, that's definitely the one. Quick, take your shirt off and put on some jean shorts"

Mason shakes his head and gives me a look that clearly states he thinks I'm insane. I've definitely been given that look before. After a few moments Mason turns on his heel and walks away, although he bumps into Bonnie by accident and I notice her strange reaction to touching him.

I walk over to Bonnie and ask,

"Hey, Bon, are you alright?"

"When I touched him….I saw….something" Bonnie says.

"What, like a vision witchy ju ju thing?"

"I saw Ever…he was…kissing her" Bonnie explains.

I shake my head as realisation strikes me hard and fast,

"Oh fuck a duck. That wasn't Ever, that was Kitty Kat"

….

"Katherine's with Mason Lockwood" Damon says in disbelief as Stefan paces anxiously.

I left Bonnie to tell my brothers the exciting news, they are not best pleased about it. Personally, I find it secretly hilarious, but my sense of humour has always been a bit twisted.

I shrug,

"We should have guessed sooner, they got into town around the same time. We've been underestimating Kitty Kat"

"I know, but Mason Lockwood" Damon shakes his head sounding incredulous, as if the idea offends him for some reason, "Werewolf thing aside the guy's a surfer"

"Hey, fluffy's hot. A complete twit, but still hot" I say with an amused smile. I still find it funny.

"She's got to be using him" Stefan says suddenly, his pacing coming to an abrupt halt.

I snort,

"Of course she fucking is"

"Yeah, but for what?" Damon questions both me and Stefan.

I think about it for a moment,

"It's got to be linked with the moonstone. She wants it"

"Why?" Stefan says.

I throw my hands up,

"What do I look like to you? A mind reader? A psychic? I'm just a simple vampire with a simple dream. I want Kitty Kat gone, I don't shiv a git why she's here"

Stefan shakes his head,

"So, how are we going to get the moonstone?"

"Well, Mason has it now apparently. Or that's what he said when Jeremy asked" I say, "So, obviously, the only course of action is to kidnap fluffy and rip him to pieces until he tells us where it is"

Damon smirks at me,

"I like that plan"

I smirk back at my eldest brother,

"I thought you might, which is why we're doing it together. We just need some help from Sabrina"

"What about me?" Stefan asks.

I turn to look at him,

"Nope, this is bad brother business Stef, it's no place for good people like you"

Damon nods in agreement,

"Yeah, little brother, you look after the children, and me and Sin will go have a nice and hopefully very bloody conversation with the wolf"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler for next chapter-Sin shows his badass brutal side in front of Jeremy xxx
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading xxx


	43. Plan B-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some badass Sin time! x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-third chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries them then Damon and I would have our own badass gang with badass leather jackets that say 'We're badass so fuck off' on the back. 
> 
> Review please, thank you

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Plan B-part 2

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

Damon and I go in search of Ever and Jeremy. I know my eldest brother is thinking about the last time he went off and attacked Mason without talking to Ever first, he doesn't seem eager to make the same mistake twice. Again, personal growth, something I never thought I'd see from Damon if I'm honest. Ever really is good for him, I truly believe that.

We explain to them the situation and reluctantly they both agree that Mason has to be dealt with and questioning him about the moonstone is the right way to go. Me and Damon find Sabrina the teenage judgy vampire hater, and we pretty much drag her away from everyone else so we won't be overheard.

Soon enough though Bonnie refuses to go any further with us, she still doesn't trust me and my brothers at all, which I suppose I understand. From her point of view, me, Damon and Stefan have really fucked up things around here. That's kind of our thing, we settle and then we destroy. The curse of the Salvatore brothers. Cue creepy music dance sequence.

I feel cursed, my brothers are Damon/Mr. Anger management, and Stefan/Sir crazy pants. I have to deal with their shit all the bloody time, Bonnie should count herself lucky.

"What do you want?" Bonnie asks Damon and me coldly.

Damon tilts his head to the side,

"A favour" he says.

Bonnie scoffs,

"Like that's going to happen"

Damon rolls his eyes,

"So predictable" then he looks over at me, "That's why I brought him"

I narrow my eyes at Damon,

"See, this is why no one likes you. You're all grabby and annoying and…really annoying, like, seriously, really annoying"

"You wound me baby brother" Damon smirks easily.

"You're an idiot. Go stand in the corner. I'll find you a stool and a hat with the letter 'D' on it. Or possibly the letter 'F', as in fail. You fail as a person Damon. I can't even look at you, it makes me feel physically ill. Shoo. The fact that we're related shames me" I say with a smile.

Before Damon can reply I turn to Bonnie,

"We know you don't like helping us out. But since your witchy ju ju skills figured out the link between Mason and Kitty Kat we finally have the opportunity to get the upper hand on both of them. So, just hear us out"

"Pretty please" Damon adds snarkily.

I hit him over the head. Just for the hell of it mainly, I like it when he gets all 'outraged', it amuses me immensely.

Bonnie looks doubtful and Damon practically buzzes with impatience, finally he snaps,

"All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again and see if he gave Katherine the moonstone"

Bonnie sighs,

"My visions don't work like that, I don't get to ask questions"

"How inconvenient" Damon complains irritably.

I smack Damon upside the head again and this time he glares openly at me. I make a face at him, and then I turn back to Bonnie,

"How about that witchy voo doo thing? You know, where you can take down vampires with just a look."

Damon momentarily forgets his anger towards me and asks,

"Yeah, what is that?"

Bonnie smiles smugly,

"That's me giving you aneurism. Your blood vessels go pop, but you heal quickly so, I do it over, and over again"

I chuckle and say,

"Ohh, dark, I like it Bon Bon"

"Is it vampire specific?" Damon asks.

"It would work on anyone with a supernatural healing ability" answers Bonnie.

"Good" Damon says.

Bonnie shakes her head,

"I'm not gonna help you hurt him"

I can feel Damon getting agitated again, which usually doesn't end well,

"Mason Lockwood is a werewolf, Katherine's evil, they're the bad guys"

"Just imagine them in trench coats and twirling their metaphorical moustaches" I add in amusement.

"Are you really going to play morality police with us right now?" Damn says angrily to Bonnie, "Let me put it to you another way, they're a threat to Ever and Elena. And you, witch, are going to get over yourself and help us"

Yet again I find myself wanting to thwack Damon over the head. He's such a dick sometimes it's unbelievable. Like he can see it coming Damon turns to me and snaps,

"Don't even think about it Sin"

I lift an eyebrow ironically and I lift my hands, wiggling my fingers in front of Damon,

"Ohhhh, real frightening big brother, what you gonna do? Irritate me to death? Make me want to kill myself by throwing a temper tantrum like when we were children? If you'd stop being such a dick for five fucking minutes then you might get hit less often"

"Ha, you're a bigger dick than me most of the time and you don't get hit" Damon argues, but he seems to be amused more than anything else. That's Damon, always faintly amused by everything.

I shrug at my eldest brother,

"That is because I am better than you in every way"

"Says who exactly?"

"Anyone who's ever met both of us. I take that back, pretty much anyone who's met you"

Before mine and Damon's stupid argument can continue, I look over at Bonnie and say,

"Please Bon, help us with this, we just want to keep everyone safe. Except fluffy"

Bonnie stares at us both for a very long moment before finally sighing,

"Fine, I'll help"

Yes! Score one for team psycho.

…..

Bonnie takes Mason down ju ju style quite easily. Damon and I take him back to the boarding house.

"Here's his bag" Bonnie says, dropping it down on a chair in our living room.

Damon drops Mason down into a big wooden chair and I ask Bonnie to help me move the carpet out of the splash zone.

Bonnie frowns,

"Why are we doing this?" she asks me.

"Because these are nice carpets and we don't want to stain them" I reply.

Bonnie looks thoroughly disturbed as she says,

"I knew you were going to say something like that"

"You're judging again" Damon says.

I go to Mason's bag and inside I find a big 'ol pile of chains. I show them to Damon, my mouth quirks into a smirk,

"Kinky, kinky fluffy"

Damon takes the chains from me and uses them to start tying up Mason. Bonnie stands in front of him and touches his forehead hopefully reading him well enough to find the damn moonstone.

"Find out if he gave it to Katherine" Damon says, "Find out where she is, and find out what they're gonna do with it once they get it"

"It doesn't work like that" Both me and Bonnie say at the same time. She smiles wryly at me and I wink at her in return, causing Bonnie to blush slightly. She really is very pretty, if I wasn't so enamoured with Jeremy, I would definitely have pursued the little witch, she's got a fire in her that I've always found attractive.

Bonnie concentrates on Mason, she closes her eyes and touches each side of his forehead with her fingers. After a few moments she says,

"It's somewhere small. Dark. There's water. Like a…well? Yeah, it's a well"

"Why would it be in a well?" Damon wonders out loud.

Bonnie turns a scornful look on him and snaps,

"I told you, I only get what I get"

Something about Bonnie telling off Damon is fucking hilarious to me, like a bunny telling a fox to fuck off, and I only about manage to stop myself from laughing. I don't think it would go down very well with either of them. They're both incredibly stubborn people, as Ever has pointed out more than once.

Mason wakes up suddenly and grabs hold of Bonnie's wrist, she gasps and tries to pull back. I forcibly remove fluffy's hand from Bonnie's arm. She moves swiftly away from all of us and says,

"That's it, that's all I got"

She starts to leave when Damon looks up at her and says,

"Hey, judgy" she stops to look at Damon, "Thank you"

Bonnie nods stiffly and I add,

"Yeah, thank you for…everything Bon. You're my favourite witchy person, that blond haired bitch Sabrina ain't got nothin' on you"

She actually smiles at me and says,

"You know, I think you're my favourite Salvatore Sin"

I nod casually,

"I know, I'm everybody's favourite"

Damon snorts but doesn't comment for once. Then Bonnie leaves us alone with fluffy.

I hit fluffy hard, trying to get him to come around faster.

"Wakey, wakey wolf boy" Damon chants.

Ever's P.O.V

Stefan and Elena seem to actually be having a good time together, and watching them makes me wish Damon was here with me. Or actually, I wish me and Damon were together somewhere less boring.

But no, he's off have some torture bonding session with Sin.

I know that Damon is the 'bad' brother, and that he's a dangerous motherfraker at the best of times. I'd be lying if I said part of me isn't attracted to that side of him. Even though that's insane, and also something I would never tell Elena, as she wouldn't understand. Her boyfriend is Stefan after all, the world's friendliest vampire.

At least, most of the time.

I'm sorting out masks with Matt, a task so tedious that even a monkey would get bored eventually. I am not a monkey, I am a human being, so I find even the concept of what I'm doing boring as fuck.

Matt frowns at me,

"Why are you talking about monkeys Ever?" he asks.

I arch an eyebrow at him,

"I wasn't talking to you Matty, I was mumbling to myself. Stop listening to me when I'm having a conversation"

"With yourself?"

"Yes, of course with myself. I don't hear voices in my head Matty, I'm not insane"

"Because talking to yourself is much more sane" Matt says in amusement.

"Matty, my dear sweet Matty, are you mocking me?" I place my hands on my hips and I fix Matt with a penetrating look.

"Yes" Matt replies simply.

"You're so mean" I complain with pretend hurt on my face.

Suddenly changing topics, Matt asks,

"So, where is Caroline, this is like her thing, I can't believe she's not here"

I shrug, guilt coils in my gut and I do my best to ignore it. Caroline had to break up with Matt because it wasn't safe for her to be around him. It kind of sucks for both of them though. Caroline still loves Matt obviously, and from what I can tell Matt hasn't let go of his feelings for her either.

"I dunno, she probably has something else to do" I say flippantly, hoping he won't push too much. I really don't want to lie to Matt.

For a few moments there is an awkward pause, and then Matt asks,

"Is she seeing anyone?"

I freeze, unsure of where this conversation could lead.

"No Matty, of course not. Caroline still cares a lot about you", which is all I'm willing to say on the matter your honour.

Matt must read on my face that I'm done talking about this, because he doesn't say anything more about Caroline.

Not long after I get a text from Bonnie to say the moonstone is in the well on the old Lockwood property. I think about telling Elena and Stefan, but they look so damn relaxed that I decide to head off by myself. It's not like I'm doing anything dangerous, I'm not Timmy, I ain't fallin' down no well.

I was very glad that Damon came to me straight away to talk about what had to be done about Mason, it seems my words actually sunk into that big thick skull of his. It means a lot that he's trying to be more open and honest with me. I text Damon to tell him where I'm going, I imagine he already knows where the moonstone is as Bonnie likely found out from Mason.

I manage to slip away from everyone quite easily, and I make my way over to the well so I can help Bonnie get the moonstone.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Mason is struggling in the chair, the chains are holding him down pretty well though. I'm standing with my arms crossed, watching fluffy as he has a mini girly tiz. It's almost funny, only almost because a big part of me wants to rip him apart now that we're alone. Unfortunately, he has answers that we need, otherwise he'd already be dead by now.

Damon is kneeling by the fire, holding an iron poker inside the flames. As fluffy continues to struggle Damon turns around and smirks at him,

"Ohhhhh, someone's feisty"

My eldest brother stands up then and moves over to fluffy, I track his movements, concentrating hard on them both. Waiting for the inevitable.

Damon sticks the poker into Mason and the wolf yells out in anguish. When Damon pulls the poker out, I say,

"This is only the beginning fluffy, I'd hold onto your strength if I were you"

Damon pulls Mason's shirt back, revealing a fast healing wound. He sighs,

"hhhmmm, you heal quickly, not good, guess I'll just have to keep applying pain"

"So, Katerina, otherwise known to us as bitchzilla" I say as Damon goes to hold the poker in the fire again.

"How do you know her?" I ask him.

When fluffy doesn't answer I laugh darkly, and I stand right in front of him. Our gazes lock and I say,

"We have all day fluffy"

I pick up the dagger I found in my stuff earlier on today and I take great pleasure in driving that dagger deep into Mason's chest. I twist the danger slowly and the wolf shouts, grinding his teeth together to stop himself from screaming, although the pain he's feeling is clear on his face.

I know just where to apply the perfect amount of pressure to make this as painful as possible for Mason. Having been tortured in many different ways myself, I would describe myself as an expert in the field.

Damon comes up behind me and slaps my shoulder and says,

"Now, now, Sin. Be nice"

I don't want to be nice. I want to fucking tear Mason apart with my bare hands. He tried to kill me. More importantly he tried to kill my brothers, no one gets to do that but me. I do not allow people to threaten my brothers and then get away with it. Not ever.

But I pull the dagger out anyway, and soon enough Mason is healing again.

Damon sticks the poker back inside of Mason and to my immense satisfaction fluffy screams out in pain. When Damon gets a text he pulls the poker out and hands it to me. I take it from him and Damon moves away to the read the text.

I watch Damon for a moment, waiting just in case there are any new developments with the moonstone. Damon groans and runs a hand through his black hair, he looks over at me, worry and frustration in his eyes. I give him a questioning look and he says,

"Ever has gone to find the moonstone with witchy"

I understand instantly what Damon wants to do, and I'm glad it's become his first instinct. I nod,

"Go brother. Make sure she's safe, get the moonstone, I can handle fluffy just fine on my own"

In fact, being alone with Mason could be quite fun. For me. Fun for me. Not for fluffy.

Damon's brows furrow, he seems to be contemplating whether to leave me to go protect his girlfriend or stay and help with Mason. But finally he simply nods in return and grabs his jacket before striding out of the boarding house.

The moment he's gone I turn back to a confused looking Mason with a dangerous smirk on my face. This is really going to be fun.

Ever's P.O.V

I get to the well only moments after Caroline and Bonnie.

"Do you really think the moonstone is down there?" I ask Bonnie, the well looks like it's been locked up tight.

"Maybe, it feels right. I'm pretty sure this is the place I saw when I touched Mason" Bonnie replies thoughtfully.

"Don't tell me you're doubting your witchy mojo now, just when I was starting to find it useful" I jump slightly at the sound of Damon's voice.

I look round to see him walking toward us. Bonnie and Caroline give me a questioning look and I simply shrug. Damon comes up behind me and places a light kiss on my shoulder, a bolt of pleasure goes through my body at the simple contact.

I'm secretly glad Damon is here, I missed him, as weird as that sounds. I look up at him and ask,

"Got bored of fluffy already?"

Damon smirks slowly at me and I become instantly suspicious.

"Sin is taking care of him" is all Damon says.

I get the feeling that 'taking care' means something completely different in Salvatore speak. So I don't ask any more questions. The last thing I need is nightmares about what diabolical torture plans Sinbad has for fluffy. All I know is that Sinbad can be one scary fucker when he wants to be. I almost pity fluffy.

I gesture at the well,

"It's locked"

Damon moves around to the big metal lock and says,

"That can be easily fixed", he rips the lock right off with an impressive show of vampy strength. Sometimes I forget how strong they really are. Damon and Caroline could snap me like a twig. I mean one of those hard twigs, not the really annoying bendy ones. Nobody can snap those.

Shut up brain, shut up!

Damon shifts the metal grate off of the well and we all look down into it. We can't see much because it's really dark down there. Luckily, Damon has come prepared with a big torch, like a really big one.

I move closer to him and whisper in his ear,

"Why did you come?" Not that I didn't want him to, I'm just wondering what made him decide to leave Mason a.k.a fluffy.

Damon leans in close to me and answers,

"You are more important to me than anything"

Before I can ask more questions, Damon climbs onto the well with his massive torch. I figure he's going to jump inside so I touch his arm and I say,

"Be careful Day"

He looks back at me and smiles warmly, then with a final nod he jumps into the well. I look over at Bonnie and Caroline. Caroline just seems happy to be here, but Bonnie is giving me a weird look that I don't quite understand.

Moments later though I'm distracted by the sound of my name being shouted by Damon from inside the well.

"Ever!"

I immediately grasp the side of the well and I look down, searching for Damon, my hear clenching at the sound of pain in Damon's voice.

"Damon! What's wrong? What's going on?" I shout down frantically to him.

Then I hear one choked out word,

"Vervain"

Well shit on a stick, this is not good.

I climb onto the well's edge and for a moment I contemplate jumping inside, but then I realise I'd need a way to get out. I spy a lump of chains by the side of the well and I say to Caroline,

"Care, quick, help me"

I try to lift the chains, but because I am a weak human I don't get very far. Caroline instantly comes to help me lift the chain.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I look down at Mason with thinly veiled contempt. Most of me just wants to hurt him, but the whole point of this is to get answers, so I say,

"Where did you and Kitty Kat meet? Did she seduce you and tell you she loved you? You're supernatural, so she couldn't compel you. I'm sure she used her other….talents. The bitch is clever, I'll give her that"

I notice Jeremy coming in and briefly my eyes flicker up to meet his.

"You shouldn't be here Jer" I say. The last thing I want is for Jeremy to watch me torture Mason. I know Jeremy, he won't understand, and why would he? He's a human, a kind one. He feels remorse in a way that I don't. In a way that I haven't for over a hundred years.

Jeremy puts a box down on the table and says,

"I found something in Ric's box of stuff"

I stick the hot poker through fluffy's shoulder and I leave it there as I move over to Jeremy,

"Ah, what have you found boy wonder?" I ask curiously.

Jeremy winces slightly at the yell of pain that comes from Mason, but he looks at me when he says,

"Uh, I did a search on my phone, it's a plant" he takes out a few pieces of the plant that are inside of a piece of material and hands it to me.

I nod,

"Yeah, wolfsbane. I've heard of it." An image of Evan assaults my mind. He trusted me, they both did. I look up and for a moment I swear I see Evan standing only a few feet away. His dark, almost black, eyes burning into me like two hot coals. I close my eyes for a moment and when I open them, he's gone.

I hope to hell that he stays gone. Both him and Ariel.

Jeremy's eyes widen slightly in surprise, but he continues,

"Legend says that it's toxic"

I nod again as I study the plant,

"Yeah, it's definitely toxic"

Without another glance at Jeremy I take the wolfsbane over to fluffy. When I'm standing right in front of him, he looks up at me and I ask,

"Why is Katerina in Mystic Falls?"

Mason just stares up at me. Right, loyalty, I can respect. But just plain idiocy, now that pisses me off. I sigh in impatience and I trail the wolfsbane over his cheek. Just like vervain does to vampires, it burns his skin and makes a hissing sound. Fluffy kicks up a fuss and makes a lot of strained pain filled noises. It's actually really annoying.

I take the wolfsbane away and try asking again,

"Why is that bitch here?"

Out of frustration more than anything else most likely, Mason answers,

"She's here with me. Why'd you ask, you jealous?"

I can't help but laugh at that one. I've always been a possessive man of what I consider mine, people included. Once upon a time Katerina was one of those people, in fact back then she was the person.

When I realised who she really was…..when I saw her kiss Stefan….I'd never been more angry and hurt in all my life. Part of me wanted to rip my brother apart, if he'd been anyone else, if he hadn't been my brother, I probably would have.

But he is my brother. And Stefan was just a kid. I was just a kid. We didn't know fuck all about the real world, not really. If we had, we might not have been so taken by her. Damon was different, he was older, but he….Damon wanted to be loved. I see that now, when I watch Damon and Ever together, I realise how much he just wanted someone to truly love him. Katerina just happened to be there saying all the right things. It was never really about her for Damon.

For a long time I had to force myself to think of her as Katherine instead of Katerina. It was easier to pretend I hated her if I thought of her as two different people. My brothers fell in love with Katherine. I fell in love with Katerina. Two completely different women inside the same person.

I've managed for a long time to think of her as Katherine, the bitch who ruined my brother's lives. But upon seeing her again after all this time, I can't help but think of her as Katerina, my Kat, the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my existence with. The two conflicting feelings tear me up inside and it's almost impossible for me to keep them in check. But have to, because no one can know the truth, especially my brothers.

If I'm being honest, that's what I'm most afraid of about her being back. I'm afraid she'll tell them just to spite me. For whatever reason Katerina never revealed to my brothers mine and hers previous relationship, but there's nothing stopping her from doing it now.

Despite all of that, the anger and possessive nature inside of me flares white hot. I use the dagger to cut open a decent sized hole in Mason's chest, near his throat and whilst the wound is gaping open I push the wolfsbane into it, deep enough that when the wound closes, it ceils the wolfbane inside his body.

Mason practically screams out in pain and he thrashes around, blood coming out of his mouth where the wolfsbane has reached his throat. I imagine it feels like his whole body is on fire. Or at least that's what it felt like when the witches did this exact same thing to me all those years ago.

I catch sight of Jeremy averting his eyes, and I can feel that he's not liking what I'm doing. That's why I don't want him here. He's a Gilbert after all.

Ever's P.O.V

The chain is around my waist and Bonnie helps me lift myself over the edge of the well so that Caroline can lower me down into it. My heart is thudding a mile a minute with fear for Damon, I hate the thought of him being hurt.

Caroline lowers me slowly down into the well and I hold the chain so hard that my knuckles turn white. This is not turning out to be a good day.

Eventually I reach the water and instantly I reach out to Damon. When I look at his face I gasp, he's burnt all over, his eyes are closed and for a horrible moment I think he's dead. I shake my head to rid myself of that awful thought and I attach Damon to the chain.

Caroline calls down,

"What's doing on Ever?"

Once I'm sure the chain is securely around Damon I shout,

"Pull him up!"

Instantly Damon is being pulled out of the well and I feel immensely relieved. But only for a moment as I remember why he was down here in the first place.

I start looking for the bloody moonstone, which had better be worth it after all this shit. I have no idea where to look, so I grab the torch and I start randomly feeling around the well for where Mason might have stowed it.

I am going to kick Mason's ass for this. Fluffy is going down. I hope Sin is ripping him apart.

"We're ready for you" Caroline shouts down to me.

"Wait a second, I need to find the fucking stone thingy" I shout back.

I keep looking and after a while I hear a strained,

"Hurry!" from Caroline.

I huff in annoyance,

"DON'T RUSH ME WOMAN! I'M TRYING TO DO SHIT RIGHT NOW, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Eventually I find a box attached to a string, hopefully the moonstone is inside the-HOLY FUCKING SHIT BISCUITS!

A fucking snake tried to eat me!

Bad snakey! Be gone!

I scream loudly and I scramble away from the snakes.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE SNAKEYS. I'M NOT IN GRYFFINDOR! I'M VERY MUCH A SLYTHERIN SUPPORTER! DOWN WITH THE MUDBLOODS AND ALL THAT JAZZ." Wow, I have never wanted to be Harry Potter more than I do right now. I need that parseltongue shit for this.

I grab hold of the box and then I make quck work of wrapping the chain around me. Caroline shouts down sounding frantic,

"Ever, what's going on?!"

"Pull me up God damnit, fucking snakes think I'm in Gryffindor!" I call up to her.

Caroline immediately starts to pull me out of the well. Once I reach the top both Caroline and Bonnie are there to help me. But all I can think about is Damon. I thrust the box at Caroline and then I quickly undo the chain from around my waist. I literally throw myself down next to Damon on the ground.

I lift his head with one arm,

"Damon, oh fuck, Day…." He's weak and I know what he needs.

I see a sharp rock and I use it to cut my hand, which I then press against Damon's mouth. I can feel Damon drinking from me and my whole body sags in relief, the pain doesn't even register because I'm so glad that he's not dead….or at least not more dead than he already is…oh, you know what I mean.

"I got the stupid stone Day. Some snakey things tried to claim it, but I battled rather bravely. Dumbledore would have been proud." I say as Damon continues to feed from me.

Damon starts to heal and I feel even more relieved. I brush some of his dark hair away from his forehead,

"Don't worry Day, everything's cool. I'm ok, you're ok, everybody's…..ok. Except for the snakeys, I kicked their snakey little non-existent asses"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"What do you want with the moonstone fluffy?" I ask for what feels like the hundredth time.

Mason shakes his head, still spitting out blood,

"Screw you"

"Ehhhhh, wrong answer fluffy" I move towards him with the dagger again. But before I can touch him, Jeremy stops me. He places his hand on my arm as he says,

"If he was going to say anything then he'd of said it already Sin"

Jeremy looks upset and distressed. I shrug him off, this is not time for weakness, for sentimentality. I hold up the wolfsbane to Mason's eye and I snap,

"Want to feel your eyes being burnt out of your head? Trust me, it hurts like a son of a bitch"

"THE WELL!" Mason shouts, "You can find it there"

I roll my eyes and sigh heavily,

"I know where it is fluffy, I want to know what it does and why you want it"

Mason is breathing hard, he meets my gaze as he says,

"I'm getting for Katherine"

"Yes, we've also established that. But, why?" I ask, my patience running really thin.

"She's gonna use it to lift the curse" Mason answers.

I frown,

"Of the moon? Why would a vampire help a werewolf break a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want?"

I move away from Mason slightly and he says,

"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore"

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything? Why does Kitty Kat give a shit about that?"

"Because she loves me!" Mason exclaims with such self-assurance that a big wave of pity for the wolf slams into me.

Poor fucker. Poor stupid fluffy.

I let out another low laugh as I say,

"Oh, now I get it. You're just another moron who fell for her bullshit. She doesn't love you, she's using you, get with the fucking program fluffy. That's her thing"

Mason's jaw clenches and he shakes his head again,

"I'm done talking" he says.

I simply nod,

"Yes, you really are"

I look up at Jeremy and I drop the dagger and the wolfsbane. I fix Jeremy with a hard look,

"It's time for you to leave Jer"

Jeremy meets my gaze head on as he says,

"I'm staying"

"No, Jer" I say more forcefully, "You need to go. Now"

Jeremy shakes his head,

"I'm staying Sinbad" he gestures at Mason, "he's had enough"

Mason looks round at Jeremy and says,

"Just help Tyler, don't let this happen to him"

"Don't worry, we'll help fluffy junior, I promise" I say, and I mean it. Tyler may be an ass, but he doesn't deserve to be cursed.

Jeremy bites his lip and looks back over at me uncertainly,

"Sin-"

That's it, I snap. My emotions are on edge right now and I just….snap. And that's why I now have Jeremy pinned up against the wall, our faces close as I say,

"You want to be part of all this Jer, well, here it is. If you don't like it, then fuck off back to your ordinary little life, it's your choice"

Jeremy gasps, his brown eyes searching mine for a long moment before he practically whispers,

"Do you mean this is what the supernatural world is like, or what you are like? Are you asking me to choose between this life and a normal one, or a normal relationship with a human and a relationship you?"

My jaw tightens and I press my forehead against Jeremy's. He's clever, but I always knew that. So beautiful and smart and perfect and mine. I want him to be mine. But not if he can't handle who I really am, because then it won't be real. I want it to be real. My relationship with Katerina, the first person I ever fell in love with, was so full of lies and pretending. I want what me and Jeremy have to be the opposite of all that.

I let out a harsh breath,

"Either way, you gotta decide Jer"

I kiss Jeremy hard on the mouth and instantly Jeremy submits to me. I love it when he does that. When I pull away Jeremy is gasping for breath and I nip at his bottom lip once before pulling away completely and letting go of Jeremy.

"Now, leave Jer. Leave now. I'm not asking, you leave or I make you" I say, my voice coming out gritty with suppressed emotion that I can't yet express.

Jeremy touches the tips of his fingers to his lips, his brown eyes more conflicted than I've ever seen them. But he just nods once before doing as I said, leaving me alone with fluffy senior.

After a few moments of collecting myself later I go back over to Mason and I stand directly in front of him. Our eyes connect once more as I say,

"You remind me a bit of myself. And my brothers. We all fucked up, in different ways, but it was because of her. She's not worth it"

"But I love her" Mason chokes out.

"Oh, I know. I loved her, I truly did. It was a mistake I will never make again. I wish I could just let you go, but, this isn't about her. Katherine does not deserve to have me kill you because of her. But you do have to die. Because you threatened my family. They mean everything to me, even though sometimes I want to kill them. It's this damn loyalty that stops me, I've always felt it, being a vampire makes it ten times worse. So…..don't take this too personally, alright" I lean in close to Mason and I thrust my hand into his chest, grasping his heart in my hand.

"I'm truly sorry you got pulled into all this" I say, genuinely meaning it, "But….everybody dies, today is just your day"

I yank Mason's heart out of his chest without a second's hesitation.

No apologies, No excuses, No regrets. There's a reason I have those words tattooed on my body. One on each arm and the other across my chest near the base of my throat. Jeremy asked me why I chose those words once, and I told him the truth. Those words are what I live by, and I have them tattooed on my body so I never forget who I really am.

A vampire.

A Salvatore.

A brother.

A monster.

A predator.

Strong.

Brave.

Harsh.

Deadly.

Dangerous.

And Free.

Ever's P.O.V

"Aw, come on. I'll start making out with Damon if you two don't stop" I mock whinge at Jenna and Alaric as they kiss all lovey dovey style in our kitchen.

I look over at Elena and Stefan who are setting the table for dinner and I say,

"Come on you guys, help me out here, these two are your competition for the most Disneyish couple in Mystic Falls"

Elena rolls her eyes and Jeremy laughs.

"Then what are we?" Damon asks as he slides his arms around my waist and pulls me back against him.

I lock our fingers together and I scoff,

"Uh, we're so totally Dreamworks mixed with the Die Hard movies"

"Of course" Damon says and he laughs against my hair. I can feel his smirk and it makes me smile too.

"You're mental" Jenna says, shaking her head and smiling in amusement.

"My girlfriend is not mental" Damon says, "She's sanity challenged"

They all laugh at that and I try to struggle out of Damon's arms half heartedly. Damon just holds onto me tighter and kisses the tops of my head.

"You're so annoying Day"

"Deal with it Ev's, you know you love me" Damon replies smugly.

I allow myself to relax in his strong embrace. Being in Damon's arms is my favourite place to be.

"Yeah, I love you. You're just lucky I find your snarkiness charming"

Alaric just laughs under his breath at us and moves away to put some bread on the table. I look over Jeremy, he's been a little lost in his own thoughts since I last saw him. I talked to Sin about it when me and Stefan took Damon back to the boarding house. He said they just have some stuff to work out. I hope it's nothing too serious, I can tell how much they care about each other.

Whilst I was there Mason got a call from bitchzilla on his phone. Sinbad answered it and informed her of the status of her wolf. Dead. Very, very dead.

Now he's the only one not here, and Jeremy looks to be in deep thought. I'll have to force myself not to pry. I asked Damon about it and he said to just leave them be. But damn it, I want to meddle. Maybe I can recruit my evil twin to help me, she likes all that sort of stuff. Although it's usually her meddling in my relationships. At least now I can put her evil powers to good use.

Jenna answers the phone and I frown at her, wondering who that could possibly be at this time of night. A few moments later Jenna goes over to Jeremy and gives him the phone,

"It's for you" she says.

Jeremy looks confused,

"Who is it?" he asks.

Jenna shrugs and moves back into kitchen behind me and Damon to cut some vegetables. I watch Jeremy as he says into the phone

"Hello?"

Whoever it is answers because Jeremy eyes widen and he looks over at me. My whole body immediately goes on alert. Damon stiffens behind me. Elena, Stefan and Alaric stop too, sensing the change in mood. We're all looking at Jeremy and I mouth at him 'who is it?'.

"Katherine" Damon breathes.

What the fuck? Why is bitchzilla on the phone to Jeremy?

Damon must be listening in on the conversation using his vamp hearing. Moments later Jeremy springs out of his seat, his eyes darting to Jenna as he shouts,

"Jenna, no!"

Damon's arms are gone from around me, he vamp speeds to Jenna, as does Stefan. I turn around to see Damon holding Jenna against him and his hand around her wrist, stopping her from bring the knife any closer to her stomach.

Elena and I gasp loudly at the sight. Then me, my siblings and Alaric rush forward as Stefan removes the knife from Jenna's hands, placing it back on the counter. We're all gathered around Jenna as she blinks rapidly, that glazed compelled look leaving her eyes.

Damon lets go of her slowly and Jenna looks around at us in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asks us.

We all exchange glances, unsure of how to answer. Until Damon says,

"You slipped. I caught you. And everyone overreacted" the lie slips easily out of his mouth, and for once I'm really glad that my boyfriend is an experienced liar.

Jenna shakes her head and laugh lightly,

"Oh, right, clumsy Jenna strikes again. Thank you Damon" she says, turning a grateful smile on him.

Damon smiles back and nods,

"You're welcome Jenna. Although it's a miracle we didn't get bulldozed by this lot" he gestures at us, "We could have both gone down"

Jenna laughs again and Damon gives all of us a pointed look, so we all laugh too, even if it does come out a little forced. Jenna doesn't seem to notice though. We back off a bit from Jenna, except for Alaric who takes her hand and asks if she's alright. Jenna nods and waves him off in response, saying something else about her being a hopeless klutz.

Woah, that was lucky. I look over at where Jeremy dropped the phone, but I make no move to pick it up. Damon does though and I wait, he shakes his head at us though, signalling that she's no longer there.

Good. That bitch. I don't know how, but what just almost happened was her fault.

Elena, Stefan, Damon, Jeremy and me move away from Jenna and we speak in hushed tones about what just happened. Jeremy explains to me and Elena what bitchzilla said to him on the phone. She compelled Jenna by pretending to be me again. Damn it.

"Why did she want to talk to you?" Elena asks Jeremy in confusion.

I see Jeremy panic internally, he doesn't know how to answer. He's keeping secrets, both him and Sin are, from all of us. But right now that doesn't matter.

"Who cares why, she's an evil bitch. I want her gone" I say with finality. I look over at Damon and he nods,

"Katherine has to die"

Sinbad's P.O.V

(Song for this scene- Dare you to move by Switchfoot)

I'm sitting in the living room with a drink of whiskey when hear Jeremy come in through the front door. I immediately stand up and put my glass down onto the table as I wait for Jeremy. When he walks into the room my heart clenches tight inside my chest.

Him being here must mean he wants to talk. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing I have absolutely not idea.

Jeremy doesn't look conflicted anymore, but I still don't know if that's good or bad. His brown eyes seem determined though. He walks towards me slowly and I ask him,

"What's going on Jer?"

"Katherine compelled Jenna to stab herself" Jeremy says.

My eyes widen and I step forward, eliminating the space between us completely. I wrap my arms around Jeremy and he lets me pull him close,

"Is she alright Jer?" I ask worriedly.

A wave of anger crashes through me, I like Jenna and it pisses me off more than I can ever express that Katerina would use her against us like that. I fucking hate her for it.

Jeremy nods against my shoulder and pulls back slightly,

"Yes, she's alright. Damon and Stefan stopped her before she could actually do it"

I sag in relief,

"Thank fuck for that"

Jeremy bites his lip and I can tell there's obviously more he wants to say, but as usual he's putting off having to actually say it. I cup Jeremy's face in my hands and I make him meet my eyes,

"Talk to me baby"

Jeremy takes in a deep breath and then lets it go before saying,

"She did it because of us Sin….because she told us to stay away from each other and we didn't"

I think I can see where this is going and it fucking breaks my heart. I can feel all the good things inside of me melting away. Jeremy's gonna break up with me, he's going to say we can't see each other any more. It hurts so fucking bad that I can barely breathe.

"I understand Jer" I just about manage to force out of my mouth. I hate it, but I do understand it. He needs to protect his family just like I'd protect mine. But I still hate it with everything in me.

Jeremy clears his throat and says, emotion strong and painfully intense in his voice,

"Seeing you today. The vampire side of you, the killer. The murderer. The….monster that I know you can be. Or could be, if you wanted. It…..confirmed something for me…."

My fucking heart breaks all over again. If Jeremy is about to tell me that even if Katerina weren't around he still wouldn't be with me because of what I am, I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I'll actually fucking lose it.

Jeremy meets my eyes, his own brown eyes, the eyes that I love, are filling with tears that I don't understand. He takes another deep breath before whispering,

"It confirmed for me that…I'm in love with you"

My eyes widen in shock, out of all the things I expected him to say, that was definitely not one of them.

"What?" I ask helplessly, "How could you-"

"It doesn't matter to me. That bad side of you, the side that I'm meant to hate…I don't care. I'm so in love with you Sin, nothing else matters" Jeremy cuts in, the tears now spilling down over his cheeks.

Jeremy searches my eyes,

"I know that you aren't quite there yet, but I just wanted you to know that I-"

My lips come crashing down over Jeremy's before he can say another word. I kiss him hard, my tongue claiming his mouth completely. I yank Jeremy closer so that our bodies are pressed together. Jeremy kisses me back passionately and less than a few minutes later we've pretty much torn each others clothes off.

I'm sitting on the sofa and Jeremy is straddling me. It's lucky I carry some lube in my jeans otherwise I might have ended up injuring Jeremy. I get him and me ready quickly before impaling Jeremy on my massively erect cock. Jeremy's tight heat makes me groan loudly and Jeremy moans as I thrust up into him, brushing his prostate hard.

I yank on Jeremy's hair so that our lips are fused together again as I move inside of him. We're both breathing hard and sweating when I pull back slightly.

"What about Katerina Jer, she's a threat to your family as long we're together"

Jeremy shakes his head, anger sparking his eyes,

"Fuck that, Katherine is a threat to my family whilst she's alive and in this town, whether I'm with you or not. I won't let her take you from me Sin. She can't have you. Besides, I'm yours remember"

I laugh darkly and I kiss Jeremy again. I thrust up into Jeremy roughly and he shouts in pleasure. I let my forehead press against his as I say,

"You are mine Jer. I will not allow her to ruin this. Mine, completely mine. You belong to me, and I love you Jeremy. So fucking much that it hurts."

Jeremy whimpers against my lips and he whispers,

"I'm yours, and I love you Sin. More than anything else in this world"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed quite a few things in this chapter, but I hope you all liked it, let me know xxx
> 
> Feel free to ask me any questions about this chapter or the story in general. Or anything at all really, and I'll do my best to answer ;) xxx
> 
> Thank you for reading my peoples and please review! xxx


	44. Masquerade-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kabad scene x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-fourth chapter. I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would be smashing up that bridge and rebuilding it using iron xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Masquerade-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

I cut into my palm once again, it stings for about ten seconds, but then it's not so bad. Since meeting the Salvatore's my threshold for pain has sky rocketed. I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing, I really need to stop almost dying and getting batted around by vampy people. It's a genuine issue folks.

That being said, I actually haven't been grabbed in quite a while by a vampire. Mason Mc fluffy pants was a bit handsy, but he's a werewolf so it doesn't count. He was a werewolf. I feel bad about fluffy being dead, but only because I know Tyler misses him, even though he'd most likely never admit that to anyone.

Stefan takes hold of my wrist and gently lifts my cut hand to his mouth. Stefan's face changes and his eyes meet mine as he sucks blood from my body. It's starting to feel pretty normal now, letting Stefan feed on me I mean. At first I think we both found it weird, not because it felt wrong but because it actually….didn't feel wrong, which was more disturbing somehow.

But it's become part of our daily routine. Like brushing your teeth. I know Elena and Damon wouldn't see it that way, but like I said to Stefan when we first started doing this, it isn't about them. This is between me and Stefan, we're best friends and that's the end of it.

Don't give me that look. It really doesn't mean anything.

I use my other hand to cup Stefan's face, using our bond to calm him, keep him sane. Or at least non-ripperish. I honestly cannot imagine Stefan being a cold blooded killer, even though he's told me plenty of stories about his time as a crazy vampy man. Although, maybe the truth is that I can imagine Stefan as a badass vampire, I've seen his temper snap, and when Stefan snaps he really and truly snaps.

But just like when I've seen Damon and Sin reveal their predator side, I think it's hot. There are so many things wrong with me that it's unreal. I should just go live in a box with no human contact. Or any contact of any kind for the rest of my life. The world will be safer that way.

Stefan leans into my touch and a few moments later he stops, pulling away from my blood, signalling for me to move my hand. I lower it to my side, but I keep my other hand on Stefan's face until it returns to normal. Our bond sparks and swirls with emotion, it's becoming stronger every day, and to be honest it was pretty damn strong to begin with.

One of these days we'll have to talk about it. But Stefan seems just as reluctant as I am to bring it up. I understand why though, once we acknowledge that it does in fact exist, we can never unacknowledge it. Why couldn't things just be simple? Oh yeah, because they're the Salvatore's, they don't do simple.

Stefan silently picks up the blade I used to cut my palm and he uses it to slice open his wrist. He holds out his wrist to me. Without hesitation I lower my mouth to his wrist before the cut can heal and I begin taking blood from him the same way he did me. Blood is actually starting to taste alright, which is another sign that I am going insane. I have been around vampires too fucking long.

When I've drunk enough of Stefan's blood to heal myself, I pull back and once again my eyes connect with Stefan's. There's a warmth between us now unlike anything I've ever felt in my entire life. It's so fucked up, but there's nothing I can do about it either.

I'm love with Damon, and Stefan is in love with Elena, so all these….feelings we have, our bond, it means nothing. It can never mean anything, which is a relief really. I don't think I'd be able to handle it otherwise.

I take Stefan's hand and he intertwines our fingers. Our bond buzzes happily, as if congratulating us. It's fucking weird, I really do understand that, don't be thinking I don't know how strange it is. But then again, everything that's happened since I met the Salvatore's has been fucking insane anyway, what's one more weird thing added to the list.

"Did I take too much?" Stefan asks me suddenly. He always asks me that. I smile and laugh under my breath.

"Yes Stefan, you monster, I'm dying right now. On the inside" I say jokingly.

Stefan rolls those honest green eyes of his and replies,

"Ha, ha, you're hilarious Ev's, I can barely stand it"

"You don't seem to find it very funny." I arch an eyebrow with a smirk playing about my lips.

"But I really, really do"

"You're not even laughing"

Stefan arches one of his eyebrows right back at me,

"Oh, I'm laughing, you hilarious person. On the inside"

"Dr. Steffy-"

"Everlyna"

I narrow my eyes at him,

"I don't think I like your tone"

Stefan shrugs,

"I don't think I like your face"

I mock gasp dramatically,

"Oh, you swine. How dare you question my beauty. I'll have you know many an eye has been drawn to this face. You included Sir. Does the name Elena ring any bells?

Stefan laughs, and it's another one of those carefree laughs that are far too rare with Stefan. I remember all those months ago when Lexi told me that Stefan doesn't open up easily, she wasn't wrong. She also said time was the key, she was right about that too. The more time I spend with Stefan, the more relaxed he becomes in my presence. It's like watching a flower bloom slowly. In winter.

….

Damon hands Caroline a drink and she takes it gratefully,

"I'm still shaking" she says.

"What's happened?" Stefan asks.

Sinbad looks at Caroline and gives her an encouraging smile,

"Go on, tell them"

Elena and I are on the sofa with Jeremy, waiting curiously to hear what all the apparent fuss is about.

"I saw Katherine today" Caroline says finally.

"Bitchzilla" Jeremy and I correct at the same time.

Damon rolls his eyes,

"Hardly the time people"

I make a face at him,

"Well bitchzilla is her name. Excuse us for trying to get things right"

Jeremy chuckles under his breath and exchanges an amused glance with Sin. The two of them seem to become closer every day. I see the way they look at each other and it gives me goose bumps. It's similar to Elena and Stefan's 'look', but probably less pure and more dirty, it is Sinbad after all.

"Where did you see her?" Stefan asks Caroline.

Caroline bits her lip before answering,

"At the Grill. I just stopped by to gawk and semi-stalk Matt. He asked if I needed a table and I said no, that I wasn't staying, which made me look like a freaky stalker-"

"You are a freaky stalker. A creepy vampire freaky stalker actually" I say, which earns me a glare from both Elena and Caroline.

"Anyway" Caroline says pointedly, "He just kept staring at me with his perfect blue eyes and I didn't know what to do. So I lied and told him I needed the little girls room"

"Can we skip teen drama and get to it" Damon says.

Caroline huffs at him before continuing,

"I had to pretend to use the bathroom even though I didn't have to go, because I'm doofus-"

"A very beautiful doofus" Sinbad says with a wink at Caroline, which actually gets a grin out of her. They've become fast friends those two, which I definitely understand. Sin is the type of person everybody wants to be around, he practically oozes charm.

Damon makes an irritated sound,

"Stop flirting with everyone Sin, you'll upset your boyfriend"

I look over at Jeremy. He does seem a bit annoyed actually. Aw, Jeremy us jealous, that's so cute. In fact it's like the cutest thing ever.

Sinbad smirks at Damon and then Jeremy. In fact he gives Jeremy his classic 'I want to fuck you so bad right now' look. I remember it from when we were together. It's really sexy. Jeremy must think so too because he blushes up a storm. I have to contain a chuckle.

Caroline clears her throat to get our attention and says,

"That's when she came in, pretending to be Ever again-"

"Bitch, just wait till me and Kevin get her alone"

"Ev-er" Caroline whines in annoyance.

I hold my hands up,

"Sorry, sorry, please continue your toilet story"

"She told me to deliver a message to the Salvatore's" Caroline says.

"What's the message?" Elena asks, leaning forward in her seat.

"She said to say that she wants the moonstone, and if we don't give it to her then she will rip this town apart until it rains blood"

"Dramatic, nice" Sinbad says with a nod of approval.

"Tell them the rest" Damon says, looking faintly amused, although that is pretty much my boyfriend's default facial expression.

"She said she wants it tonight. At the masquerade ball" Caroline bites her lip again and looks round at all of us.

Holy duck in the sky!

"She wants to do it publicly. Killing Mason threw her off guard" Stefan says, and then he goes on to pace. Stefan really does like to pace, I think it ties in with his inability to sit still. Like a junkie thing, he's always moving, twitching, although not in a smack head sort of way. More like he's constantly waiting to go in for a dentist's appointment.

Damon crosses his arms and looks over at me as he says,

"She's running scared. What she did to Jenna was desperate, she's out of tricks"

"We can't underestimate her" Sinbad argues, "We have to play this smarter than her or we're fucked"

"Can't we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave" Caroline says hopefully.

"No" Damon, Jeremy, Sinbad and me say at the same time.

"That bitch isn't getting fuck all" Damon says, "I've had it with her bullshit"

He moves round to sit next to me, pulling me close and holding on tight. He kisses the top of my head and adds,

"I'm gonna go to the masquerade ball, and I'm gonna kill her"

"No. You're not going to kill her" Sinbad says.

Damon groans,

"Oh for fuck sake, I expect this goodie goodie crap from Stefan, but not you Sin"

Sinbad smiles dangerously at his brother and says,

"You're not going to kill her. Because I am"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I open the door for Bonnie and she comes striding in holding the grimoire. She looks up at me and I say,

"Thank you for coming Bon"

Bonnie nods,

"I got your message, what's going on?" she catches sight of all the weapons Alaric has brought over on the table in the living room.

"We're gonna kill bitchzilla" Jeremy says as he walks past Bonnie.

Bonnie's eyes widen as she turns back to me. Most likely for confirmation. I give it to her.

"We're going to kill Katerina"

I walk back over to the weapon filled table and Bonnie follows after me. Alaric is showing Damon, Stefan and me how to kill a vampire Van Helsing style. If this situation weren't so fucking serious, I would find that notion endlessly amusing.

Alaric picks up a stake gun and shows us how to work it. He offers it to me and I take it. I feel wrong holding the damn thing. It's a gun for killing vampires. I happen to be a vampire. A very snazzy one if I do say so myself.

Plus...it's a STAKE GUN! I think I have made my position on them very clear. I hate them. Stakes, fine. Guns, fine. But don't be putting shit like that together. Its like putting ice cream on pizza, it's just not done.

"Why are you mumbling about Ice cream and pizza? Is there any near by that I should be aware of?" Ever says next to me.

I turn to her and hold out the stake gun as if that answers both questions. Ever nods in understanding. To be fair I went on quite a few heated rants about stake guns when we were together.

It's so strange to think that this all started with Ever and me. I refuse to believe this story is about Stefan and Elena. I love 'em, but they're far too boring to be the main characters of any story.

"How are things with you and Jer?" Ever whispers as she nudges my side.

I can't help the stupid smile that spreads over my face as I reply,

"We're good. I…..love him Ever, I really fucking do, like, in a way I never thought I would love anyone since I became a vampire"

Ever smiles back at me,

"I don't have to do the whole protective big sister bit do I?" she asks.

I chuckle under my breath,

"Would it involve Kevin threats?"

Ever smirks,

"It most certainly would. I'm not even gonna mention my metaphorical golf club collection"

"Oh fuck, please don't"

"Wimp"

I make a tutting sound,

"You love Damon"

"Is that meant to be an insult?"

"I don't know, is it?"

"Shut up Captain rent boy"

I pull a fake shocked expression,

"Oh My God. You're so mean"

"I hate you and all the stupid stuff you stand for"

"What do I stand for?"

"Stupid stuff"

"Ooooh, that one got me"

"Thought so. Knobhead"

"Have you been watching English TV shows again?"

"Bus stop wanker!"

"You are the most ridiculous person I have ever met"

"Yeah well….you have…..a face"

There's a long a pause until finally I say,

"Ok, you win"

"Booya!" Ever says and she starts dancing on the spot like an insane person. Well, actually, it is Ever so, insane-er person.

Suddenly Damon looks over at us with a perplexed expression on his face.

"Why is my girlfriend dancing like a tortoise that has fallen over and hit its head?"

Ever glares at him but does not stop dancing,

"Hey, I'm celebrating a win here, don't be bringing me down with all your negative vibes and such"

"Negative vibes" I repeat incredulously.

Ever arches an eyebrow at me,

"Yes, negative vibes man"

I shake my head in disgust,

"You…..you….-"

"Yes?"

"You….hippy enthusiast!"

…

"Alright, if anybody wants to back out, we'll understand" Stefan says to all of us. We're gathered in the living room. It's show time.

"Yeah, cold feets speak now because I don't want this going wrong when someone chickens out" Damon says a little less 'understandingly' than Stefan.

"Well put Day, you really boost moral….in fact…I think you should write your own inspirational speech" Ever says with an amused look at Damon. In response Damon grabs hold of Ever and pulls her in front of him, holding her around the waist and covering her mouth with his hand.

"Caroline" Damon says looking over at the blond vampire.

"I won't" Caroline says, "Look, she killed me, fairs fair. As long as there are no werewolves running around"

"Yeah, I took care of fluffy" I say with a smirk.

"And as long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone he won't turn" Jeremy says. I look over at him and he catches my eye. I wink at him and he blushes. I love it when he blushes, it's so sexy. I've never been into the whole innocence thing before, but with Jeremy it turns me on more than anything else.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; life is fucking weird sometimes.

I meet Bonnie's eyes, she was reluctant to help us at first, but me and Stefan managed to convince her eventually.

"Are you with us?" I ask her.

Bonnie looks around at everyone and then nods,

"But no one gets hurt"

"Except Katherine. Tonight, Katherine gets a stake through her heart"

Ever's P.O.V

Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy and me make our way up the stairs to the room where Bonnie will magic ju ju trap bitchzilla. Once we're inside of the room Bonnie gets out her grimoire and Elena helps her set up the stuff she needs for the spell. I go about hiding some weapons around the room just in case our Salvatore's in suits need them.

Damon looks so sexy in a suit, I cannot wait to rip that thing off his body and…ok, train of thought has to stop so I can concentrate.

"Is that the spell book I read about in my family's journals?" Jeremy asks Bonnie.

Bonnie nods,

"It's my ancestor Emily's"

"Yeah, she's a real charmer that one" I say.

"Can you do all the stuff that's in there?" ask Jeremy curiously.

"It takes some practice, I've worked on some small spells. Spells that only do good" Bonnie answers.

"Yeah, because she's trying to get into Hogwarts, and they are a lot more strict these days about who they let in after the whole Tom Riddle incident" I say.

Jeremy laughs and shakes his head at me. Bonnie raises an eyebrow at Jeremy, as if contemplating something.

"I don't want to know too much. I don't enjoy any of this" Bonnie says.

Elena frowns at our best friend,

"None of us enjoy any of this Bonnie. It's not like Ever and me chose to have Katherine as a doppelganger"

I look at Jeremy,

"Who is this 'Katherine' she speaks of?"

Jeremy shrugs,

"I think she means bitchzilla"

Elena rolls her eyes,

"Could you two be serious just for five minutes, please. This isn't a game"

I resist the urge to strangle my evil twin. She's so annoying sometimes. I just want to flick her in the nose.

"Are you really with Sin?" Bonnie asks Jeremy suddenly.

Jeremy's eyes widen in surprise at the question, but he doesn't stumble over his words or deny it.

"Yes, I am. And I know that's kinda weird, but I love him. Like really properly, I love him more than anything. I'm in love with the crazy, sexy, snarky…..vampire, Sinbad Salvatore"

"You what?" Elena says in a shocked tone of voice.

I, on the other hand, run over to Jer and throw myself at him. He hugs me back and laughs, even Bonnie laughs as we almost fall over onto our asses from the impact of my embrace.

"That's so amazing Jer, I'm really happy for you and Sin, you know that right"

Jeremy nods against my shoulder,

"Yeah, I know that, you insane woman. Now get off me"

He disentangles himself from our hug.

Elena still looks like she might fall over at any moment. Her eyes are wide, like bambi. She looks like freakin' bambi. Or maybe bambi's wife.

"I didn't know things were so serious between you and Sin" she says.

Jeremy looks down at his hands for a few moments before raising his eyes to meet Elena's,

"Yeah, I know, it's still kinda complicated. But I do love him"

"Does he love you?" Elena asks a little tactlessly.

Jeremy looks a little thrown off, but he answers,

"He says he does"

"But does he really?"

"Elena" I snap, giving her a hard look, which is strange as hell for me because it's usually her giving me the disapproving looks when I say shit.

Elena makes an indignant face at me,

"I'm just making sure he's thought this through. We all know what Sin is like, he flirts with everyone, it's the way he is. Stefan's told me about his past, all the things he used to get up to, and that's just the stuff Stefan knows about. Sinbad's dangerous and unpredictable and secretive. I don't want Jeremy getting hurt"

"Elena, fuck off. There's nothing wrong with Sin, stop being a bitch just because you don't like Sinbad" I say angrily. She's really pissing me off right now.

My twin gasps and shakes her head,

"When have I ever said I don't like Sinbad?"

I scoff loudly,

"You don't have to say it Elena, it's written all over your face. You don't like Damon either, I can tell by the way you look at him. I accepted Stefan, even when we found out he was a vampire, even when he was being all shady, I never said anything bad about him. Me and Jer deserve the same respect from you"

"She's right Elena" Jeremy says firmly, "Be glad for me, ok. I'm happy, really fucking amazingly out of this world happy actually. Sinbad has made me feel more alive than I've ever felt. He kept me sane and it's because of him that I don't feel like shit anymore about mom and dad. Isn't that enough?"

There's a really long pause then. I won't lie, I'm clapping inside my head. Go Jer!

Elena crosses her arms and eventually she sighs before saying,

"Fine, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be a…a…bitch"

Jeremy and I gasp dramatically, I slap my hands over my mouth. We exchange shocked glances and I take my hands away from my mouth to say,

"Holy. Fucking. Vampire. Babies. Everywhere! You swore" I start dancing on the spot and I say in a sing song voice, "Elena swore, Elena swore, Elena swore, Elena swore!"

Jeremy shakes his head and makes a mock serious face at our sister,

"Oh my God, we made Elena swear. This is the best thing that has ever happened at a town party. I can officially die happy now"

Bonnie starts laughing and Elena rolls her eyes, she looks between me and Jeremy as we crack up.

"You're both idiots"

I can't stop laughing, and every time I think that I can I look at Jeremy or Bonnie and their expressions make me start laughing all over again.

I take out my phone and I call Damon, he answers on the first ring,

"What's wrong Ev's?" he asks in concern.

I'm still laughing when I reply,

"Elena swore, Elena swore, Elena swore"

Elena throws her hands up in the air in frustration,

"Ever, who are you even talking to-"

"Well fuck me, the apocalypse is nigh" Damon says, sounding thoroughly amused.

"I know, right, it was amazing"

"Sorry I missed it, I knew I should have been part of the Gilbert gang instead of team Salvatore"

"Yeah, it was really one of those, 'I wish I had my camera' type moments. And of course you should have been in the Gilbert gang, we rock. Team Salvatore sucks"

"Literally"

"Oh, you punmaster you"

Suddenly my phone is being snatched off me by an irritating person who looks like me. No, not that one, the other one. Elena says,

"We're busy Damon" and she ends the call.

I smack her upside the head and snatch my phone back,

"You blaggard! Away with you! First swearing and now stealing. You're becoming a downright vandal Elena"

Elena glares at me. Bonnie and Jeremy are still laughing together on the floor.

My phone starts to buzz and I see that it's Stefan. Jeremy's phone buzzes too, he smiles dopely when he looks at the name on the screen, so I'm assuming it's Sinbad.

I answer the phone and the first thing Stefan says is,

"Damon told me to call you because you have very damaging information about Elena? Are you alright? Is Elena ok, what's going on?"

I have to hand the phone over to Elena because I'm laughing so hard. I fall down next to Jeremy as he talks to Sin. Jeremy hands the phone to me and I manage to say,

"Hey guttersnipe, what's up?"

"Guttersnipe is not a word!" Jeremy says in exasperation next to me.

"Yes it fucking is. Microsoft Word and Google say so" Sinbad practically yells down the phone.

"Yeah Jer, get over it. Accept defeat gracefully" I poke Jeremy hard on the shoulder.

Jeremy narrows his eyes at me,

"No. Stop taking his side Ever, he's on Team Salvatore, you're letting the Gilbert gang down, you traitor"

I gasp and then I smack Jeremy in the chest,

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!"

Before Jeremy can reply I hear Sin say down the phone,

"Anyway. What is this I hear about Mrs Goodie goodie Elena swearing?"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I'm just wandering around the dance floor when I see her. Katerina. I'd been fully expecting her to come for me first, although I'd been secretly hoping she wouldn't. I watch as she walks down the stone steps, it doesn't seem like she's seen me yet.

I look around for Damon and Stefan, but I can't see them anywhere. Damn, where are my two pet idiots. Just when I don't want them to have pissed off somewhere…they're so useless. My brothers are what some may call oxygen thieves.

I feel her behind me only seconds before I hear her say,

"Dance with me"

I turn around slowly to see Katerina standing there, bold as fucking brass like usual. To anyone who doesn't know her, they'd think she's completely fine and comfortable. But, unfortunately, I do know Katerina, I know her very, very well actually. So I know that right now she's on edge. Killing Mason really did throw her off.

Good, then I've accomplished something.

I arch an eyebrow at her,

"Nope."

"Fine, then tell me who I should kill-"

"I don't respond well to threats Katerina" I say quietly.

"Then dance with me" she says in that really annoying tone that suggests I'm the one being difficult. Like a fucking child.

I sigh heavily, but I hold out my arm for her to take. She smiles as if she's won a prize. That's how it is with me and Katerina. Actually, that's how it is between me and Katherine. We go back and forth, almost like a game of emotional tennis. Katherine couldn't resist pushing things to the limit with my brothers in front of me all those years ago, it would drive me crazy. Not that I ever let her see that. The more I ignored her, the more outrageous her scenes became with my brothers.

We argued many times over it. I should have realised what affect she was having on my brothers, I should have stopped it sooner. But back then….my heart was smashed to pieces by the woman I had once believed was the love of my life.

I wasn't thinking straight at all. If I had been, then maybe things would be a lot different. Not that I could ever regret meeting Jeremy. Or Ever. They've both changed my life in so many ways.

I lead Katerina onto the dance floor and I let my hand slide to her back, her arms are around my neck. We're dancing so close together that I can feel her breath on my face. For a while we just dance and it's…..there are so many things that dancing with Katerina makes me feel, and honestly, I'm not emotionally capable of handling this much feeling all at once.

Even if I wasn't a vampire it would still be too much.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt tonight Kat" I whisper.

Katerina smiles slowly and it's a smile I remember from so long ago. A real smile that used to knock the breath right out of my lungs every time I saw it, every time it was aimed at me and no one else. I've never seen her look at anyone else like that, not even my brothers.

"Do you remember the first time we danced together Sin?" Katerina whispers.

Suddenly a memory I buried deep assaults my mind and I'm powerless to stop it…

(flashback)

(Song for Kat and Sin in this scene-Hear you me by Jimmy eat world)

We're running through the forest so fast that I can barely stop myself from falling to the ground. Kat's hand is intertwined with mine and as I pull her along behind me she laughs. Her laugter makes my whole world tilt off its axis. I'd do anything to hear that sound.

When we reach the river, our river, our place, I stop. I let go of Kat's hand as I move closer to the water's edge. Something about tonight feels so right, I am completely enamoured by this woman. Katerina. My Kat. I love her with my every breath.

I turn back to Kat, her big brown eyes follow me curiously,

"Dance with me Kat" I say

Katerina's eye brows lift in what appears to be surprise,

"Oh, why?"

I cannot help but laugh at her question,

"No reason, I just want to dance with you"

Kat still doesn't seem to understand,

"But there's no music"

I tilt my head to the side in amusement,

"That does not matter Katerina"

"But why do you want to dance" Kat asks.

I frown slightly and reply,

"Does there always have to be a reason?", but then a sudden realisation dawns on me, "Katerina Petrova, have you never once danced with someone just because? Not for flirtation, or threats or lust, but simply because you want to dance"

Katerina suddenly seems affronted, she always does when I find a chink in her armour, a soft spot in the impenetrable wall that she has around her true self.

"Of course I have"

"Give me one example and we will forget this entire conversation completely" I challenge her.

Kat's eyes widen and her beautiful face takes on a pensive and thoughtful expression,

"I…..I…..fine then, no I have not simply danced with someone just because"

I smile widely at her indignation and I hold out my hand to her. Kat's eyes meet mine and I say,

"Then please allow me to be your first. It would be an honour"

Kat blinks in surprise at first, but eventually a warm smile lights up her face and she moves forward to take my hand. Out eyes never lose contact once as we begin dancing, our bodies so close together that they brush constantly, I can feel her warm breath on my face. My blue eyes burn into hers as we dance.

A swell of emotions fills me and suddenly I cannot imagine my life without this woman in it. She has changed me forever and I want so badly for Kat to be mine. Always. 

Suddenly small flames blink to life all around us, like small floating candles. They are beautiful, but I barely notice them as Katerina is the only thing I truly see. Even the hauntingly romantic music that has begun to swell can steal my attention away from Kat, and it seems she feels the same.

We dance for hours, staring into each others eyes. I feel as if we could stay here, in each others arms for the rest of eternity and never once wish for another life. Later that night, after we have made love underneath the stars and are led underneath a blanket I had brought here some time ago, I kiss the pale shoulder of my beloved Katerina. She moves so that she can rest her chin on my chest, our eyes connect once more and I caress her cheek lovingly.

"I love you moyat spasitel" Katerina whispers, her eyes filling with that love until the intensity of it scorches my heart.

"Always" I whisper, and that is a promise.

(End of flashback)

I would later find out that it was Emily who did those things. The floating flames and the music. Turns out she rather liked me.

I take a deep breath and reply to Katerina,

"Yes. You didn't have to threaten me back then"

"You were in love with me back then" counters Katerina almost wistfully.

I cannot bare this a moment longer. There is a reason I buried those memories of mine and Kat's time together, because they were far too painful. They still are. And I hate her for that. I hate her because she's not wrong, and wish so much that he were.

"I meant what I said Kitty Kat, I don't want anyone to get hurt" I say finally.

Katerina looks a little disappointed for only a few seconds before her troublemaking mask returns full force,

"Then hand over the moonstone and nobody will"

"Yeah, well, I don't have it on me, so how about we go get it together"

"Hmmm, I have a better plan, you go fetch it and I will try not to kill anyone in the meantime"

"Fetch it? I'm not a dog Kitty Kat, I ain't chasin' you up no damn tree. Besides, vampires should stay away from trees, they're wood-like and have pointy sharp bits sticking out of them, they're like massive stakes with lots of mini stakes growing off of them"

Suddenly a girl I vaguely recognise comes up to us and compliments Katerina on her dress, or actually she compliments 'Ever', but that's not the point. Katerina says she likes the girl's necklace and then kills her on a crowded dance floor like a freaking ninja psychopath before saying,

"The moonstone Sinbad. Tick tock"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! xxx


	45. Masquerade-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-fifth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would have so killed Katherine in this episode, keeping her alive is good for the plot but it makes no sense xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Masquerade-part 2

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I put the body in the trunk for now" I say to my brothers.

Stefan is pacing again in that worrying way I don't like. Damon shrugs,

"We'll dump her when we get back"

Stefan comes to a sudden stop and says,

"This is exactly what I didn't want"

Damon and I exchange looks and my eldest brother rolls his eyes,

"Stef, it's collateral damage"

I smack Damon over the head, he turns to glare at me and I say,

"Don't be a dick"

"We need to call it off" Stefan announces.

"The fuck we will" I say angrily.

"Who's hesitating now?" Damon walks towards Stefan and places a hand on his shoulder. I move closer to them until Damon can do the same to me. Damon looks hard at Stefan, "Don't do this to me and Sin, Stefan. This woman ruined our lives, she destroyed us. She made us destroy each other and our baby brother. Tonight it ends"

I nod in agreement, slapping my hand down on Stefan's other shoulder,

"We can do this Stefan. It has to be over, we'll never be able to live our lives the way we want to with her around, you know that" I look between my two older brothers before saying, "We'll do it together, the three of us"

"We got your back Stefan" Damon says.

Stefan nods,

"Alright, together"

…..

"I really didn't think I'd be able to fool….you, but I did it" I hear Caroline say to Katerina.

Predictably Katerina rushes at Caroline angrily, but the magic ju ju-ness stops her from leaving.

"What the…Sinbad"

I move into view and Katerina turns around. I take out a stake and hold it where she can see it before saying,

"Hello Kitty Kat"

"Goodbye Katherine" Caroline say as she walks away.

Katerina narrows her eyes and walks towards me slowly,

"You don't really think you can kill me with that do you?"

I play with the stake in my hands, my eyes flickering up to meet hers when I reply,

"No. But he can" I gesture towards Damon who comes out of the bathroom and fires a stake at Katerina's back.

Katerina gasps out in pain and I don't hesitate before going after her with my stake, getting her in the shoulder. I pull back to stab her again, hopefully in a more permanent place, but Katerina pushes me back and I crash into a table.

Damon pulls the stake out of her back and goes to strike, but Katerina is too fast and she practically throws him into a wall. Stefan comes at her them throwing stakes, all of which she manages to doge. She actually catches one and throws it back, luckily Stefan ducks it.

Damon comes at Katerina again and grabs his wrist before he can get the stake any where near her. She presses his hand back until it snaps. I rush forward and grab her from behind, Stefan throws a stake over to Damon, which he catches. Katerina bucks back against me and we fall to the ground.

I hold her against me though as Damon comes forward with the stake, it's poised to sink into her heart when suddenly I hear Jeremy's voice shouting,

"STOP! You're hurting Ever. Everything you're doing is hurting Ever"

Damon immediately stops and turns to face Jeremy. I release my hold on Katerina and she swiftly moves to her feet. I exchange an incredulous look with Stefan.

Katerina scoffs,

"You think you three are the only one with a witch. Wrong. And something tells me my witch is better than your witch"

"Go, make sure Ever's alright Jeremy, now" Damon snaps, I can practically feel the fear in his voice at the thought of anything happening to the girl he loves so completely.

Jeremy catches my eye and I nod, he runs off to do as Damon said

I get to my feet just as Katerina groans irritably,

"Oh, yes, lets all make sure poor Ever's ok" Damon turns a frightening glare on Katerina, she snatches a stake from the floor and brings it to her, "Just a little bit more pressure and-" she cuts across her hand on purpose to hurt Ever.

Damon smacks the stake out her hands with a low and primal growl I'm pretty sure most freakin' predators would be afraid of.

Katerina picks up another stake, she looks between all three of us and says,

"This is really gonna hurt" she makes as if to stab herself in the stomach with the stake.

"Wait" Damon snaps, the anger and protective instincts in him are plain to see all over his face.

Stefan snatches the stake right out of Katerina's hand,

"Stop" he says, and there's a lethal edge to my brother's voice that I haven't heard in a while.

Katerina just smiles at us and sits down on the sofa,

"So, what about that moonstone?"

…..

"The four of us together. Just like old times" Katerina says, she looks at Damon who is by the entrance with Stefan. I can tell all he really wants to do is leave and go to Ever.

Katerina continues as she looks at Damon,

"The one who loved me too much" her eyes flicker to Stefan, "The one who didn't love me enough" and finally her eyes come to rest of me as she says, "And the one who loved a different me"

Damon and Stefan exchange glances before looking over at me, but luckily they both see too distracted to really tae in what Katerina is saying.

"And the annoying bitch who only loved herself. You're right, this is great fun, I've really missed it" I say drolly.

Katerina smirks at me,

"Oh, Sin, you know better than anyone who I loved. Still love."

Damon shakes his head,

"You forgot slut Sin. The annoying slut bitch who only loved herself. That's important."

Katerina narrows her eyes at Damon and says,

"What happened to you Damon? You used to be so sweet and polite"

"Oh, that Damon died a long time ago" Damon says.

"Good. He was a bore" Katerina replies

I sigh and say brightly,

"I liked him, he was my favourite"

"How's Jeremy by the way, Sin, has he realised what a mistake loving you is yet?" Katerina says to me.

I narrow my eyes at her,

"First of all, I think you're getting me confused with you in regards to who it a mistake to love. And I am in love with Jeremy, I love him more than I've ever loved anyone" I give her a pointed look and Katerina scowls at me in annoyance.

"I don't think that's true"

"Yeah, well, thinking was never really your forte now was it"

Stefan clears his throat loudly and says,

"Why don't you two stop antagonising each other?"

"If Katherine and Sin get into a fight then it really will be like old times" Damon mutters.

Katerina rolls her eyes and asks,

"Where's the moonstone?"

"What do you want with it?" Stefan fires right back.

Katerina looks between all three of us and says,

"Does Ever enjoy having all three of you worship at her alter. Do her siblings mind? Do you Damon?"

I let out a strained laugh,

"That was truly desperate Katherine. Well done, you've just managed to irritate me into oblivion"

Katerina looks right at Damon as she says,

"So, it doesn't bother you that Sinbad is her ex and Stefan is her….'friend'. I read some pretty interesting things in Stefan's diary about his and Ever's 'friendship'. Would you like to tell you?"

"Oh, just stop it", I snap.

Katerina looks up at me,

"Or what?" Katerina gets to her feet and comes to stand very close to me,

"You'll hurt me" Katerina shakes her head, "Come on Sin, everything that I feel Ever feels, so go ahead"

Katerina's eyes light up in that disturbing way that signals she's got an idea we probably won't like. She looks over at Stefan and says,

"Or better yet, kiss me Stefan" she walks towards him, "She'll feel that too"

Stefan just stares at her impassively, and for once I am so glad Stefan has the ability to seem completely emotionless.

"Why a werewolf?" Damon asks, "Lifting the curse would allow werewolves to destroy all vampires. What's in that for you?"

"Sorry about your pet wolf. Fluffy was misbehaving, you should have trained him better" I say.

"I'll have to remember that for next time" Katerina snaps in frustration.

A little while later Damon growls,

"Where's that witch?"

Katerina's eyes spark with amusement

"We could play charades"

"So you did bargain the moonstone then" I say finally, getting bored of all this intense staring going on around here.

Stefan frowns and Damon says,

"What are you mumbling about over there?"

"When you struck a deal with George Lockwood, to help you fake your death, you told me that you gave George something that he needed" I say.

"It was the moonstone" Stefan finishes for me.

Katerina smiles at both of us,

"Good for you boys, two plus two. And it would have worked accept people found out I wasn't in the tomb" she turns back to Damon, "Thanks to you. Have I mentioned how inconvenient your obsession with me has been?"

"Hm, for you and me both honey" Damon replies.

"But why do you need the moonstone back?" Stefan asks.

"Because she's running from someone and needs that moonstone for leverage" I say, it seems pretty obvious to me, "Who were you running from Katerina?"

Katerina looks me up and down, she says,

"In 1991 you were at a bar in England, with that wolf, Evan and his little girlfriend Ariel. You were pretty hot and heavy with those two. Naughty Sin, I like it….don't look so surprised, I checked in on you from time to time over the years"

Damon and Stefan clearly look surprised. Damn her.

"Why would you check up on Sin…..actually, what is your obsession with Sin all of a sudden?" Damon asks suspiciously.

I shake my head,

"Don't, she's just trying to mess with your heads" I say, hoping to all hell that they won't push, not right now.

"You should be honest with your brothers Sin, it's bad manners to lie about things like this" Katerina says, her eyes burn into mine and I know she's doing this to punish me.

She' so fucking annoying.

"What is she talking about Sin?" Stefan asks me.

I sigh, but I don't say anything, there isn't really anything that I can say. Apparently Katerina thinks there is because she turns so that she can look at both me and my brothers. Her eyes flicker between Stefan and Damon as she says,

"Sin was in love with me"

Stefan scoffs and Damon snorts out a laugh,

"Ok, someone's been taking crazy pills. Sin hates you, he always has"

I shove my hands into my pockets, I feel like my life is unravelling and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it.

"Sin?" Stefan questions seriously.

Katerina sighs,

"In 1863 my carriage was attacked, I was saved by a devastatingly handsome man on a dark horse. He took me away to a river, a secret place he'd never shared with anyone. There was something…different about him. Special. He confused me, I'd never met anyone like him before in my long life. He was clever and funny and a little bit insane. I stayed in a town close to Mystic Falls and we met by that same river whenever we could. I fell deeply in love with him, and he loved me just as much in return. He asked me to marry him, even after he found out I wasn't human, and I said yes. We were meant to be together always."

The memories of our time together wash over me and it takes all my willpower to stay standing, the intensity of my emotions rocking me to my very core.

"Sinbad…..please say that isn't true. Tell us she's lying" Stefan says desperately, and I can see in his eyes that he doesn't want to believe it.

Damon is simply staring at me like he's never seen me before. I let out a frustrated growl,

"I didn't want you to know. It was over, the moment she…..the moment she kissed Stefan, it was over. I promise you that"

"Oh, well, everything's alright then" Damon snaps, "How could you not tell us something like that?

I run a and through my hair,

"Would it have mattered, you both seemed perfectly fine with fucking her and her fucking your brother. What difference would knowing she'd already screwed me over have made?"

"But why, why didn't you tell us?" Stefan demands, sounding really upset actually. He looks guilty and I hate that. He shouldn't feel guilty, it wasn't his fault.

"Because I didn't want to be part of her fucked up games Stefan. I wanted out. I should have realised sooner what she was doing to you both, and I'll never forgive myself for that mistake"

"You fell in love with Katherine…..I…..it doesn't make any sense" Damon says incredulously.

I shake my head,

"No, lets get one thing straight right now. You both fell in love with Katherine, fell in love with Katerina. Trust me, they are two completely different people"

"What does that even mean?" Damon snaps harshly.

I groan and shove my hands through my hair,

"Fuck, can we talk about this later, please. Don't let her distract us from the real problem" I glance over at Katerina, who is now looking immensely pleased with herself.

"Katherine, the spell on this room is broken, you're free to leave" a witch I've never seen before walks into the room holding the moonstone.

"Thank God" Katerina moves towards the witch.

The witch arches an eyebrow at Katerina and says,

"When I hand this over, my debt to you is over"

"Done"

"I owe you nothing"

"I said done, give it" Katerina holds her hand out.

"I wouldn't do that" Damon protests.

But there's something in that witch's eyes that is a little off to me, I can't quite think of what that something is though.

The witch places the moonstone in Katerina's hand. Suddenly Katerina starts choking. My eyes widen and I glance over at my equally confused looking brothers.

"You should have told me there was another witch involved. She's a Bennett witch Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that" the witch says. Ah, so that's the thing that was in her eyes; witchy anger.

A realisation comes over all of us then and Damon steps forward,

"Wait, stop, Ever-"

"Ever is fine, Bonnie is with her. The spell is broken, she'll heal quickly" the witch looks at each of us in turn. "I'm sorry for my involvement" she says before turning and walking away.

Fucking hells bells, she couldn't have done that five minutes ago, so I could avoid having 'the talk' with my brothers about Katerina. There's no way they're going to let this go. Damn. Ah, well, fuck life.

…..

(Song for this scene-I hear the bells by Mike Doughty)

"Jer" I breathe in relief when I finally catch sight of him in the crowd.

Damon and Ever are taking Katerina to the tomb so that they can ceil her in and all brother talks have been postponed until tomorrow, thank fuck for that.

Jeremy runs towards me and before I can react he's thrown his arms around my neck and his lips are on mine. We're next to the dance floor, so a lot of people can see us. It warms my heart more than I could ever describe that Jeremy feels comfortable enough to kiss me like this in public. He's a brave kid, that much has become very clear to me since getting to know Jeremy.

I love that innocent bravery. I love how he takes ages to think something through, but then when he's made his decision he jumps in head first, holding nothing back. I love how he smells, a mixture of rawly masculine and a softer smell that has my dick hardening every time. I love how when he's angry he still falls apart when I kiss him.

I love how he gives into the intense passion between us, even though he knows he shouldn't. I love Jeremy Gilbert, and I want him to know just how much.

I hold Jeremy firmly against me, my arms locked tight around his body, our lips still brush as I whisper,

"If things get really bad with my brothers, would it be too cowardly to make a run for it?"

Jeremy presses his forehead against mine and answers,

"You've never run away from anything in your entire life, it's not who you are"

Damn him, he's right.

"Dance with me Jer" I whisper.

"Why?" he asks, those brown eyes searching mine.

I smile slowly,

"Because I'm in love with you"

Jeremy's breathe hitches with emotion, and after a few moments he replies,

"Then yes"

There's that bravery shining through again. I lead Jeremy out onto the dance floor, our eyes never once breaking contact. I am filled with an intense almost electric feeling, and I know that's completely because of Jeremy. My Jer. Mine.

I know we're getting quite a lot of attention, but I honestly don't care. All I can think about is Jeremy and the way it feels to hold him in my arms as we dance. Jeremy takes my lead, and I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to do that.

Jeremy is staring right back into my eyes as we dance and everything else seems to fade away to nothing once again until it is just me and Jeremy in the world. That's what he does to me, he consumes my every thought, my every feeling, until there is nothing left that has not been touched by Jeremy.

I let the back of one hand trail over his cheek and I cup his jaw gently, tipping his head upwards slightly,

"I love you Jer, more than anything, please tell me you know that"

Jeremy pulls me even closer and his lips brush mine as he whispers,

"I know, I can feel it. Don't ever run away from me, ok"

I make sure our eyes are locked when I reply,

"If I ever did run, I'd be taking you with me Jer. Would you run away with me if I asked?"

"Yes" Jeremy answers instantly, no hesitation. I kiss Jeremy then and my whole world tilts on it's axis, and I can honestly say I never want it to spin normally again.

Ever's P.O.V

I wait outside by the steps that lead down into the tomb for Damon. Ceiling her in the tomb was something I knew Damon had to do by himself. Despite everything, Damon did love her once, and I know all this is still so hard for him.

Also, forget what I said about my pain threshold. Getting stabbed fucking hurt like a motherfucker, like, seriously. I really don't recommend it. Luckily Bonnie could take some of the pain away and I've healed quite quickly. I still want to hit that bitch in the face with Kevin. Elena is back at the party still with Stefan, and Jer is most likely with Sinbad.

My evil twin yet again got spared the pain. Why is it always me? Why doesn't Elena ever get ju ju stabbed, or snatched by vampires or touched inappropriately why fluffy people? It's incredibly upsetting, I might start to develop a complex of some sort.

Damon comes striding up to me looking quite distressed, and before I can say anything Damon has me pressed up against a tree, his mouth covering mine possessively. Damon's tongue pushes into my mouth and I open myself up for him, somehow sensing that he needs this, he needs to feel me.

When Damon finally pulls back I'm panting for breath, his devouring kiss made me groan loudly and I want so much to tear him out of that suit. My arms are around his neck, and Damon's hands

are running all over my body, brushing up over my thighs and gripping hard enough to bruise. Damon presses his body against mine so that my back is firmly moulded to the tree behind me.

"I almost lost you, one moment more and I could have…you…I love so much, losing you…..I wouldn't be able to survive that" Damon whispers harshly, emotion deep and raw in his voice.

"Hey, hey, I'm alright Day, you haven't lost me" I cup his face, letting my thumb lovingly caress his hard jaw, "I love you Day, it will always be you for me. Always you"

We were so caught up in each other that we didn't notice that there was someone watching us. A twig snaps and Damon's whole body stiffens. He pulls me away from the tree, but still holds me close to his side.

I listen out for any more sounds and I'm just starting think maybe it was just a bunny for once, but there's a blur and I'm being ripped away from Damon and thrown to the hard ground. I hear Damon shout my name as he fights back against whoever it is, but then another blur comes out of nowhere and it's too dark for me to see. I hear a neck being snapped. I just know that it's Damon's and I scream his name.

But then I'm being grabbed again and a cloth is being held against my face. The cloth smells and tastes foul, but I can't escape it or the way it's making my brain fog up no matter how hard I fight.

The last thing I hear before I go under is someone saying,

"Get them both in the car"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short, the next one will be longer I promise! Xxx
> 
> Spoiler for next time-ELIJAH!, Stefan and Sin bonding time and some Ever snark xxx


	46. Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit gets real with a certain Original and Stefan admits something to Ever xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-sixth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would want to hug Elijah every day as a pick me up ;) xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Rose

 

Ever's P.O.V

I wake up from being DRUGGED and GRABBED…AGAIN! I'm on a sofa in a room that is sodding dark and dusty and I do not like this at all. This is the second time I've been drugged by fucking vampires and woken up somewhere dirty. Next time, can I at least wake up somewhere clean and not…creepy.

There's a man standing above me, he takes off his black cap and sunglasses. I hate his face. I want…to flick it. My arms and legs are tied, which seems pointless to me. What, did they think I would go sleep drug walking?

Dum dum, the second generation, tries to untie me and I snap,

"Woah, hey, enough with the touchy touchy business Sir"

Dum dum two just raises a creepy eyebrow at me and I stare back at him unflinching. I am not scared of this guy. My boyfriend is Damon Salvatore, one of the most psychotic vampires in existence. My best friend is Stefan Salvatore, a ripper with a blood drinking problem, and my other best friend is a fucking badass witch. I myself happen to be a champion poke master and I am the one all burglars fear, with the help of my sidekick Kevin.

So no, I am not scared of a Dum dum who wears a cap. Honestly, first hoodies and now fucking caps, vampire henchmen are rubbish these days.

Wait, Damon!

I sit up quickly and ask,

"Where's Damon Dum dum two?"

Whoops, I just called him Dum dum two out loud. Crap, not the best first impression I've ever made, but then, he has kidnapped me, so, I'd say we're even on that front.

Dum dum two holds a finger to his lips,

"Shhhhh"

I glare openly at him,

"We aren't in a library, 'shhhh' rules do not apply here. Now where is my fucking crazy vampire boyfriend?"

"Be quiet" Dum dum two snaps at me.

"That's it, I want to see the manager, I have a few complaints I'd like to file" I cross my arms and Dum dum two blinks in confusion like a moron.

"What?" he decides to say finally.

I arch an eyebrow and reply,

"Take me to your leader"

I've always wanted to say that.

"Your boyfriend is over there" Dum dum two says, jerking his thumb at another sofa that is on the far side of the room. I can't really see properly because the room is so dim, but there is an outline of a body.

I gasp and attempt to get up so I can go to him, but Dum dum two shoves me back down onto the sofa with a half assed snarl. Even Caroline snarls better than that. I try to get up again but he grabs hold of me and I fight to get out of his grip. But obviously, what with him being a vampire, he has the superior strength.

I end up kicking and flailing around so much that my neck is bared and suddenly Dum dum two freezes. His face changes into vampy mode and he says,

"Just one taste"

Before I can even scream Dum dum two is sinking his stupid sucky fangs into my neck. The pain is immediate and harsh. I struggle, but he holds me tight. I shout and scream for him to get off me, but as per usual, that doesn't work. It rarely does with vampires.

Then I hear a primal growl and Dum dum two is being ripped away from me. I feel more relived than I've ever felt before when I see that it's Damon. He throws Dum dum two at the wall and he hits it hard.

I grin at Damon, my hand going to the wound on my neck,

"Thanks for the save Day"

Damon looks pissed off, like, seriously, I think he'd like to murder some people. He pulls me towards him and holds me close,

"Are you alright Ev's?" he asks, his voice deep with concern.

I shrug,

"That Dum dum touched me inappropriately, let's go"

Damon nods and kisses the top of my head,

"Yeah, come on-"

But Damon cuts himself off as Dum dum two comes hurtling towards us at full vamp speed. Damon pushes me away from him to protect me and I land heavily onto the floor. Damn, now my neck and my ass hurt, it has not been a good weekend for my bodily parts. Stupid Dum dum two.

I get to my feet just in time to see Damon and Dum dum going at it full vamp ninja style, I can barely see them they're moving so fast. I worry for Damon and I look around or some kind of weapon I could use to help. Like a time machine.

Or a giant cartoon hammer.

But then there's a second blur, another vampire, and then it's two against one. Not that I doubt my boyfriend's fighting ability, but my anxiety goes up a few notches. Damon's doing pretty well and I'm still looking for some kind of weapon….pillows don't count.

There's a snap and I shout angrily as Damon's body falls to floor. Abandoning my quest to find a fucking weapon I rush over to Damon and I fall down to my knees next to him. I lift his head into my lap and I card my fingers through his dark hair. It makes my heart clench painfully to see him so still and lifeless even though I know he isn't actually dead.

Suddenly I'm being yanked by my hair to my feet. I fight back against Dum dum two as he pulls me close to his body. He growls and I'm pretty sure he's about to bite me again when I see a woman I vaguely recognise from when I was grabbed very rudely last night.

"Trevor! Control yourself" she snaps.

Dum dum two immediately lets go of me and I stumble away from him. I turn a glare on Dum dum two,

"Yeah, control yourself, you big dummy"

The woman raises an eyebrow at me and Dum dum two says,

"Buzzkill" to the woman he picks up Damon and I go to follow after him. But the woman stops me with a hand on my arm, her grip is firm.

Her eyes rake me over and she stares at me in disbelief,

"My God, you look just like her"

By this point in my life I know exactly what that means. Damn. Stupid bitchzilla.

"I'm offended by that. Seriously, seriously, offended" I say in annoyance. I stare right back at her. She's quite beautiful, the woman I mean.

"Be quiet" she snaps.

I narrow my eyes at her and I press a finger to my lips,

"Shhhhhhhh, or Dum dum gets pissy"

The woman isn't sure what to make of that and I roll my eyes. I try to pull my arm away from her grip, but she just tightens her hold on me. Dum dum two has placed Damon back on the sofa and I want to go sit with him, but apparently little miss snappy has other ideas.

I meet her gaze head on as I say,

"Let. Me. Go"

"You're either very brave or very stupid" she says, her head tilting to the side with interest.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare? Then again it's also rude to kidnap people and snap their boyfriend's neck, I suppose manners mean nothing to you. All vampires, so damn rude" I say conversationally.

"Mouthy little thing aren't you"

"A fan of saying cryptic things aren't you. Besides, I'm not little, I'm fun sized"

"Go and sit down over there" the woman points at the sofa I woke up on.

I shake my head,

"I want to sit with my boyfriend"

"No" she replies firmly.

I sigh heavily,

"You….are so annoying"

I pull my arm away from her and this time she lets me go. I stalk over to the sofa and sit down with a thump, my eyes still on the woman.

"Why am I here?" I ask.

For a moment it looks like she won't answer, which is pretty much what I expected, but then she fixes me with a penetrative stare and says,

"Elijah"

I scrunch my nose up in confusion,

"Who the frak is Elijah?"

The woman's jaw locks and she replies simply,

"You're worst nightmare"

"Is Elijah a giant spider, because if not then he's not my worst nightmare"

"What?"

"My worst nightmare is that I will one day be kidnapped by a spider king and then be forced to become his queen"

"Please stop talking"

"You started it" I snap and then I sit back on the sofa with my arms crossed.

I'm starting to miss Dum dum two, this lady is getting irritating.

Sinbad's P.O.V

When Stefan came home from school he said Ever wasn't in and that we need to tell Damon not to keep her here all night and day. I told him they aren't here and that they weren't at her house last night either.

From there it didn't take us long to figure out both Ever and our brother is missing. Our first idea was to ask Katerina what was going on, as I'm sure whatever has happened to Ever and Damon has something to do with who Katerina was running from for all those years.

We asked Bonnie if she could open the tomb, but she said that there was no way she could do it alone. By that point me and Stefan we're getting a little worked up, or at least Stefan was, I haven't seen him this tense in a long time.

Anyway, then Bonnie offered to do a tracking spell to find them.

Stefan sets out the map for Bonnie on our living room table. Both Stefan and I decided to hold off on telling Jeremy and Elena what's going on until we know what we're dealing with, those Gilberts have death wishes, they can never just sit back where it's safe.

Bonnie says she needs related blood to who she's trying to find.

"I have Jeremy's blood, if human blood would be easier to work with" I say to Bonnie.

Stefan gives me a questioning look,

"Why do you have Jeremy's blood?"

I shrug,

"If I want a snack"

There's a pause where Bonnie and Stefan are just staring open mouthed at me and I say,

"What? My Jer is good to me. I let him drink my blood too"

"You're insane" Stefan says shaking his head.

"Just because you don't drink from Elena. You should, you know blood sharing is one of the most intimate things a vampire can do" I say, mostly just to see Stefan's reaction.

Stefan does not disappoint, his eyes shine with guilt and I can feel the nervous energy coming off of him right now. I don't know what he has to feel guilty about but there's definitely something going on with my brother, and I have a bad feeling it involves Ever.

"Your vampire blood is fine" Bonnie says, which snaps both me and Stefan out of intense stare off. I like to think I won that round.

I cut into my palm and I allow a few drops of blood to fall onto the map. Stefan and I watch as Bonnie does her witchy ju ju shit, which basically just looks like a load of concentrating to me, or like she really needs a poop.

But then suddenly the blood is moving across the map in the most sinister way possible. After a few moments it stops and Bonnie says,

"They're there"

Stefan leans forward and so do I to look at the map.

"That's about a hundred miles away"

Stefan shakes his head,

"No, Bonnie, we need a more exact location than that" he says earnestly.

Bonnie shrugs,

"That's as close as I can get"

I call Jeremy then and explain the situation. He offers to aerial view it to see what's around that area so we can figure out exactly where Damon and Ever are. Jeremy wants to come, but I manage to convince him to stay with Bonnie, in case we need him here. And we all still agree that telling Elena wouldn't be any good for anyone. There's no way she'd stay here, and like or not, Elena would just be a liability.

Not that I'd ever say that to her face. Crazy woman would eat me.

….

"Alaric sure likes his weapons" I say to Stefan as I watch him play with a…..bomb…..grenade….thingy. I dunno, some kind of device that in any other circumstance I wouldn't want Stefan handling so close to me.

You wouldn't think it to look at him, but when Stefan was younger, he dropped shit all the fucking time. We couldn't trust him to carry anything. I still don't trust him with my stuff, he'd break it. Evers's the same way, she just has the magic touch, and my magic touch I mean hands of the destroyer.

"How much farther is it?" Stefan asks me.

"About eighty miles….wanna play eye spy?" I say with a smirk at my brother.

"Who do you think took her?" Stefan says thoughtfully, completely ignoring my attempt at some whimsy.

Stefan, is not a fan of fun, we should all remember that. Steffy should not be allowed on road trips, it isn't his element. Now, get this guy on a motorcycle and that's really something else.

"Someone from Kitty Kat's past most likely, she said she was running from someone" I reply with a shrug, "How would I know, I wasn't there. But I swear to fucking God, if they've just pissed off somewhere together to have some alone time to…fuck…..and stuff, whatever else Damon and Ever find to do with themselves without me there to provide the comic relief….then I'm gonna be all kinds of pissed"

Stefan shakes his head at me,

"No, Ever wouldn't do that. Not without letting at least one of us know where she was going or that she was safe"

I arch an eyebrow at my brother and I ask a question that's been playing on my mind for a while now,

"What's going on Stef?"

Stefan doesn't look at me when he replies,

"Nothing. I just meant that Ever wouldn't do that to…Elena and Jeremy, that's not the sort of person Ever is"

I narrow my eyes at him for a few moments before returning my eyes to the road ahead.

"She wouldn't do that to Jeremy and Elena, or she wouldn't do that to you?"

Stefan shifts in his seat,

"I don't know what you mean Sin"

"I mean, there's a big elephant stomping around all the damn rooms, and it's something to do with you and Ever" I say, "Lets get it all out right now, it's just between you and me"

"Then ask what you really want to ask" Stefan says stiffly. I can tell he's uncomfortable with this conversation, and part of me wants to end it right now. Technically, nothing bad has happened, and the last thing I want to do is get in the middle of something between my two brothers and Ever.

And there is definitely something.

I take a deep breath and then I let it out before saying,

"I know you Stef, I know Ever too. So I do know that nothing is actually….going on between you and her. But you are hiding something"

Stefan sits up straighter in his seat and his eyes flicker over to me,

"I'm sorry"

I frown and ask,

"For what?"

"For kissing Katherine. For breaking your heart, I never meant to hurt you Sin" Stefan answers, the guilt in his voice makes my resolve crumble.

"Fuck being sorry Stef, you just helped me realise what kind of person she really is before I got sucked in too deep" I reply firmly. There's a lot of things my brother should feel guilty for, his ripper days tear him up inside daily as it is, but that whole thing with Katerina is definitely not one of them.

"What's the real reason why you didn't tell me and Damon about your relationship with her?" Stefan asks, and I know he's deflecting from our earlier conversation, but I allow it because it's honestly not any of my business what kind of relationship he has with Ever. Not really.

All I can hope is that neither of them does anything stupid. I'm tired of my brothers doing stupid stuff because of women, we had all that shit with Katerina already. No repeat required. But then, I've seen how in love Stefan is with Elena, and how much Ever loves Damon, maybe I'm over reacting, it wouldn't be the first time.

"My heart was shattered Stef, I didn't want to talk about it. I should have got my act together sooner, then maybe things wouldn't have gotten so bad with you and Damon" I answer truthfully.

Stefan runs a hand through his hair and says,

"I think we were always heading for this. It doesn't matter anymore, we're here, and there's not much we can do about it"

"No regrets?" I ask with a smirk on my face.

Stefan laughs,

"Oh, plenty of those"

I raise an amused eyebrow,

"I spy with my little eye something beginning with B"

Stefan decides to play along after all and he guesses,

"Blood"

"Well of course you would say that, you junkie"

"Bat" he guesses again.

"Where's a bat?" I ask in confusion.

"In the back seat, I brought Kevin for Ever, and my own bat too"

"Does your bat have a name?" I ask jokingly.

"Kyle" Stefan replies very seriously.

I shake my head,

"Of course. You've been spending far too much time with the insane twin"

"She wanted to name him Bert, but I decided on Kyle in the end. We picked it out."

"Why? And what do you mean 'picked it out'?"

"From the book"

"What book?"

"The big book of children's names"

"Where did you both even get that book?"

"The library"

"So, you went to the library, the very public library, and read through the big book of children's names in front of everyone?"

"No, we took it out using Ever's library card"

"That's it, no more best friend forever time. I'm cutting you and Ever off"

"Boots" Stefan says.

"What about them?"

"No I mean, boots, as in the eye spy game"

"Oh right, no, its not boots"

"Then what is it?" Stefan asks.

I smirk at Stefan and answer,

"Broody vampire"

"Shut up Sin, you're not funny"

"I think you'll find I am hilarious, the voice inside my head told me so"

Ever's P.O.V

"So, who is this Elijah person who is apparently not a big spider king" I ask Boss Lady, who I've overheard Dum dum two call Rose.

"You keep asking me these questions like I'm going to answer them" Boss Lady says in that irritated tone of voice I've come to expect from her.

"I have what some might call a 'can do attitude'" I reply with a shrug, "You've kidnapped me, I'm obviously not going anywhere without Damon, and he's out cold. I know the drill, this isn't my first vampire napping situation. So you could at least tell me what the hell it is you want"

"I personally want nothing" Rose replies in a more reasonable voice, "I'm just a delivery service"

"Oh, don't be so down on yourself, you're also one fine kidnapper. And that's a skill for life" I say.

"You don't have much sense of self preservation do you?"

I shake my head,

"Nah, not really, it's a family thing. Us Gilberts….we like to live life on the edge at all times. The other day, I parked in a no parking zone, and then I bought a t-shirt without trying it on first to see if it fitted" I wiggle my fingers in front of me like I'm casting a weird spell, "I am one badass small town girl with a bat. Wait till you meet him, his name's Kevin"

"You're insane" Boss Lady says in disbelief.

I nod once,

"Yeah, it's been said…..so, are you delivering me to this Elijah…..person. I assume he's a person"

"Elijah isn't a big spider" Bossy Lady snaps impatiently.

I hold my hands up in surrender,

"Alright, alright, I believe you. No need to blow a vampy fuse about it. Is Elijah a vampire?"

"He's one of the vampires. The Originals" Boss Lady replies.

"Ohhhh, the Originals, like, as in, the Original vampires or something?" I ask curiously.

Bossy Lady turns to me with an amused quirk playing about her lips,

"You are a clever one, I'll give you that. Haven't the Salvatore's been teaching you your vampire history?"

My eyes widen in surprise,

"You know the Salvatore's?" I ask.

Rose shrugs,

"I know of them"

But there's something about her expression…..ha, I know that look,

"You've met Sinbad, haven't you? Spent some 'time' with him"

Something softens in her expression as she answers,

"Yes, my time with Sinbad Salvatore is quite…..memorable"

'Time', Sinbad's code word for fucked each other into oblivion. He's such a man-whore. I swear he's fucked everyone. Can't blame them though, he is one sexy mother fraker, and the things he can do with those hands….wow, sex flash back. Note to self: never think about how amazingly skilled at sex Sin is in front of Damon.

I'm starting to think incredible sex skills might be another thing Salvatore's have in common.

"A friend of ours tried to set me up with Stefan about a hundred years ago. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though….and back then Sinbad was definitely one of the baddest" she explains with a secret smile spreading across her face.

I scoff,

"He's still pretty damn bad now" I harden my expression as I ask, "Who are the Originals exactly? And more importantly, what do they have to do with me?"

Boss Lady sighs and answers,

"Trevor and I have been running for five hundred years. We're tired, we want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess"

"But why me? I swear if it's because I look like that crazy bitch, then I'm going to lose my shit" I say, anger at this whole situation getting me.

"You're a Petrova doppelganger. You're the key to breaking the curse"

"Curse? The sun and the moon curse? That curse?"

She nods,

"Ah, so you do know your history"

"What, so I'm like the moonstone? Just another fucking ingredient or something?"

"No, the moonstone binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it"

I groan loudly,

"And let me guess, I'm the sacrifice"

"Right again. You're blood breaks the curse, the blood of the doppelganger. You're the one that has to die" Boss Lady explains as if she's talking about the fucking two times table.

"Oh fuck a duck" I lean back and close my eyes tightly. Stupid doppelganger blood. Why couldn't I have been born a boy? No wait, then I'd be a moron. Why couldn't I have been born a Bee. Bee's do not have these problems. I've never heard of a Bee being fucking sacrificed for anything. And if you have then…..then you live a creepy life my friend.

"Tell me more" I say, leaning forward again and watching Boss Lady carefully.

Suddenly Dum dum two returns and says,

"Ah, being held captive has made her pushy eh" he comes really close to me and I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously, "What do you want to know doppleishous?" he says.

I openly glare at him, and then I look back at Rose,

"Please tell you're just friends, because you could do way better than Dum dum over there" I say to her.

"Oh, feisty, I like that in a woman" Dum dum two says with a wink at me.

I make a 'what fuck face' at him,

"You're an idiot. Even more than the last Dum dum I had to deal with, at least he knew his place" I shake my head, but ask, "So you're running from the Originals, who are they really?"

Dum dum two shrugs,

"They're the first family. Rose and I pissed them off"

Bossy Lady clears her throat in obvious protest of that statement.

"Correction, I pissed them off. Rose had my back. And for over half a millennium they've wanted us dead"

I nod in understanding and then there's a long pause until Dum dum two finally snaps and says,

"Aren't you going to ask what I did?"

I shrug and cross my arms,

"I assume you did something dummyish. Did it involve bitchzilla a.k.a Katherine a.k.a Katerina?"

Boss Lady snorts at the mere mention of bitchzilla and Dum dum two answers,

"Yes, it did"

"Well then, you definitely did something stupid. She makes all men stupid, it's like her super power" I say.

Boss Lady nods,

"He made the mistake countless others made. He trusted Katerina Petrova."

"Dummy move" I agree.

"I helped her escape her fate, and we've been marked ever since" Dum dum two says.

"Which is why we're not going to make the same mistake again" Boss Lady gives both me and Dum dum two a stern look.

"Ah, so no last minute escape attempts will be tolerated, I getcha" I say with a nod. I lean back again as Boss Lady and Dum dum two leave me. I hear the crumpling of paper beneath me and I frown.

I feel underneath my thigh I realise there is a bit of paper there that wasn't there before. At least I don't think it was.

I make sure they aren't watching before I take the piece of paper out and I open it up.

Sinbad and Stefan are coming for you

-B

Excellent ju ju work Bonnie. Remind me to make her a cake when I get back.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"We're getting close, Jeremy says there's an access road just past marker six"

I reach into the backseat to retrieve a blood bag, complete with swirly straw. As I start sucking from it Stefan looks over at me and says,

"Can I have some?"

I shrug,

"Uh, yeah, if you like…..how's your diet thing going anyway? We haven't talked much about it lately"

Stefan starts to shift uncomfortably and it's obvious something about my question has just put him on edge. I have no idea why though.

"I've been taking some everyday, slowly increasing my intake, building up my strength"

I hand over the blood bag and Stefan takes, I watch him out of the corner of my eyes as he sucks some blood out of the bag. He's still being all shifty and I bloody well want to know why damn it.

"What aren't you telling me Stef?"

Stefan sighs heavily and looks at me with troubled eyes,

"I've been…drinking her blood"

I almost swerve right off the mother fucking road. I turn on Stefan, my eyes wide. I don't even need to ask who 'her' is, but I do anyway,

"Who Stefan?"

Stefan looks away from me again but I reach over to hit him hard in the chest,

"Damn it Stefan, look at me and tell me the fucking truth, who have you been drinking from?"

Stefan does look at me then, and I can see that it pains him to admit it,

"Ever. I've been drinking Ever's blood"

I blink rapidly, barely able to comprehend what he's just told me,

"You….what…..I….what the fuck is wrong with you? You and Damon, both of you, so fucking…..just….uuuuuggghhhhh" I hit the steering wheel hard several times before taking a few calming breathes.

"I assume, that she offered it" I say more reasonably.

Stefan turns a startles look on me,

"Of course she did. I would never force Ever to…..you know I wouldn't"

I laugh, but it's a strained non-humour laugh,

"Oh, I don't know Stefan. I would have said you wouldn't drink blood from your brother's girlfriend this morning if someone had asked. But obviously I was wrong about that"

Stefan shakes his head and rakes a hand through his hair in obvious frustration,

"It just happened"

"Woah, please, never explain it like that again. That's what people say after they've had a one night stand Stefan, you do not want Damon or Elena making that comparison" I say incredulously.

Stefan groans angrily,

"It's not like that Sin. She's just helping me"

"And you can't drink from your own girlfriend because…..?"

"Ever…she saved my life by feeding me her blood, that night when we escaped the from the tomb vampires. Then she helped me get my blood lust under control, I would have lost it completely without her….Ever….she just makes everything…..easier…better…. I don't know. There's just something about Ever…."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, there's just something about Ever Gilbert. I felt the same way when we were together, I still feel it now. I'd do anything for that woman, trust me, I get it. But…at least tell me you have it under control Stef"

There's a pause and then Stefan nods once firmly,

"I have it under control"

"Good, you'd better"

"Damon would hate me if he found out" Stefan says suddenly.

I scoff,

"Forget hating you, Damon would fucking kill you if he found out"

"I know"

"Is it really worth the risk?" I ask, genuinely wanting to know.

Stefan meets my gaze as he answers,

"Yes. She is."

"That's not what I asked"

"But that's what you meant"

I sigh,

"Yeah it is. And yeah, she is"

Ever's P.O.V

"He's here" Dum dum two comes running down the stairs, his voice frantic, which doesn't do much to help my nerves either.

"This was a mistake" Dum dum two shouts.

"No, I told you I would get us out of this, and I will" Rose placates her friend/useless henchman.

"He wants us dead Rose" Dum dum two argues.

She points at me,

"He wants her more"

I stand up suddenly and say,

"Does anybody care what Ever wants?"

"No!" they both snap.

"You're both so mean"

Boss Lady ignores me and goes over to Dum dum two,

"What are we?" she asks him.

Uh, vampires, kidnappers, morons, dummy's, neck snappers…the list goes on.

"We're family. Forever" Dum dum two replies.

Aw, that would sweet if I wasn't so concerned with the whole sacrifice thing.

My eyes flicker to Damon, who is still out of it, they've snapped his neck twice since he woke up the first time and they wouldn't let me sit with him just in case. Every part of me aches to go to my boyfriend and protect him, even though I know there isn't much I could do. But that isn't the point, I want him neat me, I feel stronger with Damon by my side, I always have.

"Stay here with her, and don't make a sound" Boss Lady says to Dum dum two.

Great, I'm being left with the idiot who trusted my ultimate nemesis; bitchzilla.

I'm busy pacing, Stefan style, when I hear them approach. Automatically I turn to look up at the balcony where he's standing.

Our eyes meet and his widen in surprise. Surprise and astonishment. Maybe even a little awe.

Then suddenly he vamp speeds to stand right in front of me. I don't back up, I'm far past that stage with vampy people.

But woah, he is gorgeous. Like, seriously, that is some world class hair he has there.

The gorgeous man I assume to be Elijah leans towards me and I do my best not to move or flinch even as he invades my personal bubble big time. He smells my neck and I can't help but shiver.

"Human" he says to himself.

I frown,

"What were you expecting? Duck? Koala? Unicorn?"

"It's impossible" Elijah says, and his voice is like velvet to my senses.

I narrow my eyes at him,

"Bet you say that to all the girls who've been kidnapped for you"

Elijah smiles and stomach just about flips out of my body. His eyes meet mine as he says,

"Hello there, such a brave little thing. Beautiful, just like her"

"Firstly I think you'll find I'm nothing like bitchzilla. Secondly, yes I am a very attractive creature thank you. And thirdly…..I really like your hair" I say, my mouth running away like mad like it always does when I get nervous. Damn him and his handsome and yet somehow very threatening smile.

"We have a long journey ahead of us, we should get going" Elijah says, "One last piece of business"

I tune everything out after that, all I can think about is Damon. I don't know what to do. I only come back into the present when Elijah basically whacks Dum dum two's head off. I gasp, my eyes widening in shock and horror.

"Was that really necessary? I mean, I know he was a dummy, but-"

Elijah comes towards me and holds out his hand,

"Come" he says simply.

My mind panic and I latch onto the first thing I think of, it comes blurting out of my mouth,

"The moonstone"

"What do you know about the moonstone?" Elijah asks me.

I stand a little straighter, refusing to cower even if I am terrified.

"I know that you need it. And I know where it is"

"Yes?"

"I can help you get it"

"Tell me where it is"

I shake my head and I reply firmly,

"That's not how it works"

Elijah narrows his eyes at me,

"Are you negotiating with me?" he asks incredulously.

He looks back at Rose and she says,

"It's the first I've heard of it"

"Leave her alone" I snap. I've had enough of this bullshit.

Elijah turns back to me and his eyes pierce right through me. He looks into my eyes and I can tell her wants to compel me, then his eyes flicker to my necklace.

"What is this vervain doing around your neck?" Elijah rips my necklace off and throws it away, then he grabs hold of my head and forces me to look at him.

I try to struggle away but he's too strong.

"Tell me where the moonstone is"

"In a safe place" I answer. Luckily, just last week Damon had a vervain bracelet specially made for me. I think he wanted to mark me in that way since Sinbad had given me my necklace. It's kind of a symbol for the start of our relationship, so I get why that annoys Damon a little.

I like the bracelet a lot, it's black and silver with blue jems. It reminds me of Damon, and that's the main reason why I like it.

"You're wearing more vervain" Elijah says, but before he can do much of anything about it there's a crashing sound that comes from somewhere inside the big house.

"Who else is in this house?" Elijah ask Rose, letting me go. I take a few steps back from Mr. Gorgeous hair.

But then Elijah turns back to me and grabs hold of my arm. He drags me up the stairs, I struggle against his hold again but it's useless.

Once we're out of the room and by a big staircase Elijah looks around. Suddenly there's a blur, a very vampy-like blur and all I can think is 'please be Stef and Sin'.

Elijah pushes me away from him and move towards Rose, we stand together, looking around the room.

There's a sound behind us and we all look round.

"Rose?" Elijah says threateningly.

Rose shakes her head,

"I don't know who it is" she says.

But I do, not that I'm volunteering that information.

"Up here" a voice comes from the top of the stairs.

Elijah vamp speeds up there and a stake comes flying at him. But then suddenly Sinbad comes out of nowhere, his eyes wide as he stares up at Elijah.

"Elijah" Sinbad breathes, his eyes flicker to Rose, "Rose" he says in disbelief.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I can't fucking believe it, all this time…..Rose and…..Elijah. That's who took Ever and Damon…I should have known…..Becks…Nick….Oh, Kol….fuck. All the memories are so…fucking foggy. Those damn Originals have messed with my fucking head so much over the years that I can barely keep things straight inside my own mind.

Elijah pulls the stake out of his hand and his eyes are fixed wholly on me, they burn into my body like two red hot flames. Damn, he's beautiful, I have to tell him that sometime.

Is Nick here? Is Becks still in the box? Is Kol?

What the fuck is going on around here? I feel like this is an episode of 'this is your life'.

"Sin" Elijah half whispers, half growls.

"No, it's the freakin' Easter bunny, of course it's me…..Eli….what the fuck?" my brain is literally about to explode right now.

Damon picks that moment to come out running into the room. He catches sight of Ever and she runs over to him. Damon yanks her into his embrace and they start whispering frantically to each other.

Stefan reveals himself at the top of the stairs, but Eli is pretty damn busy looking me over to notice. Rose is staring at me too, but my eyes can't seem to leave Eli's. Ah, my head, my fucking head.

"What are you doing here Sin?" Eli asks me, surprisingly calmly, but then again Eli was always good at that. Keeping things calm and simple, it used to be one of the things I both loved and hated about him. He drove me crazy. They all did, but for different reasons.

"Ugh, you stole my brother and my….my….our Ever" I answer indignantly, "And, on that note, we're leaving. Come on Stef, Ever, Damon, lets go, I've had a busy day and I want to go home to my fucking boyfriend"

Stefan actually does vamp speed down the stairs, he passes me and goes over to Ever and Damon, he asks them both in concern if they're ok. My eyes still cannot stray from Eli,

"I'd run of I were you Ro" I say to Rose, and with one last intense look my way she's gone, she was always a smart one.

Ever, Damon and Stefan are giving me weird looks, but they don't question me as they head towards the exit together.

"He misses you" Eli says suddenly and I freeze.

Ever and my brothers stop too and I meet Damon's questioning gaze. He's offering me back up, I can see it in his eyes. I shake my head and say,

"You lot wait for me by the car, I'll be out….in a minute"

For a moment it looks like they'll protest but when I give them a hard look, they all leave rather swiftly. I turn my gaze back on Eli and he comes down the steps slowly, my whole body is tense right up until he stops, only a few inches away from me.

Our eyes lock and he holds onto my gaze in a lethal grip I cannot shake, I never could.

"How's Nick and…everyone?" I ask carefully, refusing to back down from Eli. I never have before no matter what the cost.

"To my knowledge he's….fine"

"Still crazy as a bag full of marbles?"

"That mouth of yours…."

"Is he still sexy as fuck?"

"You haven't changed even a little bit have you Sin?"

"Of course not. You don't mess with perfection Eli"

"Hmmm, I suppose not" Elijah says, that soft voice melting into my bones and consuming my mind with memories.

Bloody Originals. That family has caused me more problems than my own, and that's really saying something because my brothers are Stefan and Damon.

"How about everyone else….are they still….."

"In coffins? Daggered by my brother?"

"Yeah…..so they are. Kol and Becksly, Nick is still pissed off about what happened then"

Ah, Becks and Kol, I miss those two mind fucks more than anything.

"My brothers mind is a complicated place" Eli replies in that usual cryptic way of his.

I nod and chuckle darkly under my breath,

"Yeah, I know how Nick can be" even thinking about Nick makes my head and my hear hurt, I really don't want to go there.

"I know that he still misses you" Eli all but whispers.

I can feel my breathing getting a little erratic,

"And you"

Elijah's eyes seem to burn brighter somehow,

"And me what Sin?"

"Fuck you Eli, seriously, fuck you. I've had enough of this shit. I'm not playing games anymore-"

"You used to love playing games"

"Yeah well, I'm different now"

"How different?"

I know exactly what he means and my breath hitches painfully,

"Different enough"

He doesn't reply for a long time and eventually I shake my head,

"I'm leaving Eli, I've had it with all this" I turn to leave and that's how I find myself being smashed up against the wall.

Eli is now only a few inches away, I can feel his breath on my face and it calm my whole body, yet somehow stirring it up as well. I can barely control all of the emotions assaulting me right now and it's all his fucking fault.

I glare at him desperately,

"I fucking hate you. I hate you and I hate Nick"

Eli's whole body is pressed against mine and all I can do is attempt to breath properly without losing my shit completely.

"You always say that" Eli whispers.

"And I always fucking mean it" I manage to get out before Elijah kisses the fuck out of me.

His tongue invades my mouth with such skill that I fall prey to it once again. His kiss is hot and my response is desperate. Our tongues slide across each others and he tastes the same as he always has. Mint, chocolate, and something distinctly Elijah that always fucks me up in the head every time I taste it pushing to back of my throat.

His hands are yanking off my shirt before I can even process anything else and I help him remove it from my body, throwing it to the floor without a second thought.

Eli lifts me up off my feet so my legs wrap around his body as his mouth travels down my neck to the hollow of my throat. I moan loudly and sparks of desire fucking consume my entire body. I run my hands through his hair, messing it up in a way that I know pisses him off and turns him on in almost equal measure.

I moan again as Eli bites he hollow of my throat hard enough to make me bleed. Fucking Originals.

Fucking Eli

Fucking Kol

Fucking Nick…

I have to force myself out of Eli's tight lust filled grasp, practically falling to the floor in the process. But Eli catches me, protective as always. That used to drive me crazy too.

I push away from him, my chest heaving and my breathes coming out more as gasps than anything else. Eli is breathing hard too, his eyes burn into me with a desire so intense that I have to look away from it, or I'll give in, I know I will.

I grab my t-shirt up off of the floor and without looking at him I choke out,

"Stay. The fuck. Away. From me"

"How about Nicklaus?" Eli snaps, loosing some of his legendary control for just a moment.

Still without looking at him I snap right back,

"Don't tell him where I am Eli, you know what he'll do"

And with that I pull my t-shirt on hazzardly and vamp speed out of that fucking place before I really lose my fucking mind. Again.

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this scene-'Pieces' by Red)

I come out of the bathroom to see Stefan waiting there for me.

The ride home was….tense. Sin seemed so fucked up, but I couldn't talk to him, not in front of his brothers. Then when we got home he disappeared, and we have no idea where he is right now. I'm worried about him, somehow that Elijah vampire has completely thrown Sinbad off kilter, something I've never seen before. He's usually so in control.

Yeah, well, that control has officially snapped.

Damon is coming over soon, I want him in my bed tonight, after everything that's happened today. I explained everything to Elena as soon as I got back and she seemed to deal with it….badly, but she's more upset that Stefan and Sin went without her, and that Jeremy kept it a secret.

Jeremy is really freaking out about Sinbad being gone, but there isn't much we can do about it until he comes back. I'm sure he will, he has to. He's the only one who gets all my jokes, I need him here.

I move closer to Stefan when I smile warmly at him. If there's one person in my life that I can always depend on, then that person is Stefan.

"Are you alright Stef?" I ask him.

Stefan stands up and holds out my necklace, a grin lights up my face.

"I brought you this" Stefan says with a tentative smile in my direction.

"I though that was gone" I say in delight and confusion.

Stefan shrugs and shakes his head slightly. I reach out to take it but Stefan pulls the necklace out of my reach.

"I have to tell you something" he says.

"Oh, um, go ahead Stef, shoot" I say, tilting my heat to the side and waiting for whatever it is he needs to tell me.

Stefan swallows hard and says,

"I told Sin about us. I mean, about the blood…..me drinking your blood"

My eyes open wide,

"Oh, fuck a duck…..how'd he take it?"

Stefan cringes slightly,

"Not exactly great"

"Well…yeah, I didn't think he would" I admit. That's why I didn't tell him, even though part of me wanted to, if anyone would understand then I thought it would be Sin. Sin always seems to get it, and that's why I love him to pieces.

"But he's ok about it now…did you explain everything about what's been going on?" I ask Stefan, moving forward again until only inches separate us.

Stefan nods,

"Yeah, I think he understands…in his own way"

I sigh relief,

"Oh, good" I make another grab for my necklace, but Stefan pulls it away again.

I laugh nervously,

"Stef, why won't you give me my necklace"

There's a long pause before Stefan answers slowly,

"Because…..I want to say something"

I arch an eyebrow,

"Why do you need to say it with my necklace?" I ask.

Stefan seems to be steeling himself for something and I can feel our bond buzzing between us like fucking crazy with emotions. I want to let them in, to connect our minds so I can understand what's going on. But I don't, I just wait for Stefan to speak.

"Because what I'm about to say is awful, and selfish, it's probably the worst thing I'll ever say" Stefan finally manages to get out and my heart seizes in my chest, I can barely breath now the emotions between us are so intense.

"Then maybe you shouldn't say it" I suggest strongly, unsure of where this is going, but the feelings between us, and not just out bond either, assault my mind and I have no idea what to do or what the right way to react is.

"No, I just have to say it once, you just need to hear me say it. Otherwise it will eat us both up inside and we'll end up doing something we'd regret" Stefan says, his tone taking on a note od desperation that I could never say no to.

I nod once,

"Ok, then say it"

Stefan closes his eyes tight for a few moments, and when he opens them they connect with mine and they blaze so bright that I cannot for the life of me look away.

"I love you Ever. More than I should. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. And I'm…..and worst of all….I'm not sorry that I love you. Even though I should be. I don't understand it, and maybe I never will, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is, I love you Everlyna"

Tears start to fall from my eyes and I can barely choke back a sob, it's all too much, the emotion…..so fucking intense that I don't think I'll survive it.

Stefan cups my face and I let him, without thinking I lean into his touch as tears continue to stream down over my cheeks,

"You hate crying in front of people"

I choke out a strangled laugh,

"I really do"

Stefan wipes the tears away with his thumbs and then he presses his forehead against mine, without me realising it Stefan slips the vervain bracelet Damon gave me off my wrist. I only I have time to gasp before Stefan's eyes meet mine and the compulsion comes over me. Stefan smoothes his thumb over my cheek and he whispers brokenly,

"I wish I could understand this, how I feel for you…I wish you didn't have to forget that I told you I love you…..but you do"

I blink suddenly and I shake my head. Ow, I feel like someone been tap dancing on my face. A few minutes later Damon comes in through the window and I practically throw myself at him, he gathers me up in his arms, smiling and his mouth covers mine almost instantly. I feel the usual lighting attack of passion and pleasure, a thunderstorm of pure want. I'm so in love with Damon that it hurts, and I never want to let him go.

But there's something niggling at the back of my mind and just….I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm still stressing out over Sin. Yeah, that's got to be it.

Damon frowns down at my chest and he lifts my necklace between his fingers,

"I thought you lost this" he says.

I shrug,

"Stefan came round to give it to me"

Stefan? Yeah, he did I remember….sort of.

Stefan. Sinbad. Damon. Oh, bloody hell, my life is full of Salvatore's. I don't think I'll ever have a normal boring life again. Excellent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to-wizbold-I love your reviews and I love you for writing them ;) xxx
> 
> Right, I know this chapter shook things up a bit and I know there are going to be a lot of mixed opinions. But that's fine. But I will say that if you're looking for a sweet smooth sailing fanfic then mine probably isn't the one for you. And also remember that this story is about Ever and Sinbad, all the other characters are just part of their story as individual characters, my fanfic will not be dictated by couples, even if they're favourited ;) Please let me know what you thought my people xxx
> 
> Thanks for reading! xxx


	47. Katerina-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever is on a mission, but who does she take along for the ride? x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-seventh chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would not have left the moonstone in the tomb with Katherine. Again, I get why, to make the plot more interesting, but it's still kind of dummy-ish ;) xxx 
> 
> Review please, thank you x

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Katerina-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Ok, you have to understand, I only know what I've picked up over the years, and I don't know what's true, and what's not true" Rose explains as she paces in the Salvatore's living room.

Apparently Boss Lady showed up at the Salvatore's last night willing to help give us some more information about the Originals and….stuff. Elena is sitting next to me looking completely stone faced, she's still really annoyed with…everyone really, for not telling her what was going on the other day.

Fair enough, I'd be pretty pissed off too if Elena was kidnapped and no one told me about it. But that would never happen, because I always get grabbed by the almighty vampy ones. Plus I'm way too nosy for that secretive shit, they'd never be able to hide something like that from me.

Also, Jeremy would have told me anyway. He fears me. He fears my ultimate wraith. Oh, yeah, I have an ultimate wraith. Cause I'm badass like that. I'm like a freakin' ninja with a bat sidekick.

Speaking of Jeremy, he's standing on the opposite side of the room from Sinbad. Sin did eventually come back last night, he was the one who brought home Rose. The tense atmosphere between Jer and Sin has not gone unnoticed by me. I can feel it thick in the air. There's something wrong, really wrong. It isn't at all like Sin to just run off without talking to anyone, seeing that Elijah, Mr. gorgeous hair, has really shaken him up something fierce.

"That's the problem with all this vampire crap, but Klaus I know is real"

"Oh, he's real alright" Sinbad mutters darkly. He seems to have gone to a dark place inside himself. I've never seen him behave so coldly before, which just reinforces the fact that there is something really wrong with him.

"Who is he?" Elena asks.

"An Original vampire, honestly twin, did you even listen to me last night"

Elena turns a glare on me,

"Oh, sorry, we weren't all kidnapped and given the whole vampire history yesterday"

I poke Elena's arm,

"Alright, you don't have to go all Alpha Bee on me evil twin"

"Klaus is from the first generation of vampires" Stefan says, cutting off any pissy retorts Elena may have had up her sleeve.

My gaze darts to Stefan and he only meets my eyes for a moment before looking away, making a point of not looking at me. Oh, great, now Stefan has a problem with me too. Whoever thought Damon would end up being the least complicated Salvatore brother in my life. Definitely not me. I should probably document this moment, it probably won't last very long. I'm sure Damon will do something insane soon enough.

"He's a legend" Damon adds. I look over at him and he smirks at me in that way I love. I wink back at him and we share a mutual moment of pure contented happiness. My relationship with Damon is…..going a lot better than I thought it would when we first got together. I just hope all this 'Originals' crap doesn't fuck anything up. I've finally gotten to a good place, and now it feels like a storm is coming our way once again.

"Is Klaus like Elijah then?" I ask curiously.

Rose shakes her head and begins pacing again,

"No, Elijah was the Easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal"

"Klaus is known to be the oldest" Stefan says.

I let out a harsh breath and Elena sits forward next to me.

"So, you're saying, the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me and my sister?"

"No" Stefan says at the same time as Rose answers "Yes"

Damon moves round to stand near Rose as he says,

"What she's saying, is that we're looking at a very solid….maybe"

Stefan comes to sit down next to me and Elena, he looks between us both,

"Look, I've never met anyone who's even talked to Klaus directly"

"Apart from your brother" Rose says gesturing at Sin who gives her a mere arched eyebrow in response.

"That's not helping" Damon says to her.

Sinbad makes a low frustrated sound,

"Nicklaus is very real, and if he wants something then he never gives up. It would be moronic of you not to fear him"

Damon takes purposeful steps towards Sinbad and I automatically get my feet, throwing myself in between the two powerful vampires. Because I do in fact have a death wish apparently. I place a hand flat on Damon's chest,

"Stop Day, this isn't the time for a stupid fight"

Damon shakes his head angrily and his hands tighten into fists, his eyes are on his youngest brother.

"How many more secrets do you have Sin? First all that shit with Katherine and now this. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the class?"

Sinbad doesn't even bother to react, he stays leant against the wall with his arms crossed and his expression set on looking slightly bored and uncaring of anything that is going on around him. Sin shrugs,

"We all have our secrets Damon. You've never asked, so I've never told. It's that simple. There's no reason to over-react"

Damon's eyes flash with rage,

"I'll give you 'over-fucking-reacting' in a minute if you don't start telling us the truth"

"What the fuck would you know about the truth Damon? Since when have you given a fuck about us being honest with each other? Like there aren't things you haven't told me and Stefan"

"Yeah, well, none of those things have put my girlfriend in danger"

"Yet" Sinbad says simply.

Damon makes to go after Sinbad again, but I push him back, and he must have greater control over his emotions than he seems to on the outside because he allows me to stop him. Even though it would take little to no effort to remove me from his path towards Sinbad.

I cup Damon's face in my hands and I force him to look at me, once our eyes are locked I say,

"Leave it Day, we can all get into a massive fight after we've dealt with the real threat. Ok?"

There's a pause and then Damon sighs,

"Fine"

Damon pulls me into his arms and I allow myself to be completely consumed by his embrace. The feel of Damon's body so close to mine makes everything a little easier to handle. Even the threat of a crazy psycho vampire who wants to drain the blood from my body. I am so filled with excitement right now, I can't wait to meet this guy. Yay.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Elena get to her feet, school bag in hand,

"Come on Ever, Jeremy, lets go or we'll be late for school"

I groan loudly against Damon's hard chest,

"Whhhhhyyyyyyyyy? I was kidnapped yesterday, leave me alone"

Moments later I'm being yanked away from Damon's embrace by an evil bitch who looks just like me. Although personally I think I carry this look off better than her. This face definitely suits me better I'd say.

I try to escape but Elena's grip is strong as she pulls on my arm. I make 'help me' eyes at Damon, but he is of no use to me as he merely stands there looking insanely attractive and smirk-like.

"No, let me be oh so evil one. I'm sick" I whine at Elena.

Elena snorts,

"In the head maybe, but no more than usual"

I gasp loudly,

"I resent that you heartless witch with a 'b' instead of a 'w'"

"Stop being difficult"

"Your face is difficult"

"You have the same face Ever"

"Why must you always ruin things with logic?"

"Why do you always have to make a big deal out of doing things you don't want to do"

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DO THEM!"

"You're being stupid"

"Your face is being stupid"

"EVER!"

"EL-wait, what was your name again?"

Elena narrows her eyes at me,

"You know my name Ever, we've been twins for seventeen years remember"

I stroke my imaginary long old man beard,

"No…that's not it"

Elena throws her hands up and mutters angrily,

"You're so annoying sometimes"

I point dramatically at her,

"Ah, now I remember. You're that bitch who ate all my ice cream. You must be punished" I turn to an amused looking Stefan and Damon, "Stef, Day, avenge me and my ice cream. This monster has been allowed to go on the rampage for far too long. Dispose of her. Quietly. I don't want anyone calling the RSPCA about it"

I see Jeremy look over at Sinbad, and when Sin refuses to respond in any way, Jeremy's shoulder sag with upset and hurt flashes in his eyes. Jeremy shrugs his bag over his shoulder and walks past me and Elena, heading for the door,

"Come on Ev's, the evil Bee is right, we're gonna be late. Stefan and Damon can avenge you later, or maybe even Matt would be better suited for the task. He does have previous experience in avenging you with Tyler, remember"

I click my fingers,

"Aha, you're right, good old Matty will understand" I make a dismissive gesture at the Salvatore's, "You vampire boys are useless, I'm gonna go find me a real man, a.k.a Matty"

Elena groans,

"You're insane Ever"

"Bones and bricks may break my sticks, but turds will never hurt me" I say in a sing song voice.

Elena just rolls her eyes rather rudely at me.

"I'll just go grab my stuff, then I'll come with you" Stefan says.

Elena shakes her head at him,

"Don't worry, we know where it is"

Ohhhhh, cold my evil twin, very cold.

She's still pissed off with Stefan about everything and it's clear to me that Stefan is desperately trying to make up for it. In fact, he seems to be acting almost….guilty, like, even more so than usual.

I'm starting to think Stefan is more of a mystery than I gave him credit for. He's lucky that I like a good mystery.

…..

As soon as we get to school and Elena, Jeremy and I head for different classes I walk right back out of school. Fuck school, I have some questions for bitchzilla.

Now, I would ask Caroline to help me, but she can't keep a secret for shit. And Damon would never let me go, because he's such an over protective crazy person. Sinbad is going through too much shit for me to ask him, so, really, the only person that leaves who can open the damn door to the tomb, is my best friend forever; Dr. Steffy. Despite his weird behaviour today, he's still the one person I trust with my plan.

I call Stefan and I tell him to meet me outside school in the parking lot with a bottle of blood and the Petrova book that Damon gave me after his road trip with Elena to Duke. Lucky for me, Stefan doesn't ask too many questions, although I know convincing him to let me do this won't be easy.

As soon as Stefan pulls into the parking lot I jump into his car. He turns a questioning look on me.

"What's going on Ever? And why do you need a bottle of blood?"

"We're going to visit a certain inmate who might appreciate the blood" I reply.

Stefan's eyebrows go sky high,

"No. She's too dangerous Ever"

I make an exasperated sound,

"She's ceiled in a freakin' tomb Stefan, what's she gonna do? Bitch me to death?"

Stefan still looks hesitant,

"Does Elena know about this?"

I frown at him,

"Who's Elena?"

Stefan sighs and makes a face at me,

"Elena is that girl who will be really angry with me if she finds out I took you and not her"

"Well then, she shouldn't have been such a goodie goodie and skipped school instead of waiting to do this after school"

"Elena is going to the tomb after school?"

"Of course she is, she'll probably ask Caroline to help her"

"Why wouldn't Elena ask me to help?"

"Because…..because you'd never let her"

"Right. So what makes you think I'll let you?"

"One, because we're best friends, i.e. bro's before ho's rule. Two, because you know it makes sense, I'm much more persuasive than she is. And three, because you're not in love with me"

Stefan's whole body seems to stiffen, our bond almost freezes over with tension. He appears to be thinking about something rather deeply, and he's shielding it from me too. What the hell is that about?

But just as quickly Stefan snaps right back into reality and he even smiles at me.

"Ok, but I'm not leaving you alone with her, she's too manipulative"

I pump my fist into the air,

"YES!" I throw myself at Stefan, grabbing him into a weird car hug. At first it's a little awkward but then Stefan relaxes into it and he hugs me back, his hold is firm and reassuring, just like Stefan. He always makes me feel comfortable and good inside, like the whole world is in cosmic balance when we're together. I don't know how else to describe it.

I pull back and our eyes lock for a few moments. Our bond fizzles with tense energy and part of me wants to dig into it and see exactly what's bothering Stefan. But then Stefan tares his eyes away from mine, he starts the car and drives us out of the school parking lot at top speed. For someone so cautious, Stefan does drive like a crazy person.

He drives so fast sometimes that it feels like we're flying. It's an amazing insight into the person Stefan could be, if he allowed himself to loosen up a little. Or if he was human. Sometimes I wish I could have met Stefan as a human, I keep wondering if he was always so serious. I only ever get sarcastic answers from Damon and Sinbad when I ask them about him.

"You don't have to worry about her manipulating me Stef"

Stefan arches an eyebrow at me,

"And why is that?"

I turn a smirk on him,

"Because I'm not a male, therefore her super powers do not work on me. I'm also not a moron. Although, then again, morons and males…basically the same thing"

"You just offended all males everywhere with that statement"

"I only speak the truth Stef"

"You speak madness Everlyna"

"Dr. Steffy, you just hurt my feelings"

"You hurt mine first"

"I did no such thing!"

"You just called me a moron"

"No, I called all males morons"

"I happen to be a male Everlyna"

"I've seen no evidence of that so far"

"You're so mean. If I'm not a male, then what am I?"

"Ok, ok, keep your clogs on Pinocchio, you are a real boy, there, you happy?"

"Who's Pinocchio?"

"That's it, what's wrong with you and Damon, have neither you ever watched any Disney movies before?"

"I can't speak for Damon, but as for me, not really, no"

"You're weird"

"Nice to meet you pot, my name is kettle"

"Oh, that was a good one, you win"

"Thank you"

"Ok, now we need to work on your victory dance"

"Oh God"

…

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stefan asks me when we're standing outside the tomb.

I turn to look directly at Stefan,

"I'm sure that it makes sense to do this. 'Want to' is a completely different matter. But yes, I'm sure. Now use that vampy super strength. Impress me Dracula boy wonder"

"I don't know if-"

"Look, bottom line, she's the only one who knows the truth about Klaus. Well, apart from possibly Sinbad, but he's not exactly willing to share, and I don't want to force him. So, that leaves me with bitchzilla. Either help me, or go away so I can embarrass, and possibly harm, myself by trying to open this damn door"

"You're asking for the truth from someone who's most likely never given it Ever"

"I can't just sit back and wait Stefan, I need to know what the hell is going on"

I can tell that he still doesn't like this, it shows clearly on his face.

"Please Stefan, do this for me" I plead with him one last time before I bring out the Kevin threats.

Stefan meets my gaze and I hold it steadily. He sighs and turns away from me to open the heavy stone door.

It makes a horrible crunching sound as he opens it and I feel a wave of foreboding hit me square in the chest. This will either go very well, or very badly. I'm edging towards badly, but you never know, stranger things have happened.

Probably.

Once the door is open Stefan steps back, making sure he stays close to me. I don't know what he's so afraid will happen, it's not like she can kill me through a force field of ju ju power. Unless she has somehow gained the ability to kill me using her mind.

"Bitchzi-Katherine" I call out to her.

I turn to Stefan,

"I'll be ok from here, you don't have to stay"

Stefan gives me an incredulous look like I've just suggested he should go take a ride on a griffin.

"There is no way in hell I'm leaving you alone with her"

"Don't you trust me" I say in mock hurt.

Stefan gives me an ironic look,

"I don't trust her with your safety" his expression becomes more firm when he says, "Either I stay here with you, or we're both leaving"

I can tell there's a part of him that hopes I'll say we should just leave. But that ain't happening.

I roll my eyes,

"Alright, be all broody and bodyguardish, you're good at that"

Suddenly I hear scuffling noises from the tomb and moment's later bitchzilla comes into view. She looks awful, and I'm not saying that just because I dislike her with an intense passion.

She stops at the entrance, unable to move any farther. Her voice is croaky when she says,

"Hello Ever. Have you come to watch me wither away?"

"As fun as that would be, no, I'm here for something else"

I open up the bag with the Petrova book in it.

"Does Damon know you're here?" she asks. Bitchzilla's eyes flicker to Stefan and an amused smile graces her lips, "With Ste-fan"

I ignore her question,

"I've brought you some things"

"You came to bribe me. What is it that you want?"

I throw the book down in front of her,

"I want you to tell me about Klaus"

She raises an eyebrow at me,

"Hmmm, you've been busy"

I look down at the book,

"That's your family history" Katherine's eyes flicker to the book, "It says in there that your family line ended with you. Obviously, that's a load of dum dum nonsense"

She sneers at me,

"You thought that if you brought me some family keepsake that I would open up"

I smile and I take out the bottle of blood,

"I also brought you this"

Katherine tries to get out of the tomb, but the spell stops her from leaving.

I move closer to her holding the bottle of blood,

"You don't look so snazzy right now bitchz-eh-Katherine. How long before your body shuts down, ten? Twenty years? Must be painful to desiccate and mummify, I can't even imagine how awful that would be bitchzi-Katherine"

"Once again, nice save" Stefan says, he's standing with his arms crossed looking like an incredibly attractive guard.

"Shhh, Dr. Steffy, I'm trying to be dramatic" I mock whisper to him.

Katherine slides to the ground and I kneel, taking out a small cup and pouring some of the blood into it. I use a stick to push it closer to her, no way am I risking getting trapped in there with her. It looks dark, and there are probably bats. And not the good Kevin kind either.

Katherine picks up the cup and looks at me through narrowed eyes,

"You have the Petrova fire" she says before downing the cup of blood.

"More blood?" I ask her. She places the cup back on the ground and I use the stick again to slide it back towards me.

"It's a long story, Klaus and I, it goes all the way back to England 1492, after I left Bulgaria"

"What, you ran out of brothers to screw in your own country so you moved on to another one?"

I push another cup of blood towards her and she drinks it.

"I was thrown out"

"Thrown out?" I question suspiciously.

"My father, he disowned me. My indiscretions were not tolerated at that time. I had a baby out of wedlock. The shame"

That's it? I have to admit, I was thinking of something far more dramatic.

"It was kept secret though right"

"Yes, my baby was taken away from me after she was born"

My heart clenches with sympathy, I can't imagine how horrible that would have been.

"I'm sorry" I say honestly.

Katherine narrows her eyes at me,

"Hm, fiery one moment and then sympathetic the next. Fascinating. You must keep the Salvatore's on their toes"

I say nothing, although I do become even more aware of Stefan's presence behind me.

"I was banished to England, I had to adjust. So I quickly became English" Katherine explains, "It was there that I caught the eye of a nobleman named Klaus. I was taken with him at first, until I found out what he was and what he wanted from me. And then I ran like hell"

"So, what did Klaus want exactly?" I ask her.

"The same thing that he'll want from you. He wants to break the curse"

"By sacrificing the doppelganger" I say, to myself mostly.

Katherine looks up at me,

"He wanted to drain every single drop of blood from my body"

Excellent.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Alright, Rose, Sin, time to give me some answers" Damon says.

Rose pulls out of my embrace and I give her a tissue to clear the tears away. Damon makes an exasperated sound,

"Oh please don't tell me you're crying because your buddy Trevor lost his head"

Rose aims a glare at Damon and then she looks at me,

"Has he always been this sensitive?"

I shrug,

"Once upon a time he was a dick. Now he's a dick who's in love"

Damon snorts out a laugh,

"Says the one whose been treating his own boyfriend like crap since he came face to face with his past yesterday"

I growl under my breath at Damon, fuck, at this whole situation. When we got back home yesterday I needed some time by myself. I needed to fucking think, get my head out of my past for five minutes so I could breath. Damn Originals. They always do this. They wait until I've got my life at least semi-sorted, and then they swoop back in and fuck everything up.

Ever since the first time I met them, they've caused nothing but trouble in my life, and this time will be no different. I couldn't even fucking look at Jeremy today. He he's so handsome and sweet and perfect and mine, but…..I fucked up big time by kissing Eli. Or by letting him kiss me at least. I'm gonna have to tell Jer, before he finds out some other way, because I know he will.

I have no idea how he'll react, I can only hope he won't hate me for it. I couldn't stand it if I've already fucked up the best thing in my life, the best thing that has ever happened to me.

"Fuck off Damon" I snap, "You have questions, then ask them before I decide that it's none of your fucking business"

Damon's jaw clenches and I can feel his anger bubbling to the surface, but he manages to contain it by sheer force of will.

"How do I find Klaus?"

"You can't. He finds you" I answer with complete certainty. Nick is too smart to be found, he's too powerful and feared. Looking for him would be pointless and dangerous for everyone involved, and I don't want him here. For a lot of reasons. Seeing Elijah was bad enough.

"Come on, someone's gotta know somebody who knows where he is, right?" Damon says, sounding frustrated.

"Add about another five hundred somebody's to that list and you're still not even close." Rose says.

"Humour me" Damon's eyes flicker to mine, "Sin, if you wanted to, could you get in touch with Elijah?"

His eyes bore into mine and I sigh,

"Yes"

"Could you get in touch with Klaus?" Damon asks me.

"Yes" I answer again, because it's true, I could get in touch with them if I wanted to. I would just have to announce my existence and they'd both come. Hell, I don't imagine Elijah is that far away right now.

"Will you?" Damon says.

"No, why would I do that?" I say incredulously.

"Because we need to get rid of Elijah, so he won't tell Klaus about Ever" Damon snaps irritably.

"Don't get all pissy Damon. Trust me brother, you don't want to be messing with the Originals, especially Nick-Klaus I mean"

"Fine, then we won't as long as we deal with Elijah before he goes blabbing to Klaus….out of curiosity, exactly how many of these Originals have you fucked Sin? How many angry ex's are we dealing with here?"

I narrow my eyes at Damon,

"That's not important"

"If you won't get in touch with him then I'll find another way-"

"For fucks sake Damon. Even if I do get him to come here, what then?"

"We kill him. Obviously"

"They can't be killed Damon. They're Originals"

"Bullshit, there must be some way of killing them"

"There is" I say in annoyance, "But….maybe we're going about this the wrong way"

Damon's brows furrow,

"What do you mean?"

I sigh heavily,

"I mean, what if we find a way to destroy the moonstone, then the curse won't be able to be broken at all anyway, making the whole thing pointless"

Damon seems to think hard about that for a moment before nodding,

"Alright, fine, we'll do it the Saint Stefan peaceful way if you want. But how do we destroy the moonstone"

"Forget that, more importantly, how do we get the bloody moonstone away from Katerina?"

Damon groans and runs a hand through his hair,

"The bitch won't just hand it over"

"She'll want us to let her out, you know she will"

"Then…we'll find a way to get her out"

"Damon, have lost your fucking mind"

Damon's face becomes more serious than I can ever remember seeing it as he says,

"It's Ever. I love her, she's everything to me. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if that means getting Katherine out of that damn tomb"

I think about arguing, but the look on Damon's face tells me that he won't listen no matter what I say.

"Fine, let's go pay Kitty Kat a visit"

Damon holds his hand up,

"No way. I'll text Stefan to meet me there, I can't trust you to keep a level head. You're all over the fucking place today. Sort your shit out baby brother, and do it fast"

Without another word to me Damon leaves the boarding house, presumably to meet Stefan at the tomb. I turn back to Rose with my mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"What?" she questions me curiously.

I shake my head,

"Nothing, it's just….I never thought I'd live to see the day when Damon would be the more rational brother out of the two of us"

Rose smirks slightly and gives me a leering look,

"He's a firecracker isn't he"

I snort out a laugh,

"Stay away from my brother Rose, he's taken. Like, really taken"

Rose rolls her eyes,

"I suppose I'll have to use you for my source of entertainment then"

I smirk back at her,

"You know you love me"

Rose laughs,

"We all do. I have yet to meet a person who knows the infamous Sinbad Salvatore and isn't in love with you in some way"

I wink at Rose,

"It's my dance moves. They kill at parties. Or in the rain on a moonlit street"

"I don't know about that, I think I've forgotten just how good your dancing is Mr. Salvatore" Rose teases.

I grin, feeling slightly less shitty than I did this morning, Rose could always make me feel like having some fun. Which is why I end up slamming on some music and pulling Rose against me, reminding her of just how good my dance moves really are.

Ever's P.O.V

"What does the Petrova bloodline have to do with Klaus?" I ask Katherine as I pour her another cup of blood, sliding it to her with the stick once again.

Katherine sighs,

"It's really tedious, but the curse was bound by the sacrifice of Petrova blood. Witches are crafty with their spells. The doppelganger was created as a way to be able to undo the spell. Once the doppelganger reappeared, the curse can be broken"

I think about that for a few moments.

"So, you ran, before he killed you."

Katherine says,

"Something like that".

I frown,

"I'm guessing that's when Trevor and Rose came into the story"

"Ah, you are a clever one, I'll give you that" Katherine praises.

Then she explains to me what happened with her and Trevor and Rose. A story that is part horrific and part ridiculously stupid.

Trevor really was a dum dum. Poor Rose though. Boss Lady really got screwed over by Trevor and bitchzilla.

"You killed yourself. And I missed that. Damn, I always knew I was born in the wrong century"

"Klaus needed a human doppelganger" Katherine explains, "As a vampire I was no longer of any use to him"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"Obviously, that didn't go very well now did it, because you've been running from him for…..like, ever"

"I underestimated his spirit for vengeance. But living out of a suitcase is better than dying so that you can have your blood spilled over some silly little rock"

I nod,

"Amen to that bitchzilla"

"Did you just call be bitchzilla?"

"Uh….would you believe me if I said no?"

"You've got fire Ever"

"You've got….fangs"

"I know, they're my best feature" Katherine smirks at me and I find myself smirking back despite myself. No, damn it no, do not make friends with the evil lady.

"Would you like a pair of your own?" Katherine asks mockingly.

I make a face at her,

"I don't know" I say, actually sort of honestly.

I feel Stefan shift behind me and through our bond I feel the protest within him even if he does not voice it out loud. Katherine's eyes flicker up to look at Stefan, she smiles slightly at whatever it is she see's. Her eyes flicker back to mine and I see amusement swirling in her irises,

"One of your boyfriend's does not like that plan. I bet Damon would though, he'd turn you in a heart beat if you asked him to"

I'd like to shake my head in denial, but the truth is, she's probably right. Even though Damon has never outwardly said he wants me to be vampire one day, it is sort of implied when we promise to love each other always. 'Always' won't exactly be very long if I continue to age and Damon doesn't. It's not that I want to be a vampire, or that I don't want to be. I just thought I had more time to decide, years of being human. I thought about going to college with Elena and my friends maybe, or at least graduating, turning eighteen for real first.

Besides everything else, Elena would never go for it. This is about her just as much as it is about me. We are twins after all.

"You truly fucked up Dum dum two and Rose's lives by doing what you did" I say, not sure what to make of such a selfish choice, even if it does make sense from a survival perspective.

"I was looking out for myself Ever. I will always look out for myself. If you're smart, you'll do the same" Katherine replies. She turns away from me then and starts flicking through the big book with interest.

There's a long pause between us. I sigh and I get to my feet, not wanting to sit around on my ass anymore.

"So, how much of that story wasn't compete bullshit?"

"I have no reason to lie to you Ever. I have no reason to do anything but sit here and read. And rot"

"Ok, so assuming you're not as big a butthead as I've always thought you were and your story is at least partially true, that's the reason why you came back wasn't it. Because you wanted to be the one to hand me and the moonstone over to the big bad Klausy wousy, right"

I look over at Stefan and he raises an eyebrow at me,

"Klausy wousy?"

I shrug,

"What? He's not here, he can't hear my mocking of his name"

"Please tell me you won't talk to him like that if you ever do meet him" Stefan pleads with me, but there's amusement in his eyes too.

"You mean if I ever meet Klausy wousy?"

Stefan nods in resignation,

"You're looking forward to calling him that to his face aren't you?"

I wink at Stefan,

"I've never been so excited about anything in my entire life"

"I don't even want to know what you call me when I'm not around"

I make a mock affronted face,

"I call you my best friend forever. My light. My shining freakin' star. You're my favourite, you know"

Stefan barks out a laugh,

"I know. You're my favourite too"

I punch Stefan lightly on the shoulder,

"HA! I KNEW IT!"

Then we're both laughing and despite all the shitty stuff that's been happening today, I actually feel a little lighter than I did before. I need to take Stefan on more missions.

Our laughing is cut off abruptly however when Katherine mocks us.

"Aw, so cute. I wonder what your siblings would think though. I don't imagine they'd be so happy."

Stefan stiffens, but he says nothing in response. I shake my head, refusing to take the bait.

"So, what else is needed for this ritual thingy. Obviously it's not just me and the stupid moonstone."

Katherine cocks an eyebrow,

"Ohhh you're getting smarter"

"Why did you need a werewolf? That's why you brought Mason here, and why you had Tyler turned when Mason died, right"

"Witches and their spells. So many ingredients. So many people to sacrifice"

My blood runs cold suddenly,

"So, you do need a werewolf"

"Believe it or not, they're hard to come by"

"What else?"

"A witch to do the spell. Mine bailed, but I'm sure Bonnie will do just fine"

"What else?"

"A vampire"

I frown, a realisation dawning on me,

"Caroline"

"Could have been anyone I suppose, but, I like the poetry of Caroline"

"You were going to hand us all over to be killed. Nice. Classy."

Katherine tilts her head to the side and says all creepy-like,

"Better you die than I" Katherine moves back inside the tomb, shadows making it impossible for me to see her. She's a creepy bitch. A clever creepy bitch. Those are the worst kind.

I groan, running my hands through my hair in frustration. I turn back to Stefan, my heart feeling like lead in my chest.

"What the hell do I do Stef?" I ask him desperately.

Stefan gives me a sympathetic look, he wraps a hand around my wrist and pulls me into a tight embrace. I allow myself to relax in his arms. He's always made me feel safe, and I've never appreciated it more than I do now.

"No matter what, we're all in this together. You don't have to do this alone Ever, ok?" Stefan whispers strongly.

I nod against his shoulder, and I pull back to meet Stefan's eyes. I smile gratefully up at him and he smiles back in response. I'm about to reply when I hear footsteps coming from the steps leading down to the tomb.

I expect to see Elena, and possibly Caroline. What I do not expect is Damon, who's eyes widen and then flash with fucking dangerous anger at the sight of me and Stefan.

"Stefan, I'm gonna count to five, and if you're still touching my girlfriend like that afterwards, then I swear I will rip out your heart and shove it down your throat"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually like to say when I'll be posting next, but this time I will. I'm posting the second part of this episode tomorrow, so you won't have to wait as long this time xxx
> 
> Spoiler for next time-A lot of emotional moments and one couple have a MASSIVE fight, but which? xxx
> 
> Please review and thank you for reading! xxx


	48. Katerina-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BIG FIGHT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-eighth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Matty would be in the show WAY more. I love that blue eyes vixen ;) xxx

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Katerina-part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

Stefan and I spring apart so fast that you'd think we were both on fire. My eyes widen at Damon's outright anger. I move towards Damon, but he stops me with a look that singes my insides like a firecracker set off inside a tent.

I shake my head,

"I'm sorry Day"

Damon's breathe hitches and for a moment complete and utter devastation crashes over him. I can see it in his eyes. I don't understand why though, I knew he'd be angry about me not telling him, and especially pissed about me taking Stefan instead of him. But I never imagined anything close to this level of pain and rage.

Damon's eyes flicker between me and Stefan despairingly, and suddenly it clicks why he seems so upset. I gasp and reach out to Damon, he practically flinches away from me, but I continue to touch him, I force Damon to meet my eyes as I say,

"No, Day, no. I meant I'm sorry I didn't tell you about me coming here. I knew you'd never let me. I was just upset about what Katherine told me, and Stefan was…..he was just being a good friend"

The relief that washes over Damon's expression is undeniably intense, and he lets out a silently harsh breath before practically yanking me into his arms. He holds me tight against him and I squeeze him just as hard back. My whole body lights up like a bolt of lightening when Damon's mouth comes down over mine. The kiss is brief, far briefer than either of us wants it to be, and it holds an unsaid promise of things to come tonight.

But another part of me feels so wrong kissing Damon in front of Stefan. I don't why, although it's sort of always been that way. I felt the same with Sinbad, I could never be too overly affectionate in front of Stefan with either of his brothers, it felt like I was betraying the universe or something. It's stupid, but I can't control it any more than I can control the bond between us.

"What the hell Stefan? Why didn't you tell me?" Damon demands of his brother once we've pulled apart at least enough that we're no longer clinging to each other.

But Stefan is not looking at us, in fact he seems to be studiously trying his hardest not to look our way at all. By this point I know when Stefan is uncomfortable, even if I couldn't feel it through our bond, which I can. And right now he is feeling extremely uncomfortable and a big part of me feels really awful about that. Although for the life of me I don't really understand it.

Stefan sighs heavily,

"I'm sorry" is all he says. But for whatever reason Damon seems to find that a satisfactory answer and the anger slowly bleeds out of him. Damon's body is now far less tense than it was only moments before.

Damon looks down at me then and asks,

"So, what has the psycho slut told you? Lies upon lies upon even bigger lies"

I think about it for a moment and then answer,

"Maybe, but the gist of it is that bitchzilla screwed over Boss Lady and dum dum two so she could become a vampire and escape Klausy wousy, but that didn't work out so well because-"

"Wait, Klausy….wousy?" Damon raises an amused eyebrow and he looks over at Stefan, who raises one shoulder and then lets it drop.

I slap Damon upside the head,

"Don't interrupt me when I'm summarising Damon! Anyway, where was I? Ah right, yeah, so Klausy wousy wanted revenge on bitchzilla because she ruined his ritual thingy by killing herself-not a sentence I ever thought I'd say-and so she came here to hand over all the ingredients of the ritual to Klausy wousy a.k.a. the most persistent stalker in the universe"

Damon frowns and asks,

"What are the 'ingredients'?"

"Uh, a vampire, a witch, the moonstone, a werewolf and….me, or Elena" I answer, like I'm ticking off a list of stuff we need at the supermarket.

Damon growls low in his throat in response,

"That bitch was going to hand you over"

"Actually, I probably would have given him Elena. I like Ever better" Katherine chooses that time to reappear, just as bitch-like as ever.

Stefan lets out a disgruntled sound of anger and I roll my eyes. Ironically only moments later I hear my evil twin's voice from above. Elena comes down the stairs and gasps in shock when she see's us. Caroline pretty much bumps into Elena as my sister has frozen to the spot, her eyes flickering between me, Damon, Stefan and Katherine.

"Uh oh" Caroline murmur under her breath.

"What are you all doing here?" Elena questions incredulously.

I twist my wrist to look at a non-existent watch. I scoff loudly and before anyone else can speak I give Elena a scandalised look,

"It's not even the end of school yet! Oh my fucking God. Elena skipped school. First swearing, then stealing and now cutting classes…..maybe we really are related after all. I was beginning to doubt it despite all the evidence to the contrary" I gesture at my face and then at hers.

Elena ignores me. RUDE!

"Stefan" she says, "What's going on?"

Stefan looks almost desperately at me for a moment, but then he lets out a breathe and says,

"Ever asked me to open the tomb door. So I did" Trust Stefan to be blunt as hell in a situation like this.

For a few moments I swear Elena is about to blow up she looks so pissed, but then she seems to school her features into a less volatile expression.

"How did you convince him to do that?" she asks me.

I open my mouth to speak but Katherine beats me to it,

"I know, I know, she-"

"I just asked him nicely, as best friends forever do. That's all, right Stefan" I cut bitchzilla off before she puts any ideas into my boyfriend or my sister's head.

Stefan nods,

"Yeah, she made a compelling argument and I had no escape. Those two things mixed together ended up with me here"

Damon snorts out a laugh and smirks at me,

"You could have 'convinced' me. I think I would have enjoyed that"

I grin back at him,

"Yes, you would have baby. Don't give up hope, there's still some washing up at home I could 'convince' you to do"

Caroline screws her face up,

"Ew, you guys, too much information"

"I think you'll find the correct term is TMI" Damon says, deadpan, and Caroline makes a face at him.

Elena clears her throat loudly and asks,

"So, what has she told you?"

I briefly explain what I've found out from bitchzilla, which has Elena gasping indignantly all over the place.

Damon yanks me to his side and puts an arm around me protectively as if he can protect me from every threat just by having me close. I love that about Damon, he'd take on the world for me and tell it to fuck off. He's an insane man, but he's brave, and he's mine.

Once I've finished telling them everything Stefan moves towards Elena.

"You don't have to worry Elena, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or Ever" Stefan tries to placate a very upset looking evil twin.

Elena shakes her head and makes eye contact with me. I see the same sadness from my eyes reflected in hers.

"That's the problem, you won't, but you'll die trying. How is that any better?"

"There's nothing you can do" Katherine says, "I haven't even told you the best part of the story. He killed them, my entire family, just to get back at me for running. Whatever you do to escape Klaus, he will get is vengeance. On your friends, your family, on anyone you have ever loved"

"That's enough" Damon snaps and he holds me tighter, leaning down to press his lips against cheek. I lean into his loving touch, feeling like the whole world has dropped out from beneath my feet.

Stefan shakes his head and grabs hold of a distraught looking Elena,

"No, don't listen to her"

Katherine scoffs,

"There's nothing either of you can do to save them. Well, not unless you have this" Katherine reveals the moonstone in her hand.

Damn, I hate that moonstone, it almost caused me to be sacrificed by Slytherin supporters.

"Ah, there it is. That's why all the lies. You spun this whole thing so that we would have to get the stone from you" Stefan accuses.

Katherine's face is solemn when she replies,

"No, I didn't spin anything. It's the truth"

"You want to trade that stone for your freedom, you manipulative psychotic bitch"

Woah, I've never heard Stefan swear before. That was epic. Go Steffy!

Damon actually smirks and leans down to whisper in my ear,

"You're excited by the fact that Stefan just swore aren't you?"

I try my best to hold in my smile as I whisper back,

"I think we should invest in a swear jar"

Damon actually chuckles under his breath. This isn't funny, none of it is, but damn Klausy wousy, I'm not gonna sit around being all depressed about my impending doom.

Katherine bristles at Stefan's words,

"Freedom? That's where you're wrong Stefan, because when Klaus shows up to kill us all, and he will, I'll be in the tomb where no vampire can enter because they can't get out. I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town"

Ah, silver lining.

…

"Elena, please, don't shut me out" Stefan calls to Elena as she runs into our house.

I give Stefan a sympathetic look,

"I'll go after her" I tell him and follow my sister inside.

We all agreed that there was stuff we need to talk about, but that it could wait until tomorrow. Elena looked about ready to lose her shit. I said I'd meet Damon later tonight, but for now it seems like Elena and I have some stuff to sort out between us.

I follow Elena all the way to her room and I close the door behind us.

"Elena, please, talk to me"

Elena turns to me, her eyes wide. She runs her hands through her hair and I can tell that my twin is very upset right now.

"It's not just us that are in danger Ever"

I raise an eyebrow,

"'Just' she says. Just. I happen to be very fond of my safety Elena, and yours"

Elena shakes her head in frustration,

"But it's not about just us. It's Caroline and it's Bonnie, they're all part of breaking the curse"

"Yeah Elena, I know, I was there when bitchzilla explained that part to me"

"I can't blame anyone else anymore. It's not because Stefan and Damon came into our lives. That's not why everyone that we love is in danger. It's because of me. Because of us, and I can't…..it's all because of us"

I move swiftly towards my sister and I pull her into a tight embrace. Elena clings onto me, her grip almost punishingly. I hold onto her as she loses it completely, crying and sobbing against my shoulder, her whole body being racked by shivers of anguish.

I have to be strong though. I have to be strong for my sister, and for myself and for everyone else. I have to hold us all together so we don't break. A storm is coming and we need to stand together so we can fight it. I survived my parents dying, and if I can survive that, then I can survive anything.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Damon and Stefan come in just as Rose has gone upstairs for a shower. I look between my brothers and I say,

"Ah, so you're both still alive. I'd call today a win on that basis alone"

Damon makes a face at me and goes to pour himself a drink. He basically throws himself down next to me on the sofa. Stefan gets himself a drink too, but he doesn't sit down. I frown slightly and sigh. My brothers are being difficult, either that or something has happened to make Stefan go into brood mode and Damon….no, Damon's always been difficult.

Sometimes I think me and Damon were put on this earth just to irritate each other.

With that in mind I say,

"So, come on, it's sharing time in the boarding house. Whoever is holding the special teddy gets to talk about their feelings" Damon just raises an eyebrow at me and Stefan's eyebrows furrow in silent concentration.

I sit up and smile brightly,

"Fine, I'll go first. Elijah kissed me and now I have to tell Jeremy about it. He's coming over soon, so we can 'talk'. Fuck relationships, this is why I never wanted one"

"So, what do you want us to say? I told you you'd fuck up eventually with Jeremy. You're not built for a relationship, just like I'm not built to be a nice guy who doesn't kill people" Damon says conversationally.

"I don't want 'advice' if that's what you're asking. The day I take relationship advice from either of you is the day that….nope, there is no scenario I can think of where me asking for relationship advice from you two would ever happen. Besides, I just wanted to share. We're family. That's what families do. They share their feelings and problems. Apparently"

Stefan lets out a frustrated sound and he says,

"Elena won't trust me to help her. She thinks everything is her fault, and I don't know how to make her see that she isn't alone in this."

Damon sighs after downing his drink, he shifts in his seat. Damon points at Stefan and says,

"You're not holding the special teddy, so what you just said is invalid to us"

I snort out a laugh and I nod,

"He's right, you need the special teddy. Did you not listen to the rules?"

Stefan gives us a look like wants to strangle the life out of our bodies,

"There is no special teddy"

"That isn't the point" I say.

"How is that not the point?" Stefan asks.

"The special teddy is metaphorical" I reply.

"How can I hold a metaphorical special teddy?"

"You can't" Damon answers amicably.

"I hate you both" Stefan snaps and he pinches the bridge of his nose like we've given him a headache.

"Hey, we don't make the rules of Salvatore family time. We merely enforce them" I say.

Stefan shakes his head,

"I would like some advice" he says.

Me and Damon exchange glances and I reply,

"From us?"

Stefan's expression changes from slightly irritated to full blown 'I am not amused by your tomfoolery'.

"No, from the special teddy. Yes of course from you"

I hold my hands up in surrender,

"Fine, fine, don't get your hair gel in a twist. Maybe you should spend some time together, just the two of you and talk it out, let her know you're there for her no matter what she decides to do"

Stefan thinks about that for a few moments and then says,

"Sounds as good a plan as any. I love her, I just want her to be safe"

Damon and I nod in understanding. Damon frowns slightly and leans forward, he looks at Stefan as he says,

"You can't ask metaphorical objects for advice Stefan, don't be ridiculous"

Stefan throws his hands up in frustration and walks away from us, leaving the room, mumbling something about killing Damon and me under his breath.

I start laughing and Damon just smirks at me. I remember how it used to be when we were children. Damon and I would annoy the hell out of Stefan just to see how far we could push him until he blew up. I suppose that's just how brothers are. Things haven't changed that much, despite everything that's happened over the years.

Damon turns to me suddenly and I get the strangest feeling that Damon wants to ask me something. I can count on one hand the amount of times Damon has been nervous about asking me anything, so my body tenses slightly in anticipation.

He meets my eyes full on though when he finally asks,

"Stefan and Ever"

My body stiffens even more and try my best not to react too strongly,

"Yeah, what about them?"

Damon gets that vulnerable look in his eye that always does something weird to my insides. I don't like that look on his face, it goes against everything else I know about my brother. Damon leans closer to me when he asks almost desperately,

"Do I have anything to worry about?"

At first I don't know what to say. What can I say to such a complicated question? I fully believe that nothing has actually happened between Ever and Stefan. It isn't either of their style to do something like that. It would be a lie though, to say there was nothing going on at all. But telling Damon that would only fuck things up further.

I swallow hard and for the first I truly lie to my eldest brother,

"No, you don't"

I hate lying, I loathe it actually. But there is no other option in this case. Damon would react harshly and on impulse if I even suggested something might be happening between the girl he loves and our brother. I don't know enough to accuse anyone of anything. Besides, it…really isn't my business.

If things progress further between Stefan and Ever then I'll warn Damon about it, but until that happens I think it's best for everyone involved if I just stay the fuck out of it. I have my own relationship crap to work out anyway.

…

When Jeremy arrives at the boarding house, I immediately take him up to my room. We're going to need privacy for this.

My heart clenches at the thought of hurting Jeremy this way, but I refuse to lie to him, it wouldn't sit right with me. From the very beginning I knew I wanted our relationship to be an honest one, otherwise there's no point in having a relationship at all, because it would be based on lies.

Once I've closed the door I slam Jeremy up against the wall and I kiss him hard on the mouth. He moans against my lips and I shove my tongue inside, exploring the heat of his mouth. I taste him for a long time, not letting either of us breathe. I need him, I need this. I've never wanted or needed someone the way I do Jeremy.

Jeremy tries to work off my t-shirt and I ache to get him naked and slam into him so hard that he'd forget his own damn name. But I have to tell him the truth, it would make me a complete asshome to fuck him and then break his heart. I've been that sort of man in the past, many times, more times than I can ever redeem myself from, but I cannot be selfish with Jeremy, I never could.

I pull away from Jeremy and he cries out in protest. Jeremy is breathing hard and he just about manages to get out,

"I've missed you Sin, I thought something was really wrong. Have I done something? Did I upset you somehow, because if I did then it wasn't on purpose. I'm sorry"

"God fucking damnit Jeremy, do not say sorry to me" I snap a bit more harshly than I intended. But it hurts me for Jeremy to even think for a moment that he is the problem here, when I know he isn't. I'm the problem. I've always been the problem.

Jeremy locks eyes with me and he moves away from the wall, moving towards me as he says,

"Then tell me what's going on Sin! What have I done to deserve the silent treatment, how can I make it better."

I sigh and I rake a hand through my hair. I hate this, and I hate Eli for the way he makes me feel after all this fucking time. We need to destroy that moonstone because seeing Klaus might actually kill me.

"It's not something you've done Jeremy, it's me"

Jeremy eyes become hopeful and that crushes me, making the guilt I'm so unused to swell within me.

"No matter what, just tell me Sin, I can handle it. I love you, I-"

"I kissed someone else" I say quietly.

Jeremy practically falls back against the wall in shock, he uses it to keep him upright as he stares at me. His brown eyes are wide and so full of hurt that it fucking rips my heart out to know that I put that hurt there. All I've ever wanted is to make Jeremy happy, and now I've royally fucked that up.

Jeremy shakes his head in denial,

"No. You…you wouldn't do that Sin. I know you, I know….you wouldn't hurt me like that"

My hands turn into fists as I battle the emotion that is washing over me, hitting me like ice cold waves.

"The truth, Jeremy, is that you don't know me. You know a part of me. The part that loves you more than life itself, the part that would do anything for you. But there are other parts of me Jer. Dark parts, very, very dark parts that I can't always control"

"Who was it?" Jeremy asks in a faded voice, like the emotion has been sucked from him. Now, that really fucking hurts.

I shake my head,

"It doesn't matter Jer"

Jeremy scoffs, emotion lighting within him again like a match; anger. He shouts at me,

"It fucking matters to me Sinbad! It matters to me. Or do you not care about that anymore?"

I suck in a harsh breath, and before I can fully think it through I've got Jeremy pinned beneath me on the bed. He struggles to get away, but I hold him firmly with no chance of escape. I lower face closer to his, our bodies are aligned, pressing together perfectly.

"Get the fuck off me Sin" Jeremy snaps.

I shake my head,

"No"

"What do you mean no? Let me go Sin, now!" Jeremy demands.

My eyes lock with his as I growl,

"No. You can say whatever you want about me, I deserve your anger Jeremy, I know that I do. But you cannot say I don't love you, or care about what you want. I care. I fucking care so much that I can barely control it sometimes. You wanted me. So here I am. I'm fucked up Jeremy, I have been for a long time. That isn't ever going to change. Either you can deal with that or you can't. But either way, you're mine Jeremy, I knew that from the moment I saw you. You'll always be mine, no matter who you love, or who you fuck, don't you ever dare forget that. You. Will. Always. Be. Mine"

I punctuate the last five words with a roll of my hips, causing deliciously sinful friction between us. I can see in Jeremy's eyes the anger within him mixing with the lust. He wants me, even though he's pissed off at me, he still wants me to fuck him. I can feel it.

Jeremy moans on the last thrust and I smirk down at him, feeling the rush of power that always comes when I elicit noises of pleasure from Jeremy.

I pin Jeremy's wrists above his head with one hand and I nip at his jaw with my teeth, allowing my fangs to come out so that Jeremy can see them. I feel his cock twitch against mine when he catches sight of my fangs. Jeremy really has a thing for biting. I love that about him.

I lean in close and I let my teeth graze over Jer's throat. His breath hitches and he whimpers, and damn it I love that sound coming from Jer's lips.

"I love you baby"

"Sin, don't do this to me" Jeremy pleads and I might even believe he doesn't want me to bite him if I couldn't still feel how hard as fuck he is against me.

I meet Jeremy's eyes as I say,

"But you want me to fuck you baby, I can feel it. I wanna bite you, mark you, claim you until you understand just how much you belong to me"

Jeremy groans loudly and bucks up, trying desperately to get friction between us.

"I want that Sin. I want you to fuck me, to mark me, I really fucking do. Just one question though, would you do it again? If that person kissed you again, would you let them?"

A sinking feeling begins in my stomach, because I know the answer to that question, and it isn't the answer Jeremy wants from me. I would. I would let Elijah kiss me, there's too much history between us for not to. I'm in love with Jeremy, but Eli is…..Eli. I know that doesn't make sense. It should be simple. I love Jeremy, therefore no one else should even come into the equation for me.

But the Originals….they've always had a certain power over me, since the moment I met them. I was meant to be their ultimate destruction, but somehow they've ended up being my one weakness. A weakness I am fully aware of and can do nothing about. I never could escape how I felt for them. Never. Not even now that Jeremy is all but asking me to.

It isn't simple for me. I don't know how to cut the ties that bind us. Even worse there's a part of me that doesn't want to. I hate that part of myself, but it exists nonetheless.

I let go of Jeremy and I move off of his body to lay beside him. He must see the answer in my eyes because he squeeze his eyes shut, warning off the tears that threaten him. I reach out to gently caress his face and he flinches away from me.

Jeremy practically throws himself off the bed and he backs away from me like I've punched him in the gut. I see the tears he fought so hard to keep at bay run down over his cheeks. Jeremy shakes his head vehemently,

"They must be someone damn fucking special Sin"

I could explain. I could tell him everything that had ever happened between me and the Originals. But in the end, it wouldn't make a difference. Even if Jeremy could somehow understand, which I very much doubt, it would not change the fact that I can never promise to be completely faithful to Jeremy with the Originals around. I can't and I won't, because promises mean something to me, I don't make them lightly.

I sit up on the bed and look at a distraught Jeremy as I whisper,

"I'm so sorry Jer"

Jeremy's jaw hardens and he chokes out the words,

"Fuck you Sinbad Salvatore. Fuck you, because I know I'll never stop being in love with you" with that Jeremy pretty much sprints out of the room.

I stand up and pace for several minutes, letting all the anger and pain and fucking unbelievable anguish strike me over and over again. My hearts feels like its crumbling into nothing, leaving a dark gaping hole in it's place. After about ten minutes of this I launch my fist at the wall, breaking through it and making a damn mess, pretty much destroying one of my bedroom walls. I don't give a shit. I don't give a fucking shit about anything. Not anymore.

….

"So, he asked you if you'd ever cheat on him again and your answer was 'I'm sorry'? Seriously Sin, did you take a class in how to break people's hearts or does it just come natural to you?" Rose says to me incredulously.

We're led on my bed, her cheek resting on my chest as we talk. I shrug in answer to her question.

"I've always had a bit of knack for it. My brothers'll tell you that"

"What are you going to do? Beg for his forgiveness? I can't imagine you grovelling for anything"

I sigh helplessly,

"Well, there isn't much point in me begging for anything since I'll never be able to change the fact that…."

"You're a complete man-whore at heart?"

"Thanks Ro, remind me to make sure it's you who writes my Eulogy"

"Hey, you're a classy sexy as hell man-whore if that helps"

"But still a man-whore though right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. People don't usually change Sin. You're an amazing friend and really a loyal brother. So what if you can't be in a real relationship. They're over rated anyway"

"I almost forgot what a ray of sunshine you are Ro"

Rose laughs under her breath and says,

"There's always option B"

"Which is?"

"Turn it off" she says simply, as if it makes perfect sense.

I bark out a laugh, unable to hold it in at her suggestion,

"My humanity? You think I should turn my humanity off?"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm too old for that shit. We both know that after a while it's all about pretending"

"I remember you from when you had your humanity off for real"

I quirk an eyebrow and a darkness threatens to take over my mind, body and tainted soul.

"What did you think?"

"You were bad. Scary as all hell. A complete psychotic killer. You were the sexiest man I'd ever met, before and since"

"And, what about me with humanity intact?"

Rose seems to think about it for a long time before answering,

"I like you with humanity"

I let out a little strained laugh,

"I like me too"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading and please review, I'll love for it! xxx


	49. The Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shits going down!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-ninth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would love to run my fingers through Elijah's hair. Because I'm a weirdo like that xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

The Sacrifice

 

Ever's P.O.V

A horrible feeling passes over me, like a wave of dread. I feel like someone's watching me, and it makes my whole body tense. I toss and turn in bed, trying to push that feeling away. When someone clasps my arm I bolt up in bed with a stuttered gasp.

"No" I choke out harshly.

"Shhhh, Ev's, you're alright, it was just a dream" I hear Damon's voice whispering into my ear and immediately I begin to relax.

Damon wraps his strong arms around my waist and he holds me tightly against him.

I say, my voice a little groggy still from sleep,

"Fuck dreams. Day, for once, you have my permission to get inside my head and force me to dream of something else"

Damon chuckles darkly,

"Like what?"

"Uh, a unicorn battling to save unicorn-kind from the evil rat king. Or…..me hitting Sin in the face with my bat"

"You can do that in real life if you want. I'll hold him down"

"I might take you up on that" I say and I kiss his neck softly, causing Damon to sigh softly in contentment.

Jer is brooding big time about this whole 'Sin kissed an Original' thing. Not that I blame him, I'm kinda pissed at Sin about it, although I'd be lying if I said I was shocked when I found out. Sinbad has always been a massive flirt, I think if we'd stayed together something like this would have eventually happened.

Sin doesn't like lying or cheating, which is why he's always avoided relationships before. Jeremy obviously tempted him too much and now they're both paying the price for thinking Sin could change who he is. I can hardly hate him for it considering the fact he told Jer the truth straight away.

Obviously Jer isn't looking at it that way, which is fair enough. I keep trying to imagine what it would be like if Damon cheated on me. How would I feel? But I can't honestly imagine Damon doing that to me.

My boyfriend is a lot of things, but Damon is way too possessive to ever run the risk of me retaliating by going off with someone else. Damon, as weird as it sounds considering how 'Damon-y' he is, plays for keeps, when he falls in love he puts everything into it.

Not that I think Sinbad doesn't love Jeremy enough, it's just Sin isn't the type of person to obsess or get too emotionally attached to anyone. I just don't think it's in him to be completely faithful to Jeremy, at least not where the Originals are concerned by the sounds of things. Sin tried to explain it to me, and for the most part I think I get it. Sort of.

Elena is pissed off too, and she is far less understanding to be honest. But she also seems really distracted lately, and every time I bring up the whole Klousy wousy situation she gets all weird about it.

I try to pull myself out of Damon's grasp but he just squeezes his arms tighter around,

"Where do you think you're going Ev's?" he whispers into my ear. Damon kisses my shoulder and then he kisses along my neck.

"Day…I'm going to get a drink of water, get off me. We can have sex when I get back. Promise"

Damon moves a hand to cup one of my breasts and he teases the nipple, making it become hard instantly under his skilled fingers. I reach back to grasp his cock in my hand and I feel his massive erection, it makes my clit throb. Damn, the man gets me going all the fucking time, all he has to do is touch me and I want him inside me. It's a sickness, an addiction I can't quit.

Damon Salvatore is under my skin and I don't think I'd ever be able to cut him out.

"Damon, let go, or no sex for you" I whisper, trying to wrestle myself away from him.

Damon bites my neck hard enough to leave a mark,

"You don't mean that"

I groan,

"No, I don't. But I want a drink, and unless you're willing to get it for me…"

Damon lets me go then and he spreads out in my bed. I narrow my eyes at him,

"You lazy ass vampy man"

Damon just smirks at me, the moonlight showing me his expression. My eyes soften, he's so damn gorgeous when he's relaxed like this. I don't know how anyone could not fall in love with Damon if they'd ever seen him in the mood he's in right now.

I flick him in the chest and he grabs hold of my and before I can pull away. He quirks one eyebrow,

"That wasn't very nice Ev's"

I raise an eyebrow back at him,

"I'm not a very nice person. Get over it"

Damon's laughter is low and he kisses my hand before looking up into my eyes,

"I love you" he whispers meaningfully.

I lean in close to press my lips to his for a moment, when I pull back I reply,

"I know Day, I know. You're a pain in the ass, but I love you too"

I get up slowly and Damon shifts in bed, closing his eyes. He might even be asleep again by the time I get back, although I doubt it. I've become like his favourite cuddly toy or something, he doesn't sleep much without me in bed with him. It's actually kind of cute, and I have to admit, I sleep better when he's with me in bed too.

I pull Damon's t-shirt over my head as all I'm wearing is a pair of panties. It's a good thing I never liked sleeping with clothes on before I met him, because Damon would have just stripped them off my body every night anyway.

I walk slowly and quietly as I can out of the room. I suddenly get that eerie feeling that I'm being watched again as I move along the landing towards the stairs. When I hear a noise behind me I gasp and I turn, kicking out with my foot at full force, a move I learnt in one of my self defence classes that I took about a year ago.

My foot hits solid muscle and elicits a grunt of pain and the sound of a spoon falling to the floor. I blink rapidly as I realise who I've just ninjafied. Alaric. Crap.

I rush towards him, helping Alaric up off the floor,

"I'm so sorry Ric, I thought you were trying to kill me"

Alaric coughs, clearing his throat painfully,

"No, no, just getting some ice cream"

My eyes widen further,

"Oh my God, that's even worse!"

Damn him! The man has stolen my ice cream! HE IS AN ICE CREAM THEIF!

Damon comes running out in just his jeans, unbuttoned actually, his eyes are fixed on me,

"Ever, what the hell is going on?"

Then Jenna comes up behind Alaric and we all stand there. The four of us. All of us at least partially naked. Staring at each other. Out of all the most awkward moments in my life, I think we've found a winner.

I point at Alaric and I look over at Damon,

"DAMON! BRING ME KEVIN!"

"Why?" Damon and Jenna say at the same time.

"Did someone try and hurt you?" Damon asks, an undeniable edge coming into his voice. He moves closer to me.

I throw my hands up dramatically,

"Worse, Alaric stole my ICE CREAM! He is an ice cream thief" I shake my head at Alaric, "I am very disappointed in you"

Jenna chokes on a laugh and Alaric looks so uncomfortable and nervous that I think he'd rather just kill himself and wait for the ring to do its ju ju power stuff than stand here for one more moment. Damon pulls me back against his chest and I lean into him. Jenna's eyes widen suddenly,

"Why is Damon here?" she asks.

I gesture at Alaric,

"Why is Alaric here?"

Jenna and I keep eye contact for a few long and tense moments before she finally says,

"Fair enough"

Damon and Alaric seem to be looking at each other in that guy way, like 'this is something we will never talk about later even in joke form'. Alaric clears his throat again and he says,

"Well….I'm naked….so….I'm just gonna go"

Alaric starts to walk away and Damon calls after him,

"Nice seeing you Ric, have fun, I know I will"

I elbow Damon in the stomach, it has no effect on him obviously. Stupid vampire muscles. Stupid abs. No, I take that back, I am fond of the abs.

"I'm sorry Ever, about that" Jenna says.

I snort out a laugh,

"Which part, him stealing my Ice cream or me seeing him naked?"

"Both, are you sure you're ok with it?"

I nod,

"Course I am. If you're ok with Damon"

Jenna's eyes flicker to Damon and I silently pray that he doesn't say anything inappropriate right now.

"How have I not noticed you being here? I know when Sin is here" Jenna says, blushing slightly.

Damon shrugs,

"Usually I steal her away to my house, otherwise you'd definitely….'notice'"

I elbow him again,

"Day"

Jenna holds her hands up,

"Ok, more than I ever needed to know. I'll see you guys…..later"

Jenna practically runs after Alaric into her room. I turn around in Damon's arms and I hit him on the chest,

"You're such a dirty child"

Damon smirks lustfully down at me and suddenly I'm being vamp speeded to my bed. Before I can shout or make any kind of noise at all Damon's mouth is on mine.

...

"You don't believe her do you?" Elena says to the three Salvatore's incredulously.

Damon, Stefan and Sinbad went down to the tomb to talk with bitchzilla about the damn moonstone. She said pretty much what we all suspected. We get her out and she'll give us the moonstone.

I am really starting to dislike that moonstone, it's caused nothing but trouble.

Damon shakes his head,

"No of course we don't believe her. We just want the moonstone"

"There is a spell that we can use to fuck up the one Nick-Klaus wants to break. Rose called up her friend Slater and he pretty much confirmed it" Sinbad says. He looks a little tired, I might go as far to say stressed out, which is really saying something because Sin never gets stressed. He usually deals with everything in his stride, but this whole thing with the Originals and Jeremy is really getting to him.

I wish there was something I could do to help, but I have no idea what.

"We can destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break" Stefan says.

Damon nods,

"No spell. No doppelganger sacrifice. Ergo, you both live"

"How do you destroy it?" I ask curiously.

"By releasing it from the moonstone" Stefan answers, his eyes lock momentarily with mine and I smile a little. He smiles back and for a moment my world is perfect despite everything else that is going on.

That is until Elena asks,

"How do you guys know this spell is even gonna work?"

"Because, we have a crafty witch on our side" Damon says.

"You've talked it over with Bonnie?" I ask.

"She agreed to do anything she could to help" Sinbad answers with a half shrug.

Elena shakes her head,

"This is Katherine we're talking about here-"

"Bitchzilla" I say on instinct and Elena openly glares at me.

I roll my eyes,

"Bitchzilla isn't going to just hand the moonstone over"

"We're gonna get it from her" Stefan says reassuringly.

"What he means is, we're gonna pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to" Damon says all Damon-y.

"That's the spirit" I say.

"Bonnie just needs to find a way to release the ceil long enough for us to get in, get the moonstone, and get out in time for her to return it" Stefan explains.

I can feel Elena's unrest even before she says,

"Wow, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out"

"Yep, we're awesome" Damon says.

Uh oh.

"Except for one thing" my evil twin continues, "I don't want you to do it"

The Salvatore's all exchange confused glances.

"Elena, what are you talking about, we don't have a choice" Stefan says.

"What about Klaus?" Elena argues.

"We'll deal with him after we get the moonstone"

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that Ever and I care about, including the three of you?"

"Elena if we can despell the moonstone then we can save both of your lives" Stefan says.

Elena sighs heavily,

"I know, everyone keeps saying that" she says before all but storming out.

I groan and run a hand through my hair. All the Salvatore's eyes shift to me expectantly and I shrug,

"What? I think it's a solid plan. I'll talk to her about it ok"

…..

"Elena, you crazy rule breaker you, not that I'm apposed to us skipping school, because as we both know High school is just a polite word for hell, but why are we at the boarding house? None of the Salvatore's are home" I say to Elena as I follow her up to the front door.

She was meant to drive us to school, but apparently she had other ideas because she completely changed direction and came here instead. I don't know what's going on inside that evil mind of hers, but I can practically hear the cogs turning. My evil twin has a plan, and I have a feeling I am not going to like it.

Elena strides right into the boarding house and I follow confusedly after her. Rose comes out of one of the rooms just in time and Elena wastes no time in saying,

"I want to go and see your friend Slater"

Rose's eyebrows jerk upwards in surprise and so do mine.

"What? Why?" Rose asks.

"Yeah, Elena, why?" I ask sarcastically.

I already don't like this and I don't even know what this is yet.

"I want to find out more information about Klaus, and Slater obviously has to have some if he's how you found Elijah" Elena says, ignoring me completely.

Evil I tell you, EVIL!

"Why are you coming to me with this?" Rose asks Elena suspiciously, her eyes go to me and I shrug helplessly.

"Don't look at me, this is Elena's show, I'm just tech support over here" I say.

"Because you owe Ever, one word from her and the Salvatore's would have ripped you apart for kidnapping her" Elena says.

"Ah, ah, why are you dragging me into this?" I demand in annoyance.

But Elena continues to ignore me. Rose shakes her head,

"Or, you know they wouldn't want you doing this. And their moonstone mission gives you a chance to sneak away"

"Oh, good detective skills Watson" I say with approval.

"We're having a disagreement, ok. They are willing to risk everyone I love and I'm not" Elena says all self righteous and shit.

"They're just trying to protect us Elena" I argue, defending the Salvatore's. They've been good to us, it's unfair for Elena to say something like that now, after everything we've all been through.

"You said we were in this together" Elena says to me, "Just you and me. I need you Ever, please, be on my side for this one"

Her eyes plead desperately with me, and even though it goes against all my instincts, I say,

"Fine, you crazy ass, I'll support your evil plan" My eyes go to Rose, "Take us to Slater please Boss Lady"

Rose narrows her eyes at us,

"What do you hope to gain from this?"

Elena looks about to answer but I beat her to it,

"How would you like to walk in the sun?"

"I've been a slave to shadows for five hundred years, what do you think?"

"I think I know a witch who would do whatever it takes to help. If you're willing to make a deal" I say, daring Rose to refuse such an offer. I know she won't, no sane person would.

If Elena wants to do this, then I'll help, even if I have a horrible feeling it is not going to end well.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I might be able to lower the tomb spell long enough for you to get in there and grab the moonstone from Katherine" Bonnie says.

"How, it took both you and your Grams last time. I don't want you pushing yourself too far Bon" I say in concern. I want the moonstone to save Ever just as much as everyone else, I love that girl more than I've loved any other woman in my life. But Ever wouldn't want Bonnie to suffer for it, and to be honest the young witch has grown on me.

"I've learnt a few new things" Bonnie replies, and I know the look of a stubborn witch who's mind won't be changed so I don't ask her if she's sure.

"How will you get it?" Bonnie asks.

"She hasn't been feeding. She's weaker. We're not" Stefan says and he gestures to me and Damon who are both holding a glass of blood in our hand.

"You wouldn't be underestimating her would you?" Bonnie raises an eyebrow.

I chuckle under my breath,

"Oh, yeah, we are. But there's not really another option"

"Let me do it" Jeremy says, he's been studiously ignoring me since he came here with Bonnie. They've striken up a friendship over the last few weeks, and I know Jeremy is just as worried as I am about Bonnie over using her powers.

It hurts like fuck to see Jeremy and not be able to touch him, or even talk to him. My heart screams 'mine' but my head tells me rationally that I ruined the relationship between me and Jeremy, it's all my own fault. I wish I could be different, a man worthy of Jeremy's love, but I'm not, and I don't think I ever could be. Jer deserves so much better, and even though it fucking kills me, I might have to let him go.

Life is fucking hard sometimes, being undead doesn't make it any easier.

"I've got my ring" Jeremy continues, "I could get in, get out, no spells necessary"

I'm shaking my head before he's even done talking, but it's Damon who says sarcastically,

"Gee, thanks, you sixteen year old child. Why didn't we think about that? Why are you even here?"

"Damon" I snap in warning. Even if things are over between me and Jer I still won't tolerate him being treated by anyone, let alone my brother, in a negative way.

Damon rolls his eyes at me,

"Oh, come on, I thought it was done. Isn't it? Please say it is"

Jeremy surprises the hell out of me by saying firmly,

"No, it isn't"

My eyes immediately go to Jeremy and my gaze rakes over his body slowly. When our eyes finally meet I have no idea of what to say. It isn't over? What the hell could that possibly mean?

Luckily Bonnie interrupts my tortured thoughts by saying,

"Maybe I can help better the plan. Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

Oh shit.

I raise a hand,

"Yeah, I do, wait here a second" I go off in search of the damn letter with that picture of is together by the river.

I find it in my room and in seconds I'm back, handing them both over to Bonnie.

"She gave it to Emily to give to me after…..everything"

Jeremy and my two brothers move closer to look at the items from my past that have caused me more pain than I'd ever admit to.

"She actually wrote that to you?" Stefan asks curiously.

I nod,

"Yeah, she did"

Damon seems more interested in the picture of Katerina and me. It's still strange now to think of how in love I was with Katerina all those years ago, she was my world. Yet with one kiss everything shattered, including my undying love for her. I don't know if there will ever not be a part of me that feels some semblance of deep emotion towards Katerina.

Damon shakes his head and scoffs,

"What I can't believe is that I didn't realise, or even notice anything that would suggest that you… and Katherine….you're a skilled fucking liar baby brother, I'll give you that"

I roll my eyes,

"Thank you Damon, glad to have your validation. I can sleep easy now"

Damon just slaps me on the shoulder and says,

"You're welcome"

We both snicker like school children for a moment before a look from Stefan and Bonnie silences us. Bonnie places the letter in a bowl, but she hands the picture back to me. I take it and sitck it in my back pocket. Bonnie then reaches inside a glass of water and lets a few drops fall into the bowl. A fire immediately sets alight.

Bonnie starts to do her ju ju thing and Damon asks,

"What exactly will this do?"

"I can burn to letter to ash. Blow the ashes on her and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. Long enough for you to get the stone and get out" Bonnie replies steadily. She is definitely in her witchy happy place right now.

Ever's P.O.V

Rose leads up a classy set of stairs to a chipped modern styles door. That bad feeling inside just keeps getting worse the further we go. I keep trying to catch Elena's eye, but she seems to be determined to do this, for whatever the actual reason is.

Rose knocks hard on the door and calls out,

"Slater! Come on open up"

When he doesn't answer I sigh in relief,

"Uh no, guess he's not home, lets go" I say grabbing hold of Elena's arm and attempting to pull her away.

But Elena yanks her arm out of my grip and stalks towards the door all purpose-full-like.

"No, we didn't come all the way out here for nothing" she gives Rose a hard look.

Rose gives in and opens the door using her vamp strength. Rose and Elena both hesitate for a moment and I groan loudly,

"Oh for fucks sake, lets get this over with" I storm past both of them into the apartment.

"Slater, my new vampy friend, reveal yourself!" I call out, walking in a little ways. I stop abruptly when I see a very vampire looking dead guy with a stake in his chest. I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but I think I have this case solved.

Elena and Rose follow me in and Rose gasps at the sight of the body.

"I don't think he's going to be helping us much" I mutter to Elena.

As Rose moves the body Elena strides over to Slater's desk and begins touching his stuff. Me and Elena really need to have a talk about boundaries. She better not touch my top secret documents like that if I die. I scoff internally, if, ha, the way my life is going I'll be lucky to live through today. I don't have top secret documents. Or do I? No, no I don't, but I'm taking my penguin teddy and my ice cream to my grave.

"He must have been killed for the information he had" Elena says.

I snatch the papers from her hands,

"Yeah, one more reason why we shouldn't be all free and easy with the touchy touchy thing"

Rose opens the curtains to let light flow into the dark apartment. Elena gasps and I say,

"What the hell-"

"Tempered glass, UV rays can't penetrate" Rose explains.

I move closer to Rose as her eyes fill with a strange kind of sadness. She's looking out of the window at the sun.

"I used to just come here and watch the day" Rose admits, turning to me.

I nod sympathetically,

"I meant what I said. I'll help you get a daylight ring"

Rose raises an eyebrow in my direction,

"You really do mean that…..you may look like her, but you're one of the most honest and genuine people I've ever met Ever. Nothing like her"

I know exactly who she means and I smile gratefully,

"Now that, is the world's best complement"

"I'm sorry about Slater" Elena says from behind us.

Rose turns and replies,

"You found anything yet?"

Elena is about to answer when suddenly there's a crashing sound from somewhere inside the apartment. My hackles immediately rise. BAD JU JU!

Rose walks, presumably, towards the noise and follows behind her. She pushes open a set of double doors, revealing another young woman cowering inside.

"Alice?" Rose says.

The girl, Alice, runs at full speed towards Rose, practically molesting her in a tight embrace that Rose does not appear to be enjoying.

Alice is crying. A lot. Like, really, a lot.

It's annoying.

Like not real crying, because I know what real grief sounds like, but fake crying that has always grated on my nerves. I swear if she tries to hug me, then I'm gonna smack that bitch upside the freakin' head.

…

"She found him a few minutes before we did" Rose whispers to me as Elena pours the crazy crying girl a cup of tea.

Because tea solves everything. I've been to England, I've seen how it works.

"How is she?" Elena asks and I scoff.

"You're not actually falling for her shit are you?" I ask my twin.

Rose laughs under her breath,

"Yeah, she is laying it on pretty thick"

I nod in agreement,

"Yeah, she's over reacting big time"

Elena frowns at me,

"Her boyfriend just died. There's no such thing as over reacting"

I roll my eyes. Elena is a sweet and kind natured person, but she really needs to get her head out of the clouds one of these days and join the rest of us in reality land.

Rose shakes her head at my twin,

"Those tears are for her, she didn't care about Slater. She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her into a vampire"

Elena's eyes widen slightly and I have to contain a laugh. Damn humans always being crazy and shit.

Elena carries the tea over to the girl and gives it to her. Rose and I hang back to watch.

The girl looks between me and Elena before saying,

"You two look really familiar. Did you know Slater?"

"No" I say bluntly. The last thing we need is this girl going around asking bloody questions. That's how rumours about two doppelganger sisters get around.

"We just thought he could point us in the direction of Klaus, because he keeps such detailed files" Elena says.

"Doubtful. Klaus doesn't want to be pointed at" Alice replies.

Well, none of us like to be pointed at. It's rude.

"Do you know Slater's computer password?" Elena asks.

Alice goes all self indignant and says,

"Are you seriously asking me that right now? I just saw my boyfriend with a stake through his heart"

Blah. Blah. Blah. Enough said.

"I know that" Elena says, "But do you know is password?"

Alice scoffs,

"Who do you think you are?"

Suddenly Elena gets that evil look in her eyes again and she says to Alice,

"What if I could convince Rose to turn you? Would you show us the files then?"

Rose looks over at me with a 'what the eternal living fuck?' and I just shrug. Like I said, this is my sister's show. I am merely a background piece of scenery. A badly painted tree for example. A badly painted tree who wants to go the fuck home.

…..

"Someone's been here, the hard drive has been completely wiped out" Alice says as she taps away on the computer keyboard.

"Yeah, probably whoever killed him" Rose mutters.

Elena starts to pace, looking all stressy.

"Lucky for you Slater was paranoid. Everything's backed up on a remote server" Alice says and she starts clicking away again.

Rose leans in close to Elena,

"You know she's not going anywhere near my blood, right?"

Elena nods,

"I know, but she doesn't"

Elena moves closer to the computers and Alice. Rose looks at me again and whisper to her,

"See, I told you she's secretly the evil twin"

Evil I tell ya!

EVIL!

"These are all a list of vampires?" Elena says over Alice's shoulder. I move closer to take a look at the screen.

"Slater was obsessed" Alice replies, "Almost as much as me"

"What about that one; Cody Webber" Rose says from behind me, "They exchanged dozens of emails about Elijah"

Alice looks back at us,

"I could…call him" she offers.

Elena hands Alice a phone and she says,

"Tell him we want to send a message to Klaus. The doppelganger is alive and she's ready to surrender"

MESSAGE!

KLAUSY WOUSY!

SURRENDER!

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?

"What?!" Rose snaps.

"Oh my God, I knew I recognised you" Alice says in the most irritating way possible, like it's actually something to be excited about.

"Get him the message" Elena says to her.

Elena walks away I run after her. I grab my evil twin by the arms and I shake her angrily,

"Elena, you dick, what the fuck was that? You lied to me!"

It's not so much that she wants to hand us over just like that, I get her insane reasoning, it's more that the good looking bitch lied to me about it. I do not like being tricked or lied to by anyone, let alone the people I love. Let alone my own sodding twin.

"It's either us or everyone we love Ever" is all Elena says.

Ohhhhh, I want to smack her. I do smack her.

Elena gasps,

"You just hit me!" she accuses.

I shake her again,

"HA! You just handed us over to Klousy wousy, a psycho who wants to kill us! I think I still occupy the moral high ground on this"

'Oh, please Ever, I need you to be on my side for this one. Just you and me, together blah blah blah blah blah'.

I am ashamed that I fell for that load of crap!

Rose comes in and she says,

"So, this was all about a suicide mission? Excellent" she shakes her head like she thinks Elena is mad.

She is.

"I had to do it" Elena tries to explain.

I smack her again and she turns a glare on me,

"You hit me again!"

I throw my hands up,

"Whoops, so sorry, 'I had to do it'. I have no control over my crazy flippy floppy hands" I smack her over the head again.

"Stop hitting me!" Elena shouts.

"Stop being a self righteous dick and I will!" I shout back, "Why would you do this? We had a plan Elena!" I snap at her.

"NO! They had a plan. For us. We didn't get to decide anything" Elena argues, "They were willing to sacrifice the people we love for us. That's not right. What else can we do?"

"We can fight you idiot. We can do whatever it takes to stay alive and to keep the people we love safe"

"That's not possible" Elena says, shaking her head in denial.

I make an exasperated sound,

"You don't know that Elena. You never think, why don't you ever fucking think?"

Alice chooses that moment to come in,

"Cody is on his way and he really wants to meet you two"

I turn to Rose and I say,

"Rose, call Damon and Stefan for me, yeah"

Rose nods instantly and goes to call my boyfriend and my best friend forever. They are gonna be all kinds of pissed about this. I bet you anything I'll still have to share blame with my crazy evil twin.

I smack Elena one more time and she glares at me,

"I hate your face" I snap.

"We have the same face Ever"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"I know, that's how much I hate it right now"

Sinbad's P.O.V

Since Stefan and Damon have pissed off to deal with another crisis, it's left to me and Bonnie to deal with the moonstone situation. I have no idea where Jeremy has gotten off to, he said he would be here.

Bonnie follows me down to the tomb and the first thing I catch sight of is the moonstone. Outside of the tomb.

"What fresh hell?" I go to pick up the moonstone.

"Is that the moonstone?" Bonnie asks in obvious shock.

"I hate to interrupt" I hear Katerina say, and my eyes immediately find her in the meek light of the tomb.

"But today's just been full of surprises"

When Katerina yanks an in obvious pain Jeremy to her side my whole body ices over. I can't remember ever feeling so damn angry and so fucking distraught at the same time. My protective instincts go into hyperdrive.

I'm at the entrance within the time it takes to blink. Jeremy manages to catch my troubled gaze and he says,

"I'm sorry"

That's it, when he gets out of there, whether we're together or not, I'm spanking the hell out of him for this.

"Let him go now" I say slowly, not even bothering to keep the threatening edge out of my voice.

"Don't worry, I know he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back" Katerina says maliciously, "So, I'm gonna be in the back playing with my new toy, and you guys just give me a holla when you've got the tomb open"

….

Bonnie lights the torches and prepares to do the spell. Every moment that Jeremy is in there with Katerina I become more and more tense.

If she's hurting him….ha, if. I'm gonna fucking kill her.

"We can't wait anymore Bonnie, we have to get him out of there" I say, running hands through my hair frantically. I'm about two minutes away from losing my fucking mind.

"She's fed Sin, she has her strength back" Bonnie says nervously.

"Do we still have some of that ash left?" I ask her.

Bonnie nods and she reaches into the bag to get it. She hands it to me and she asks me,

"Do you think you can get close enough?"

I shrug,

"I don't have a choice Bonnie, I need to get him out. He's mine. Mine to protect and I've failed him. I won't fail again"

"It's gonna take time" Bonnie warns.

"Please Bon, just get me in there as fast as you can" I plead with her, not caring how desperate I must sound.

Bonnie stands between the two torches and holds the grimoire out in front of her. I can barely concentrate as she does her ju ju thing. To be honest, the sound of witch chanting has always made me feel nervous, it reminds me so much of when I was taken that coven and…no, those thoughts lead to dark places. Places I am not able to handle thinking about.

Eventually the fire burns brighter and Katerina comes out with Jeremy.

"Oh, something's burning"

When Bonnie starts to bleed from her nose, I rush towards her,

"Bonnie, Bon, are you alright?" I ask her frantically.

As if in response to my question Bonnie fucking faints. I don't let her fall hard, instead lowering her slowly to the ground. I've seen this before when other witches have tried to do too much. She wasn't strong enough for this spell.

I touch her face gently,

"Bonnie wake up, please"

Bonnie opens her eyes slowly and I sigh in relief.

But it's short lived because Katerina says,

"Yes, wake up, because I'm still in here"

I help Bonnie to her feet and she grasps hold of me.

"It didn't work" she says distressfully, "I'm not strong enough"

And with that my heart sinks. Pain laces my veins with acid.

"Mmmm, that's too bad, because I'm still hungry" Katerina says and she goes to bite Jeremy.

On pure instinct I vamp speed into the tomb, pretty much grabbing Jeremy and throwing him out before Katerina's fangs even touch him.

I hold Katerina up against the wall, a threatening growl is ripped from my throat.

Bonnie rushes to Jeremy and he looks at up at me. He's breathing hard but he still manages to get out a very anguished,

"No, Sin, no"

Fuck a duck, this is not good ju ju.

Ever's P.O.V

No matter what, they're coming for us now. My sister has been a stupid dummy. But an idea pops into my head. Elijah only knows about me. There's no reason for anyone to know that there are two of us. I tell my plan to Rose quickly and she agrees to help me.

"Elena, I need to talk to you in private. Come to the bathroom with me" I whisper to my twin.

She frowns at me, but still follows when I lead her into the big bathroom. With a strong new lock. I go in after her and she turns to face me. Before Elena can react I reach over and I snatch her vervain necklace from around her throat.

Elena gasps in protest, but I just call out,

"Now Rose, now!"

That's Rose's cue to come in, she grabs hold of Elena. My sister tries to pull away,

"Ever, what's going on-"

But her words are cut off by Rose's compulsion. Rose compels Elena as I asked her to.

"You will stay in this bathroom and you will not come out until I say you can"

Elena nods even though I know inside she's probably screaming out in protest. I would never do this to her for any other reason. But I need to protect my sister, even if this is her on fault for being so evil and Elenaish.

I am owed an apology from everyone. I knew she was trying to kill me. I knew it!

"I will stay in this bathroom and I will not come out until you tell me I can" Elena says in that monotone way that compelled people talk. It's really creepy. Creep factor ten here people.

Rose and I leave the bathroom and I lock it. Just in case, Elena is a tricky little so and so, I'm not risking anything.

I walk back out and go to stand by the window. Rose comes up behind me and asks,

"Are you sure about this?"

I sigh heavily,

"Well, I don't think Elijah knows about us being twins. But I'm not sure. Klaus definitely won't. I'll do anything to protect her. Even if she is my evil, and insane, twin" I say honestly.

Rose nods and leaves me to go get a drink. I keep looking out of the window and I gasp when for a moment I swear I saw Elijah's face behind me. It's gone within a second and I have to wonder if I imagined it. Maybe I'm losing the plot completely. I blame Elena.

I shake my head in an attempt to clear it. Then I move towards the front door, if I'm going to be whisked away by mental fang happy vampires then there's no point in hiding. They better not grab me. I've had enough of that shit already.

When Damon and Stefan come bursting in through the door I almost pass out from sheer relief alone. They walk right up to me avenging angels style.

"What the hell is going on?" Damon questions me.

Both Salvatore brothers watch me expectantly and I try to explain,

"Elena decided to hand us both over to Klausy wousy. So now some vampire guys are on their way here to take me"

Damon's eyes widen,

"Is she insane? Why the hell would she do that?"

I throw my hands up in frustration,

"I dunno. She feels like you're controlling us and….shit"

Stefan shakes his head in disbelief and he looks around the apartment,

"Where is Elena? Is she alright?" he asks in obvious concern.

I bite my lip and tilt my head from side to side before admitting,

"I kind of got Rose to compel her so she'd stay in the bathroom"

The Salvatore's both frown,

"Why?"

"Because Klaus only needs one doppelganger, and if I have to choose then I'd rather it be me than her" I answer carefully.

Damon growls out,

"No way in fucking hell is anyone taking you. You're mine damn it, Klaus can get his own doppelganger" he pulls me, quite roughly, against him and I don't protest because I'm pretty sure Damon is real close to losing his temper. Big time.

Stefan tilts his head, and I see the worry in his eyes. I see the shock and the need to…..to what…..I search our bond, trying to figure out that feeling I can see so clearly in his green eyes. There it is-oh fuck-I have to hold in my gasp when I feel the full depth of his very strong emotion hit me like a bolt of blue fire.

It singes my core. Stefan wants to do exactly what Damon is doing. He wants to pull me close, to hold me, to keep me safe from every threat in this world.

I have to force myself to breath properly and I tare my gaze away from his. But Stefan knows that I know. We can both feel it through our bond. I have to file it away, push all that emotion down, because now is not the time to allow myself to feel it. I'll take it out later and examine it in more detail. But not now, not yet.

Fortunately Alice chooses that moment to come in and say something annoying again, severing the spell and tornado of emotion rushing through both me and Stefan.

"Oh. My. God. It's Damon and Stefan Salvatore, please tell me Sinbad the mysterious third brother is here too."

Damon makes a face of distaste and I can't blame him.

"Get her out of here" he says to Rose, who is only too keen to oblige.

"We have to go" Stefan says firmly and Damon makes a noise of agreement as his arms tighten around me.

But then some other vampy people decide to barge into the apartment. They do not look friendly.

"We're here to meet the doppelganger" one of them says.

I go to move forward, but Damon and Stefan place themselves in front of me, both their stances suggesting that they won't let me go easily. I can even hear an almost animalistic growl coming from both of them.

"There's nothing here for you" Damon says.

And then something possibly even worse happens. Mr. Gorgeous hair snaps the neck of one of the vampires and comes strolling in like he owns the place. He'd be so sexy if he wasn't trying to get me killed. I kind of get Sin's thing for him.

Wow, now I have the mental image of Sin and Elijah….ok, this is so not the right time for that.

Get your shit together brain!

Elijah comes closer to us and the Salvatore's move even closer to me in response. Damon squeezes my hand, and I find myself reaching for Stefan's. He takes hold of my other hand and I feel the appreciation through our bond at me letting him touch my skin to his right now. They both need reassurance that I'm safe and within their reach.

"Who are you?" Elijah asks one of the other vampires.

"Who are you?" the vampire asks right back. Oh, this guy is gonna die, I can practically see it happening.

"I'm Elijah"

Other vampy guy practically shits himself. In any other situation I might find that hilarious. Ok, who am I kidding, I still find that funny even in this situation. I am getting way too used to this kind of lifestyle.

Vampy guy looks between me and Elijah,

"I was going to bring her to you. For Klaus" he says, "She's the doppelganger, I don't know how she exists but she does. Klaus would want to see her"

Who is this shit head, Klausy wousy's number one fan?

Ha, Klousy wousy has groupies.

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" Elijah asks the vampy man.

Vampy replies,

"No"

Ohhhh, big mistake. You never say no to that kind of question. Has he never watched a Hollywood movie before? They're basically a 'how not to survive a bad situation' hand book.

Elijah looks between the two vampy men who came for me and he says,

"Well then, you have been most helpful" of course he follows that up with thrusting his hand into their chests and pulling out their hearts.

My eyes widen as Elijah drops their hearts to the floor. And all I can come out with is,

"You've just ruined that white carpet"

Yeah, ok, not my best one liner I have to admit.

Stefan and Damon ready themselves to fight, but apparently they don't need to, because Elijah immediately vamp speeds away.

What, one bad joke and he doesn't want me anymore?

I feel more offended than I should by that prospect.

Damon, Stefan and me all look at each other in confusion and I shrug,

"Maybe he remembered he left the oven on?"

Damon arches an eyebrow at me,

"Yeah, that's definitely it"

…

Stefan and Damon take me and Elena home. Elena is so pissed at me right now, she won't even look at me.

Yeah, well, I'm pissed at her too. So we're even.

Elena opens the front door, but standing there is Bonnie. She gives us a look and a bad feeling creeps up my spine.

"Bonnie, what's wrong?" I ask.

"It's Sinbad" she says, "He's stuck in the tomb. Jeremy's still over there, he refused to leave"

Oh, fuck, fuckity, fuck!

I'm back in the car with Damon and Stefan as we go to tomb. Elena stays with Bonnie at home. All three of us rush down the steps to the tomb. Sinbad is leant against the entrance and so is Jeremy on the other side. They aren't talking, more like intense staring at each other.

"Oh, Sin" I say, anger and upset coiling in my gut.

Damon shakes his head,

"Of all the idiot plans Sin" he says.

"We'll find a way to get you out" Stefan adds firmly.

Sin sighs,

"It's alright. I can handle myself" he winks at me

"Want me to bring you a cross word puzzle?" I ask him.

"Or a stake?" Damon suggests.

"Bonnie has the moonstone, work with her to unspell it" Sin says with a shrug. He looks over at Jeremy and they share another longing filled stare.

"Look after Jeremy, ok. Make sure he doesn't do anymore stupid stuff. " Sin says to his brothers and me.

Jeremy makes a disgruntled noise but Sin silences him with a hard look.

"Protect him. And keep him away from here" Sin says, silencing another round of protests from Jeremy with an even harder look.

"Promise me" he says to Stefan and Damon.

All three Salvatore's exchange meaningful glances and finally Stefan and Damon both say,

"I promise"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler for next time-MORE ELIJAH!


	50. By the light of the moon-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Funny times!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fiftieth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Jeremy would be my official chocolate lacky xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY

By the light of the moon-part 1

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Now that you've got this back, what are you gonna do with it?" Elena asks Bonnie whilst looking down at the moonstone.

"Right now it's what's binding the sun and moon curse. If I can figure out a way to remove the spell from the stone, then the stone becomes useless" Bonnie answers as she flips through her grimoire.

I snatch the moonstone away from my evil twin. She narrows her eyes at me and I do the exact same thing right back. I don't trust her. For the first time in our lives I do not trust my own twin. It's not like we've never argued before. But this is different. Way different. She tried to hand me over to Klausy wousy, and even if she had good intentions, I still want to smack her upside the head every time I look at her.

Elena shakes her head at Bonnie,

"According to Katherine, Klaus becomes vengeful when people mess with his plans"

"I wouldn't really call bitchzilla 'people'. A bitch, yes. A crazy lady, yes. But a 'person'….nah" I say, which earns me another cold stare from the all mighty naggy one.

"Maybe, if he finds out" Bonnie argues.

"Bon, not that I don't want you to despell the moonstone, I'm not insane like her after all" I gesture dismissively at Elena, "But couldn't you get Sinbad out of the tomb first? I don't like him being in there with bitchzilla"

Bonnie sighs,

"I've been through this already with Jeremy. Sinbad wants me to concentrate on the moonstone, and I'm taking his side on this one. I don't want either of you to be used in some freaky sacrifice ritual"

Speak of the devil…more like speak of the idiotic little brother….

"What are you three talking about?" Jeremy leans against the doorframe. He seems deceptively calm, but I know underneath he's devastated that his actions caused Sin to be trapped inside that damn tomb with the extremely attractive crazy person. Who Sin was once in love with. If I were Jeremy I would be climbing up the walls with frustration by now.

"Unicorns" I answer him.

Jeremy raises an eyebrow at me,

"Unicorns?"

"Uh yeah, you know, girl shit"

"Girl….shit?"

"Yes, girl shit"

"Why would you all be talking about girl shit?"

I give him a weird look,

"Uh, because we're all girls Jeremy"

Jeremy shakes his head slowly,

"Pffft, you're not a girl"

"That's not true Jer, I am a girl…type….humany…thingy. I'm not a boy, I don't like to talk about football or…..guns….or…..fart jokes…and….complete wubbish like that"

"Guns? When have I ever talked about guns?"

"First of all, I never said you were a boy. Secondly…guns don't kill people Jeremy, unicorns with a penchant for stabbing people do"

"You're insane"

"How dare you call me insane! I should get down off of this unicorn right now and slap you for that remark."

"Unicorns aren't real Ever! Get over it! Both you and Sin have to let this unicorn thing go"

I make an exasperated sound,

"Unicorns are real, they're just fat and grey and some morons with no imagination call them rhinos. You're such a non-believer Jeremy"

"Why do I even start conversations with you?" Jeremy slaps his forehead.

Bonnie and Elena are looking at me with an expression on their faces that suggest they think I've lost it and they aren't sure whether to be afraid or not. They should be afraid. Very afraid.

Bonnie and Jeremy make awkward eye contact for a moment and then she says,

"I need coffee" and she goes off.

Leaving me alone with the non-believer who tried to take on bitchzilla with only a handful of dust for back up, and my crazy twin who tried to kill me yesterday.

I am officially the sanest Gilbert sibling. Never thought that would happen folks. It's probably the scariest part of all this, and that includes the big bad Klausy wousy part.

After all this shit, Klausy wousy had better be fucking badass, or I will be most displeased.

I wonder if he has a moustache?

Never trust a man with a moustache as they are obviously insane. You'd have to be to think you look good with a moustache. Unless you're Mario.

Jeremy brings me out of my thoughts by saying to Elena,

"Why are you on some suicide mission?"

"I'm trying to prevent everyone else from getting hurt" Elena replies.

"Ah, so bringing Klaus the moonstone so you can get yourself, and Ever, killed is ok" Jeremy says, anger and disapproval sharp in his tone.

"Klaus killed Katherine's entire family just because she crossed him. I can't let that happen" Elena argues, her own voice rising with indignation and anger.

"Yeah, well, we can't let you be killed by some psycho vampire" Jeremy snaps right back.

I nod in agreement,

"Yeah evil twin, don't be a dummy. And for the last fucking time, it's BITCHAZILLA!"

Elena semi-screams in frustration and she snatches the moonstone back from me.

"I'm leaving" she says and Elena bolts out of the room down stairs.

I roll my eyes at Jeremy and we both follow our sister. Bonnie is at the bottom of the stairs when we get there. Elena swings open the door and she tries to leave. She practically bounces off the invisible ju ju ceil thingy.

Elena turns back to us with a mixture of pissy knickersness and shock on her face,

"What did you do?"

"It's for the best Elena" Bonnie says.

My evil twin huffs an evil huff and she presses against the invisible wall.

I shake my head and I exchange a meaningful glance with Jeremy. I know every part of him wants to be with Sin right now. But Stefan and Damon promised to keep him away, and when the Salvatore's work together they're pretty damn hard to fight back against.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You trapped Elena in her house?" I repeat what Stefan and Damon have just told me, "That's a little possessive of you Stef. At some point it stops being romantic and it becomes a hostage situation, you know that right"

"It was for the best" Damon says with a shrug, "Elena's on a martyr tare that rivals even Stefan's greatest hits"

"We can't let her endanger herself, or Ever" Stefan adds, studiously ignoring Damon's dig.

Damon's expression hardens,

"Yeah, you're lucky your girlfriend is my girlfriend's sister. I would have killed anyone else who put Ever in harms way like that"

I can tell from Damon's eyes that he's not kidding. The only reason Elena is still breathing is because of her ties to Ever.

Stefan shakes his head and doesn't comment on what Damon said. He holds up a bag and says,

"We brought you this"

I smirk at him and jump up and down slightly with mock enthusiasm,

"Oh my fucking God, you brought me gifts! You two, are like the best brothers ever" I mock look frantically around me, "Sorry…..I didn't get you anything" I bend down to pick up a stray rock and I hold it out in front of me, "Here, take this as a token of my appreciation"

"A rock?" Stefan questions in that way of his that makes it sound like he's asking intelligent questions even though he's actually asking really stupid ones.

I tilt my head to the side slightly and I tap the rock on the wall, then I press it to my ear, as if listening to it, before pretending to lick the surface of the rock. Finally I look back over at Stefan and I say,

"Yep, it's definitely a rock. I mean, I'm no rockologist, but I think I can say with moderate confidence that this is indeed a rock"

Rockologist? That's a thing, right? Goes along with flipflopology.

Damon snickers under his breath as he takes the bag from Stefan and throws it at me. I catch it with one hand and I drop it to the floor. Then Damon takes out a bottle of blood and shows it to me,

"Brought you lunch too" he says.

I sigh, thinking about the consequences of taking that bottle. I lean against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest,

"Give that to me and there's a chance little miss whingy panties will get hold of it"

I can feel her not that far behind me, I don't need to look. I don't bloody well want to either.

"You know, you three are surprisingly calm considering Klaus will hunt you down and kill you if you mess with his little plan" Katerina says.

Damon shrugs,

"I've been dead before, I got over it. Once we deal with this moonstone, we'll figure a way to get you out baby brother" he says to me.

I roll my shoulders and make a dismissive hand gesture,

"Nah, don't worry about me. Just make sure Ever's safe"

I don't see it, but I feel Katerina roll her eyes in annoyance. Good.

With a nod Damon and Stefan leave me. Alone. With her. I look down at the rock that is still in my hand and I briefly consider the option of bludgeoning myself to death with it.

Then I imagine bludgeoning Katerina to death with it and a small smile tugs at my lips. I might just have some fun down here.

….

"So, we're fasting now? We're so pious" Katerina mutters.

I'm led down on a long rock trying to ignore her. She's making it really difficult. She's also making it really difficult to remember why I haven't killed her already. It would make a lot of people's lives so much easier. Mine included.

I know I'm strong enough to do it too. I've always been strong enough. That was never the problem. So, what's holding me back now? The answer to that is simple; I loved her once, and that is never going to change. I can't erase the past, as much as I'd like to sometimes. I would feel regret over killing her. Maybe not today, or even next year, but at some point I would.

And as I've said before, I don't do regrets. I got that tattoo for a reason.

"I'm not listening to you Kitty Kat, so piss off" I say in a sing song voice.

But as usual, Katerina does not take the hint,

"I know you get desiccation in theory Sinbad, but in reality, it's much worse. You're heart still beats, struggling to pump whatever blood remains, and when it's gone your veins rub together like sandpaper. It's excruciating"

"Thank you Sally sunshine" I say with a sigh as I sit up. She touches my shoulder and I shrug her off.

"It's stuffy, and I've been in this dress for days" Katerina turns that flirty look on me. The one I hate. The one I hated even when I was in love with her. I knew it was how she looked at other men, and back then I wanted her to look at me in a way that was just for me.

"You wanna help me get out of it" Katerina teases, turning her back to me and looking over her shoulder suggestively.

I stand up slowly, sliding my hands over her hips, pulling her closer with a firm grip. I lean in close and I whisper into her ear,

"You know, that look…..it just made me a little sick in my mouth"

I shove her away from me and when she turns to glare at me I smirk back at her.

"Stop trying to get inside my head Katerina" I snap at her. I can feel her trying to push in on my thoughts, and I'm not having it.

"You're no fun" Katerina grumbles.

"I'm always fun" I say with a wink.

Ever's P.O.V

Damon and Stefan are at the Grill with Alaric. Apparently a girl called Jules is in town and she knows Mason. Strike one. She also thinks something bad has happened to him because he hasn't come back to Florida. Strike two.

One more strike and Damon might just rip her head off for the hell of it. He's getting really worked up over this whole Klausy wousy situation, and I can tell that it's killing him that there's not much he can do to protect me.

I decided to go out for a walk to clear my head. Mostly because Elena was irritating me with her negative attitude and Elenaness. If you don't have an Elena in your life then…..you're one lucky son of a gun.

I'm just walking through the woods like a creepy creeper. But that's my life now. I have become a druggie who doesn't take drugs, a walker who doesn't like exercise and a nature lover who doesn't like nature. Or being outdoors. Or camping. Bleegh, who likes camping? Houses were invented for a reason, and that reason is so people wouldn't have to sleep outside on the ground. And yet now people choose to do this.

For fun.

Weirdo's.

I feel a rush of air behind me before a vaguely familiar highly cultured voice says,

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat"

Oh. Crap. Olla. Crapolla times a thousand olla's.

I turn around slowly and again I am struck by how attractive Elijah is. I really want to touch his hair. I wonder if I asked him nicely….maybe as a last request he would let me touch…no, focus brain, focus hard, this is not the time for your rambling nonsense. Mr. Gorgeous hair is not a friend, he is a foe. A well dressed fancy sounding foe with excellent taste in ties.

"What the hell do you want?" I ask angrily, this guy has been causing me a lot of problems and I'm not happy about it.

"Now, now, let's keep this civil. Your aunt was much kinder to me when she invited me into your home" Elijah says conversationally.

"What? Why were you at my house….wait, no strike that, I don't care. Just stay away from my family or you'll regret it"

"I mean no harm to your family"

"I can't say me and Kevin feel the same way about your face"

"Kevin?"

"Kevin is my bat"

"You named your pet bat Kevin?"

"He's not a pet, he's my sidekick in the battle against people who deserve a swift thwack to the face"

"You hit people in the face with your pet-"

"-Sidekick"

"-Sidkick bat?"

"Well yeah, what else would I do with Kevin? Play baseball? That would be ridiculous"

By now Elijah is looking slightly confused. I have that affect on most people when they first meet me. I have that affect on people….most of the time.

"So Kevin isn't an animal?" he says slowly.

I make a face at the Original vampire,

"No, of course not. Kevin is made of wood and he lives underneath my bed"

Honestly, what about this is so hard for people to understand?

"You named an inanimate object?"

"Yes"

"You named it Kevin"

"I named him Kevin, yes"

"Right…"

"Why did you kill those vampires when they tried to take me?" I ask him suddenly. Now is not the time for pointless conversations. I need Sinbad for that. Only now he's stuck in a tomb. Damn him and his all consuming love for my brother.

"Because I didn't want you to be taken" Elijah answers as if it's obvious.

"Well, yeah, I got that part, I'm not an idiot. I hardly think you'd kill them if you did want them to take me. That would be silly, and you don't strike me as the type to do silly pointless things. What I mean was why didn't you want them to take me?"

"Klaus is the most feared and hated of all the Originals, but those who fear him are desperate for his approval. Word gets out that the doppelganger exists there will be a line of vampires eager to take you to him, and I can't have that" Elijah replies, his eyes pinning me to the spot. There's just something about Elijah that is larger than life, like even in this massive forest he makes the world feel so small around me.

I frown at him,

"But don't you want to give me to Klausy wousy?"

"Klausy….wousy?"

"Focus, Elijah, focus"

"Let's just say that my goal is not to break the curse"

"So…..what is your goal?"

"Klaus's obsession's have made him paranoid. He's a recluse. He trusts only those in his immediate circle"

"Ohhhh, so there is a Klausy wousy fan club. Are you his number one fan? Actually, no, your obviously not because if you were then you would want to break the curse" I say, mostly to myself.

"I was once in his inner circle…but not anymore"

Ah, I sense back story. A dramatic back story.

Then my eyes narrow further as a realisation hits me,

"You don't know where Klausy wousy is"

The look in Elijah's eyes say it all.

"So, basically, I'm bait. I'd be lying if I said this was the first time I've been used as a pawn in a vampire's game."

"This is not a game Ever"

"You're right. It's family politics. I get it. Ish. You want to lure him out using me, don't you?"

"Well to do that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed. Although I have a feeling that was more your sister's doing than yours"

My eyes widen in shock,

"How do you know about Elena?"

"I have been…observing. Your aunt seemed very willing to talk about you both"

Damn it aunt Jenna! Note to self—make sure to approve all of aunt Jenna's new friend's from now on.

"How do I even know you're telling the truth about all this?" I ask suspiciously, even though I do pretty much believe him, at least about not wanting me to get killed or sent to Klausy wousy. Although the word 'yet' hangs heavy in my mind.

"If I wasn't being truthful than your whole family would be dead and I would be taking you to Klaus right now" Elijah says.

All these old vampires have this weird thing with threatening you in the politest way possible.

"Ok, then back to my Original question….get it….'Original question'…no….tough crowd…what the hell do you want from me?"

"I'm willing to offer you a deal"

I cross my arms, my mind already very highly suspicious of all this cloak and dagger shit.

"What kind of deal?"

Elijah moves closer to me and I hold my ground. He stops around two feet away from me and he says,

"Do nothing. Just carry on living your life. Stop fighting. And then when the time is right, you and I will draw Klaus out and I will make certain that your friend's remain unharmed"

"And then what?"

"Then I kill him"

"Just like that?"

"Just like that"

"I call bullshit. I don't know how stupid I look to you, but I'm not falling for….." I gesture at him, "any of this"

"I'm a man of my word Ever. I make a deal, I keep a deal"

"How would you keep everybody safe?"

"You know, I noticed you have a friend, Bonnie is it? She seems to posses the gift of magic. I have friend's with similar abilities"

"The most shocking part of that sentence was you admitting to having friends"

"Together we can protect everybody who matters to you"

I find myself considering the deal, it does sound good. I want the people I love safe more than anything. Elena and I agree on that much at least. Speaking of…..

"So, do we have deal?" Elijah asks.

"Fine. But there's one condition, and one favour I need"

"We're negotiating now?"

"Yep, 'fraid so. I need you to get Sinbad out of the tomb. You know Sinbad Salvatore, that dark and handsome guy who's head you fucked with the other day"

Something shifts in Elijah's expression, I can't say exactly what it is, but it floors me. The emotion is so damn intense that it gives me a freakin' headache. Sin really wasn't kidding, he's in deep with these Originals if Elijah can look like that just because I mention Sin's name.

"I can do that" Elijah says eventually, his expression now schooled to look completely impassive, but I'm not buying it. Not that I'm going to push, I don't have a death wish.

"Right, so that's my favour. Now, my condition…..we keep Elena out of it. Klausy wousy doesn't need to know that there's more than one of us"

"I will not approach Elena and I will not bring her to Klaus's attention. Although it will be your job to keep her from throwing herself into the fire"

"Done" I hold out my hand to Elijah, and after a few tense moments Elijah takes my hand in his, we shake once, and I can't help but feel like I've made a deal with Satan's brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up tomorrow! And there's some Kabad goodness, some Elijah drama and JERBAD SCENE!


	51. By the light of the moon-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotional moments for everyone! xxxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-first chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would never, ever leave Mystic Falls…..alright, I might visit New Orleans ;) xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

By the light of the moon-part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Marked? What does that even mean?" I ask Stefan as we walk through the woods.

Damon and Alaric tried to scam she-wolf and it did not go well according to Stefan. I would have gone straight to see Damon, but I wanted to talk to Stefan about something. Plus I haven't given him my blood in a few days, so we figured now was the best time since everyone is distracted. What with Bonnie dealing with the moonstone, Jeremy and Elena under house arrest and Damon having a mini tiz about his issues with she-wolf. So I texted him to meet me here.

"Trouble. That's what it means. I told Damon not to piss her off, but Damon being Damon…" Stefan says with a long drawn out sigh.

"Yeah, I know, he can be a pain in the ass sometimes. But he means well. Mostly" I say. I meet Stefan's eye and we crack up a little.

We both know how Damon can be sometimes. But in some ways that's one more thing me and Stefan have in common; we love Damon, despite all his psycho flaws.

I stop at some point and I turn to face Stefan. He raises an eyebrow at me and I reach down to take out the small knife I keep in my boot. His eyes widen when he catches sight of it. The sun catches on the blade through the trees making it look almost sinister.

I laugh evilly,

"Now, Stefan Salvatore, I have you alone. This is the part where I kill you" I pretend to stroke an invisible cat, then I look around me, "Damn it!" I stamp my foot, "Where the hell is my evil spinny chair? Without it the whole thing falls apart"

Stefan barks out a laugh and he shakes his head,

"You're right. I'm offended that you didn't think this through. Does my murder mean that little to you?"

I gasp in mock despair,

"I'm so sorry Stef, I've ruined everything! I had a whole speech planned!"

"There was going to be a speech?" Stefan asks, amusement lighting up his eyes in a way that makes me feel all weird and happy inside.

"Yes, of course"

"Well now I'm supremely disappointed. What idiot forgot to leave a spinny chair out here in the middle of the forest for you?"

"I gave Matty specific instructions. He has failed me"

"Honestly. Humans. Can't trust 'em with anything these days"

"I know. Did you see Spenny at the bar today?"

Stefan sighs as if I've asked this question a million times before. I probably have.

"Yes, I saw him"

"Did he talk about me?" I raise an eyebrow suggestively at Stefan.

"He asked if we'd killed you"

"Did he sound sad or revengy about it?"

"He sounded hopeful"

"I think you're making that up. Spenny loves me"

"No. No he does not"

"You're so pessimistic Stef"

"Again, maybe I'm just sane"

"Well that's not true, Mr. I black out and become a crazy ripper person"

"Touché"

"Right, now back to matter in hand" I look down at the knife that I'm still holding.

Stefan seems to stiffen and the atmosphere between us becomes tense. Very, very tense.

"I don't think we should do that today. Or ever again actually" Stefan says slowly, he refuses to meet my eyes.

I frown,

"Why not? Now is the perfect time, it's not like we get a lot of alone time these days"

Stefan shifts uneasily and he still won't look at me as he says,

"I'm already in a lot trouble with Elena. I don't want to lie to her about this anymore, if she found out she'd never trust me again. I need her to trust me so I can protect her. And you."

I shake my head in confusion,

"Stefan, why are you acting like this is some massive secret. We're not doing anything wrong. Not really, and we both agreed it's not about Elena. It's just a friend helping out another friend"

Stefan doesn't say anything and the tension between us reaches new heights. I can feel our bond pushing at my mind, trying to convince me to open myself up, to feel the emotions that are just dying to reveal themselves. It's so tempting to delve in and see what's bothering Stefan. But that would be an invasion of his privacy, I wouldn't do that. Not to Stefan.

I make a frustrated sound and I shove the blade back into my boot. Then I reach up to force Stefan to look at me. Our eyes connect and the damn of emotions almost breaks free at the intensity of his gaze locked with mine. I have no idea what to make of it. Just like yesterday when we were at Slater's. It's so damn confusing, like there's something I know, but can't quite remember.

"Stefan, seriously, what aren't you saying? Please tell me" I say desperately.

My eyes search his, trying to figure out exactly what's going on with my best friend. It's not exactly new, there's been something weird between us for a while now. Suddenly Stefan's hands are covering mine and he leans in close to rest his forehead against mine.

"When we share blood…that isn't all we share"

I know exactly what he means. The times we share blood have always been about more than that. We have to allow that connection between us to flow easily, the emotion is too intense not to without it hurting like a bitch. A big bitch.

"So? There's nothing wrong with it Stefan. We're connected, so what-"

"It didn't say it was wrong. I just don't think it's good….for either of us. Not anymore" Stefan seems uncomfortable with the whole conversation and it's the first time we've ever been in complete disagreement.

"Since when?"

Stefan frowns in confusion and he pulls back slightly,

"Since when what?"

I make a pained expression,

"When did you start feeling this way? When did you stop trusting me?"

Stefan's eyes widen in surprise and hurt and guilt fill them,

"I do trust you Ever. I trust you more than anyone"

"Then why can't you trust me enough to show me how you're feeling. Because that's what this is about, isn't it? You don't want me to see, to feel both of us connected completely through our bond" I say, my voice becoming a bit strangled sounding at the end.

There's a long pause where I begin to think Stefan won't answer, but then he says,

"It's not you that I don't trust Ever"

I don't understand,

"Then who?"

"Me. I don't trust myself" Stefan chokes out the words as if holding them in was painful. Before I can say anything Stefan continues, "You….you make me feel like I could do anything, like the whole world is bright and amazing and full of endless possibilities. You make me have fun even when everything feels like it's crumbling down on top of us, you push me to be better in ways I didn't even realise I needed to be better before. You, Ever, you make me feel free"

I can barely take in all the things Stefan is saying. I don't have any idea of how to respond. I didn't know he felt so deeply. Even more mind fuck worthy, I didn't know I felt so deeply. There are a million things I want to say back. Like how he makes me feel like I'm flying every time he shares a secret with me, or gives me one of those secret smiles I know are just between us. Like how he makes me want to spend hours trying to get him to laugh, to really laugh and finally let go long enough to enjoy life with me. Like how I can't imagine my life without him in it.

But I don't say those things, even though our bond is practically screaming at me to do so. I'm so full of intense emotion right now, and I don't know how to handle it without breaking. Or doing something we would both regret later no matter how right I know it would feel at the time.

"I made a deal with Elijah" the words come flying out of my mouth. I need something to distract us, and that seems like the perfect thing. Plus, I was going to talk to him about it anyway.

Stefan jerks lightly in shock and confusion. I can barely breath right now and so I pull away from him whilst he's distracted. I move over to sit down by a big tree, trying to force myself to behave like I'm not burning up from the inside. It's fucking difficult.

After a few moments, Stefan gets his breathing under control and he comes to sit down next to me. For a good ten minutes nether of us says anything. I use that time to get my shit together. Finally I mentally slap myself and I turn to Stefan at the same time that he turns to me.

"What kind of deal? Are you alright? Did he threaten you? When did you make this deal?" Stefan fires questions at me.

I shrug,

"A deal where he keeps everyone I care about safe. Yes, I'm alright. No, he didn't threaten me. Today, before I texted you"

Stefan seems to be lost in deep thought for a while, then he looks up to meet my eyes as he says,

"You can't trust him Ever"

"I know. I don't, not exactly. But I do believe that he'll keep the people I love safe, and for now that's my main concern. I even managed to get him to leave Elena out of it completely"

"He knows about Elena" there's shock and worry in Stefan's voice.

"Apparently. Jenna and Elijah are now best buds apparently"

"That….is not good"

"Nope"

"What about you?" Stefan asks suddenly and I frown in response.

"What about me?"

"Who's protecting you?"

I smirk at him,

"The four most important males in my life. Damon, Sin, you and Kevin"

Stefan smiles slightly despite everything,

"I don't think we can rely on Kevin"

I roll my eyes in mock exasperation,

"You're only saying that because he hit you in the face the other day"

"He did it on purpose"

"Let it go Stefan. Just let it go"

"Never"

"You're so difficult" I say with a laugh, but my voice is sober when I say, "Please don't tell anyone. I'm gonna tell Damon. I just wanted to test it out on you first"

"Test it out?" Stefan asks curiously.

I nod,

"Well yeah, I figured I'd get your reaction, then I'd times it by ten, and that would be Damon's reaction"

Stefan pretends to think about it,

"Hmmm, better make that twenty. Just to be safe"

"You're right. I'll make sure all the most expensive and sharp things are hidden so he can't use them as weapons or throwing/smashing material"

Stefan's eyes soften and he whispers,

"Thanks for telling me Everlyna, about the deal you made. Keeping it a secret would probably have been easier"

I shrug again and I give Stefan a wide smile,

"You know that's not the way I roll Dr. Steffy. Plus, this is Mystic Falls, nothing stays secret for very long around here. We're all too damn nosy. I mean, you lot managed to keep your 'we're vampires' secret for all of five minutes"

"I'll have you know I have serious ninja skill when it comes to being secretive"

"Well, now you're just lying to yourself"

"You hurt me with those words"

"Good" I meet his eyes, "Because I hate you Stefan"

Stefan smiles back at me,

"I hate you too Ever"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Are we seriously not gonna talk at all?" Katerina says in irritation.

I sigh heavily and against my better judgement, I turn to the crazy bitch who fucked everything up over a hundred years ago. She made my brothers fall in love with her. She cheated on me even though she swears she still loves me. She bit Jeremy, probably would have killed him if I hadn't stopped her.

Why am I not killing her again?

Oh yeah, because regrets can sit on it a spin, that's why.

"Oh, we can talk, if you want. We can talk about everything you've done to fuck up my life"

Katerina shakes her head,

"What do you want me to say Sinbad? That I'm sorry for everything I've done. Well I'm not ok"

"Oh, shocker. Katerina Petrova isn't sorry. I'll go alert the media…oh wait, I can't. Because I'm stuck in a fucking tomb with a certifiable twit who fucks everyone over to get her way"

"It's called self preservation"

"It's called being a two faced back stabbing bitch with knobs on. Times ten. With a downward smiley face. No 'x's or 'o's for you crazy panties"

"I've been looking out for myself for five hundred years" Katerina argues. And she actually manages to sound self righteous about it.

I chuckle darkly and I move towards her, she holds her ground even when I'm only about a foor away from her. Our eyes lock and I say,

"Just look where it's gotten you Katerina"

"Yes, I've done terrible things. I know that"

"Do you? Because I really doubt it" I run my fingers through the ends of her hair.

"I do love you Sin, moyat spasitel. I really do. Even if you don't believe it" she stares up into my eyes and leans into my touch.

It brings back so many memories that I have to use every bit of my will power to beat them down and stop them from taking me over.

Being so damn hungry doesn't help. Thing is, right now, even that bottle of human blood wouldn't help. Ever since seeing Elijah I've had to fight it, to stop the need from consuming me. When the witches stole me from my life and kept me captive, they changed me. In so many ways. They made me stronger. Faster. Dangerous as fuck. Lethal as anyone could be. An assassin with one simple task.

Kill the Originals.

Only I can. Only I can kill them with my power. But to kill them, I have to bleed them dry. Suck the blood from their bodies until there is nothing left, just like my ripper brother. I crave vampire blood. I don't need blood to survive anymore. Human blood tastes amazing, but it gives me very little strength. To reach my full potential I must drink vampire blood.

But there's a catch. There always is with witches.

When I first met the Originals my humanity was off. And it wasn't the witches who stole that from me. I wouldn't allow them to take my humanity, no matter how much torture they put me through. I couldn't let them win. I've always been a stubborn asshole that way. It's a Salvatore thing.

What took my humanity was my first taste of vampire blood. It drove me wild. And I went on a rampage. A very kill-y rampage. I ripped vampires apart, and I played with the humans who got in my way. There's a voice inside my head, locked behind a door. Another man resides behind that door. A man I once was. A man who became so deadly, so dark inside that the Originals called him 'brother'.

My task was to kill them, to destroy their existence. But instead I became part of their family. The story of myself and the Originals is a long one. And I can't help but feel like it's not over yet.

"You want me to believe that you love me?" I say seriously to Katerina, and her eyes widen, "Then show me. Do something. Prove to me that there's something inside of you that's actually worth trusting"

I wait for my words to sink in and I trace my fingers over her throat. Killing her would be so easy that it's almost laughable. That dark place inside my head pulses and the man behind the door laughs loudly. He urges me to kill her. To sink my fangs into her throat and cause her so much pain that she begs for the sweet release of dying. To rid the world of Katerina Petrova once and for all. He wants destruction. Chaos. Death.

There was a time when that's all I lived for.

"And then what?" Katerina finally asks.

I shrug, and I focus my energy on drowning out that voice. Even if this once, he's right.

"You'll still hate me. No matter what I do" Katerina says.

"Maybe. Or, I might see the Kat I fell in love with. If she's even still in there"

"You're playing me" Katerina accuses with narrowed, yet hopeful eyes. She wants to believe that I mean it.

"Am I?" my eyes bore into hers.

Katerina sighs,

"You wanna find Klaus? Kill him, so you can protect your precious Ever?"

"No. Fucking hell no. Well I want to protect Ever, I'll do whatever it takes to do that. But….I mean...do you know where he is?" I ask her, a desperate note coming into my voice. I hate it.

She shakes her head,

"No I don't. But I could help you find him"

The thought of seeing Nick again….Klaus, damn it, Klaus. He's not Nick to me anymore. He can't be. Because I'm not the same person I was when I last saw him. I may have had my humanity back, but I was nowhere near good.

"For a price" I say.

Katerina tilts her head to the side,

"Start with Isobel. Elena and Ever's mother. She was a research expert. She found me."

I smile down at her slightly and she smiles back,

"You're welcome" she says.

I'm about to respond when suddenly I hear a crash coming from the entrance to the cave. Both me and Katerina rush to see what the fuck a duck is going down now.

I almost stumble back onto my ass when I see who's waiting there for us.

Katerina gasps,

"Elijah"

"Good evening Katerina. Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened" he says, his voice still so soft and rich….no, fuck off brain. Or should I be directing that order to my dick. Just no.

When he turns his gaze on me I fight the urge to hide in the shadows. I don't like it when he stares at me in that way of his. It screws me up inside. It makes me remember things. Feel things. I hate it, I really truly do.

I don't like feeling out of control of my emotions, it's not something I'm used to at all.

"Your release has been requested" Eli says to me.

"Requested? By who?" I ask with a scowl that I hope hides how fucked up I'm feeling right now, with him staring at me like that.

"The fiery and beautiful Ever. That girl drives a hard bargain. However we've reached a peaceful agreement, she and I" Eli answers calmly.

I still hate that calmness. It drives me mental. It always has.

Eli moves backwards and gestures around widely with his arm,

"Please. Come"

"I'm not a fucking dog Eli. Talk to me like a person or not at all" I snap, anger taking place of the confusion.

Eli sighs heavily as if I'm being an annoying child.

"We've talked about this before"

"I know. That's why it pisses me off so much that you keep bloody doing it"

"I've had the spell lifted. Please, do leave the tomb" Eli says.

I glare at him, but I see no reason for him to lie. Unless it's to mess with me. Although that was always more of Kol's thing.

I stride out of the tomb and I let out a relieved breath when I pass the entrance without any resistance. I turn back to Katerina and immediately she tries to leave the tomb. But Eli is too fast. He stops her from leaving with mere presence alone.

"As for you however" Eli says to Katerina, "You shall not exit until I say so. When Klaus comes he'll want to know exactly where you are"

I figure he's compelled her.

Eli walks away from Katerina and comes to stand only a few inches away from me.

"You're free to go. Ever will explain the arrangement to you. She keeps her word, I'll keep mine"

Eli walks out, leaving me with Katerina. I look at her and she says desperately,

"No, Sin, please don't let him leave me in here"

I take a deep breath and I reply,

"Goodbye Katerina"

I leave the tomb and head up into cemetery above. When I get there I'm not at all surprised to see Eli waiting for me. I just shake my head before walking away.

Only moments later Eli is by my side, I studiously refuse to look at him as we walk.

"Where are you going?" he asks me casually, as if…ahhhhh, fuck him.

I answer bluntly,

"Home"

"Allow me to walk you there" Eli says softly.

I shake my head,

"No. Leave me the hell alone Eli"

Eli reaches out a hand and wraps it around my arm, stopping me from moving any further. He pretty much yanks me around to face him, his hand still touching me. I try to pull away, but his hold is strong and I don't have it in me to fight him right now. I want to see Jeremy, to make sure he's safe, and then Ever, to ask her what the hell is going on.

It occurs to me that I could ask Eli that question, but no way in fucking hell am I asking this man for anything.

"Don't do this Eli" I say firmly, still not willing to meet his eyes.

Unfortunately, as usual, Eli has other ideas and he takes hold of my chin, forcing me to look directly at him.

"I only want to walk you home Sinbad"

"And I only want you to leave. Me. Alone." I say, putting more force behind the words this time.

"Why must you always be so difficult?" Eli says in slight exasperation. HA, he's irritated! I want to thump him upside the head so hard. But I'm too afraid he'd take that as an invitation. The Original men are like that, they are master manipulators of pretty much any, and every, situation.

"Because you're trying to control me" I snap as I attempt to free myself from his grasp again. In response Eli just pulls me closer.

I can feel his warm minty breath on my face , and he smells really good, like a scented candle. It makes me want to relax against him, to let go of my anger and allow him to take care of me.

Damn it Eli!

Not this shit again!

Eli squeezes my arm in what I suppose is meant to be reassurance,

"I am not trying to control you Mío-"

"Don't call me that Eli"

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't true anymore. I'm not yours. In any way. At all."

"You always say that"

"Yeah...well...this time I mean it"

"You said that last time"

"I really mean it this time Eli. There's nothing you can do or say that will change my mind"

"You said that last time as well"

"I hate you... you know, I'm surprised you even let me out of that tomb at all"

Eli doesn't frown, so I know that he knows exactly what I'm talking about, but he still asks,

"Why wouldn't I?"

I try once more to get him to release me, but without literally flinging him away, I have no chance. I make an exasperated sound in the back of my throat. I can't look away though because Eli still has hold of my jaw.

"Because you're a bloody control freak. You'd want me there, in that tomb, so that you know where I am. Admit it, if Ever hadn't asked you to free me, you wouldn't have"

Eli doesn't say anything. He doesn't need to, I already know the answer.

"That's what I thought" I say with a heavy sigh.

"I would have kept you in that tomb so that you would be safe" Eli states, as if he has any right to decide such a thing.

"Oh, here we go again. I'm perfectly safe Eli" I say, rolling my eyes.

"You and I both know that is not true. Must you always be so blindly arrogant Mío, it will get you killed"

"I told you not to call me that! And anyway, I'm immortal remember"

"Everyone can be killed. It is the laws of nature and magic. One in the same really." Eli stroked his thumb over my cheek and I cannot hold off the shiver that races down my spine.

"I just want you to be safe" Eli whispers, he brushes his lips over mine and my breath hitches almost painfully.

God, I want him to kiss me. No, I want him to lose control, to not be composed for five fucking minutes. I used to live for those moments.

But I didn't crave them. Craving was reserved for a different Original.

Damn all of them for fucks sake! This is not me anymore!

Eli presses his lips to mine and on instinct I open for him. I moan breathlessly into the kiss and when Eli finally let's go of my arm, I wind both of them around his neck. Eli hands skate over my stomach and then round to my back. One of his firm hands slides up to cup the back of my head, is fingers gently massaging the tension away.

I want this so desperately, but at the same time I know I can't let this happen. Not again.

So I practically throw myself away from him. I stumble backwards, my breathing is heavy and completely uncontrolled. Eli looks a little flustered, and I still take pride in the fact that I can make him lose it like that. Our eyes lock and Eli begins walking towards me. I hold up a hand to ward him off,

"No Eli. Stop. This has to stop"

Eli does stop and he narrows his eyes at me,

"Is this about that little boyfriend of yours?" Eli asks, "Jeremy Gilbert is it?"

I stiffen slightly,

"Stay away from Jeremy" I say, dreading his response.

Eli sighs and slides his hands into his trouser pockets. A classic Elijah stance.

"He's just a child Sinbad"

"I love him" I say firmly, knowing complete certainty that it is true. I am in love with Jeremy, that has not changed, I don't think it ever will.

Eli stills at that, his dark eyes rake me over with an intensity that has me fighting not to flinch. Eli is silent for a long time, until finally he says,

"Please, whatever you do Sinbad. Do not say that to him"

I snort,

"Yeah I never would. I'm not a moron Eli"

"Be careful Sin. I will be watching you if you should ever need me" Eli says before completely vanishing.

I groan in frustration,

"Oh, well, fuck life then" I say out loud to no one.

….

(Song for this part-You and Me by Lifehouse)

I head straight for Jeremy's house, hoping like hell he's still there. I need to him, I need to touch him. I've missed Jeremy so fucking much that it hurts.

When I climb in through the window Jeremy is sitting on his bed. He catches sight of me and his eyes widen. For a moment I become slightly unsure of myself. I wonder if he'll even want me here after everything that has happened lately.

Jeremy gets up off the bed and for a moment I think he's going to tell me to get out. But then he run at me, throwing himself into my arms. His mouth comes crashing down on mine and instantly I feel fire lick my heart. Fuck, I've missed this. It feels so good to have Jeremy in my arms. That voice in my head screams 'mine'.

Soon enough clothes are being torn off. Luckily the bloody door is firmly closed. I don't want anyone to us. I don't want anyone to see Jeremy naked, no one but me. He's mine and I want it to stay that way. Even though it's fucked up, and even though I don't deserve Jeremy. I want him, and I'll take him in any way he'll let me.

Jeremy moans loudly as my tongue dominates his mouth, owing him, possessing him perfectly. I slams him onto the bed and I kiss his body all over, biting his nipples between my teeth. Jeremy arches and suppresses a gentle scream.

"Oh, baby, I've missed you"

Jeremy is panting when he replies,

"I can't live without you Sin. I can't. And I don't want to"

My heart stutters at his words and I groan against his hot skin. Having Jeremy naked underneath me is more than I ever could have hoped for. He seems in a mad rush to get me inside of him, and I feel the same urgency take over my body.

When my cock is fully sheathed inside of Jeremy's hot and beautifully fucking tight hole, my world starts to crumble, breaking apart and rebuilding itself because of this one brown eyed boy. I kiss Jeremy's neck, and by the way he's moaning and whimpering I know what he really wants.

"Tell me what you want Jer" I growl dangerously. I fucking need to hear the words. I never thought I'd get to have Jeremy like this again.

Jeremy arches up against me with a hiss of pleasure when I thrust into him roughly. My cock is throbbing as I start a fast rhythm that has our skin slapping together each time I move in and out of him. I hold Jeremy's wrists in a firm grip above his head.

"I want…..I want to be yours Sin" Jeremy manages to choke out, his body reacting to my every little touch.

I growl again, this time it sounds more animalistic than anything. I lean down close and I press our foreheads together as I pound almost aggressively into Jeremy, claiming him completely in the way I know we both want and desperately need.

"You'll always be mine Jer. Fucking always baby, I promise"

I flip us then so that Jeremy is now riding my hard length. Jeremy grabs hold of my face and kisses me hard and possessive. We both moan together and I shove up into Jeremy's tight hole, feeling him all around me.

Jeremy rides me wildly with complete abandon. Our eyes lock when he practically shouts,

"Please. Sin. Oh. God…bite me, I need it, please Sin. Fuck!"

How could I ever resist that? Answer, I can't.

I allow my fangs to penetrate Jeremy's throat and we both let go, we give ourselves over to the ecstasy that consumes us.

Want.

Fuck.

Always.

Mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please do review! xxx


	52. The Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some humour fluff to get us through x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-second chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would throw a massive party at the Grill and NO ONE WOULD DIE!
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

The Descent 

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Damon! Where are you?" I call out as I walk into his room.

He was still in bed when I last saw him. I went downstairs after getting showered and dressed to grab a drink. We're all a bit on edge after Jules came crashing in last night and attacked like a crazy fluffy bitch.

Luckily between me, Stefan, Damon and Rose, we managed to fight her off, all of us coming out of the altercation pretty much unscathed. According to Sinbad the whole 'a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires' thing is definitely a horrible fate. He's seen it happen to more than one vampire. I honestly have no desire to test it out.

Suddenly I can feel him behind me, I don't know how I know it's him, but I do. After all this time together I feel like I can sense Damon anywhere.

"You're right behind me, aren't you?" I say with a small smile.

Damon's deep voice makes me smile even wider when he says,

"Ye-ep"

I turn around to face him and immediately Damon swoops in to steal an almost bruising kiss. I open my mouth to allow his tongue to stake claim once again. Damon's hands go to my hips and then over my ass until he hooks them around my thighs. He lifts me up in one swift movement and I groan against his lips as I wrap my legs around his waist.

Damon is shirtless and I take the opportunity to slide my hands over his chest, touching every bit of his flawlessly smooth skin. Skin that is stretched over deliciously hard muscle. I want to lick my way over that hot body of his. Damon kisses me harder and he presses his strong hands on my back so that we're even closer.

Damon's tongue trails over mine and I slide my fingers into his hair, pulling on it harshly. My stomach starts to flip over and over again and the heat in my core turns into an inferno. Damon's hand skates along my thigh, which causes goose bumps to rise all over my body. I twist my fingers in his black hair, it's still a bit damp from the shower.

His mouth is insistent on kissing my lips raw, and I love the passion that he puts into every touch, every kiss, every caress. I've never felt so wanted by anyone in my life. Damon has a way of causing my insides to ignite like no one else.

When we finally pull a few inches apart Damon is smiling, which is a big leap forward from his reaction last night. When I told Damon about me making a deal with Elijah he reacted in much the way I suspected he would. Basically…he went batshit with rage. Things were broken. Things were thrown. Shouting and anger filled swearing went on for a very long time. But like I said, I kind of figured he'd react that way. Luckily I had Stefan and Rose for back up.

Later on Sinbad showed up with Jeremy in tow. They looked a little flustered in that 'just fucked each other to death' way. Sin told us what bitchzilla said about Isobel a.k.a. the shittiest vampire mother ever. I managed to talk Damon down eventually, and after that he seemed a lot more calm, although I have no idea how long that will last.

I look down into those pale blue eyes that I love,

"Someone's in a better mood this morning. Did Sin force feed you some of those relaxy pills?"

Damon laughs and he leans in to give me another kiss, this time making it a soft lingering one. My fingers are still twined in his dark hair and I pull on it so I can look him in the eye again.

"I don't need pills. I need to find Elijah, so I can beat him to death" Damon says sweetly, as if beating someone to death is no big deal. Well, to Damon, it isn't. But to us non-psycho folk…..

"You're ruining the moment" I say with a sigh.

Damon lets me shift down back onto my feet and I take a few steps away. Damon shrugs,

"I won't pretend that everything is alright, because it's not"

I run a hand through my hair and I raise an eyebrow at Damon,

"No, it isn't. But bitchzilla is in the tomb"

Damon takes hold of my hand and he pulls me closer to him. His thumb smoothes over my jaw, causing that fire within me to spark just a little brighter.

"Yes, but there's still the little pressing issue of you being Klaus's human sacrifice"

I squeeze Damon's hand reassuringly,

"Yes, but Elijah promised to keep everyone I love safe, as long as we played by his rules"

Damon smirks at me,

"Since when have you ever played by anyone's rules?"

I smirk back at him and I pull away, moving over to pour Damon a drink of vervain. Damon groans at the sight of it like a little boy who's just been told he has to eat all his broccoli. Sometimes I swear Damon is one step away from pouting.

I hold out the drink to him and he takes it from me.

"Are you really going to go after Isobel?" I ask, really hoping he's changed his mind.

Damon rolls his eyes at me,

"According to Sin, she might know some answers. I'm just gonna ask her a few questions"

I narrow my eyes at him,

"Questions huh? Yeah, I know how you 'ask' people things Damon. Listen, I made a deal with Elijah and-"

"Yeah, you did. But I didn't make a deal with anyone, therefore I can do whatever the hell I want" Damon says in that tone of voice he knows makes me want to flick him in the eye. I've done that before, he gets quite upset about it. Apparently getting flicked in the eye is not a pleasant experience no matter what species you are.

I move closer to Damon and I place a hand over his hard stomach, it ripples beneath my touch. I search Damon's eyes before saying,

"I don't want anyone else getting hurt Day"

"When have I ever wanted someone to get hurt?" Damon says all mock innocent-like.

I pretend to think about it,

"Uh, about two minutes ago when you said you needed to beat Elijah to death"

"Apart from that"

"Hm, well, there was the time you wanted to kill Caroline. Or the time you wanted to kill Alaric or-"

"No one likes a know it all Ev's"

"I have a list….would you like to see it?"

"Only if it's laminated. Otherwise there's just no point"

I flick him on the forehead,

"Drink your vervain" I say.

Damon makes a face and then reluctantly downs the glass of vervain. Immedietely afterwards he starts coughing and choking slightly. I take the glass away from him and I smooth his back, pulling him closer to me as he has a mini fit. Once he stops choking I ask him,

"Are you alright?"

Damon nods,

"Yeah, I'm ok"

"Good, then stop whinging….and don't down the entire thing every single time. There's nothing wrong with pacing yourself"

"Do I look like Stefan to you?" Damon kisses the side of my head.

"You look like an idiot who just drank poison….how can Elijah compel other vampires?" I ask curiously.

Damon shrugs,

"I don't know. He's an Original."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know….I don't think anyone does. Except Sin, and you know how annoyingly cagey he's being about the Originals. Ask him"

Damon kisses me again, and I wrap my arms around his neck. I laugh when he dips me almost all the way down to the ground.

"Hey" he says to me as he pulls away slightly.

I smile at him,

"What?"

Damon looks unsure for a moment, but then he says,

"Would you like to go out tonight?"

I frown,

"Like on a date?"

My stomach starts bubbling with excitement at the thought of that. Damon replies,

"No. Not like a date, I mean an actual honest to fuck date. Without my brothers. Or your sister and brother. Or any of your friends. Or a certain Original. Just the two of us. What do you think?"

I barely stop myself from jump up and down, which would most likely cause Damon to either fall or drop me.

"Yes, a million times yes, I would love to go on a date with you tonight. Provided nothing awful happens between now and then"

Damon smiles that real smile that I love,

"Good. Then we'll head out around eight. I don't care what happens today, we're going out on that date if I have to trap everyone we know down in the basement for a night. Nothing is going to stop me from spending some alone time with the girl I love"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"And here he comes" I say as me and Stefan watch Damon come striding into the Grill.

Jules is here, so we figured Damon would come storming in all 'I challenge you to a duel via wordplay'. Stefan and I exchange a look and then we head over to Damon. He frowns at us when I stop him with my arm.

"What are you two doing here?" Damon asks.

"Waiting for you dear brother" I say with a smile.

Stefan sighs,

"Listen, there's a lot of people here-"

"Damn, there goes my plan to rip her spleen through her back" Damon cuts Stefan of with a glare.

I huff in mock annoyance,

"Hey, killing fluffy people is my job, remember. I handled the Mason situation very well"

"You killing Mason is the reason Jules is here in the first place" Stefan argues very unhelpfully.

I scoff loudly,

"Oh, right, so now it's all my fault that fluffy's 'pack' buddies are descending on us. I've been locked in the tomb for days, so the female fluffy attack thing was definitely not because of me"

Damon shakes his head,

"Yeah, I know, that was my bad. But now I'm going to deal with the situation"

Damon goes to turn away but Stefan stops him,

"I know you're angry about her attacking us last night-"

"Ever. She could have killed Ever. Does that not matter to you?" Damon snaps accusingly.

Stefan balks at that and his eyes somehow become darker when he snaps right back,

"Of course that matters to me. It matters to me more than you could possibly understand-"

"Stefan" I say in warning. This is not the time to be declaring anything 'feelingsy' towards Ever. Damon's on edge enough as it is.

Damon's eyes are narrowed on Stefan and he looks about to say something when his phone starts to ring. He gets it out of his pocket and frowns down at the screen.

"Who is it?" I ask him, sensing that this is not an ordinary call.

"I got Isobel's number from Alaric. She's calling me back" Damon says much to mine and Stefan's surprise.

Damon answers the call and walks away, talking to whoever is on the other end.

I look over Jules and then I turn back to Stefan,

"I think I'm gonna have a little talk with she-wolf"

"Sin-"

"Don't panic Stefan, I'm not gonna kill her. Probably." I say with a wink. Before Stefan can argue anymore I stride over to where female fluffy is sitting.

I slide into the seat next her. She raises an eyebrow at me and I say,

"So…how are you? Done anymore vampire huntin' lately?"

Female fluffy narrows her eyes at me and tilts her head to the side when she replies,

"You're new, I haven't seen you around"

"Ah, well, yes, I have been indisposed as of late. But I'm back now, and I thought we'd have a supernaturally chat; like a girly chat, but with less girl and more supernatural. My name is Sinbad Salvatore, I believe you have met, threatened and attempted to kill my brothers"

Her eyes widen almost comically and she looks conflicted on whether to shift closer or to move as far away from me as possible.

"Sinbad Salvatore…..I've heard of you"

Ok, that never ends well.

People who have 'heard' of me are usually people who want me dead. Either because I broke the heart of someone they love, or because I killed someone they loved. Sometimes both. More times than I'd like….it's usually both. I maintain that it's not always directly my fault. Most of the time.

Hey, stop with the judgy looks, I've lived, I've suffered, I've…fucked…..a lot….everyone has to have a vice ok.

Mine just happens to be that I like sex. It's either I have loads of sex or I kill loads of people, that's the only way I can handle my vampire blood cravings, I need to satisfy myself in other ways. There is no way for me to explain this without it sounding like I'm a manwhore is there?

No….no there is not.

Fuck, I do not deserve Jeremy. Here's hoping he doesn't realise that any time soon.

"Everyone's heard of me, I am quite the vampire celebrity" I say with a smirk.

Jules arches an eyebrow,

"Yes, you're a legend in werewolf circles"

Damn werewolf circles! Load of bloody gossips.

Fluffy people carry news faster than ducks eats Hovis.

"If you've heard of me then you'll know I do not take kindly to people threatening, and attempting to kill the people I care about" I say, not even trying to keep the edge out of my voice.

"Your brother is an idiot" female fluffy says.

I nod in agreement,

"Yes, since birth, it's very sad. But we make allowances for family. Of course, if he was born in Roman times then we could have just dumped him over a cliff and no one would have minded, but these day there are all these awful things like 'human rights' and 'childline' and 'Ke$ha', you know all sorts of ridiculous stuff that we have to put up with in modern times"

"You're a little insane aren't you" Female fluffy states with a wry smile.

"I would feel insulted by that if it weren't very, very true"

Female fluffy leans towards me and I keep my eyes trained on her, tracking her every move, her every reaction. I already made one mistake by underestimating original fluffy, now his little girlfriend is here barking up all the right trees. To be honest, I don't really have the time or the 'give a shits' to deal with this, but I know if I don't then no one will. Or worse, Damon will.

"Your brother threatened me first" she says, her expression suddenly very serious.

"Yes, but as we have already established, he's an idiot" I reply simply.

"He started it, so I'm gonna finish it" female fluffy huffs.

I frown and I give her an incredulous look,

"How old are you fluffy? Seven? 'He started it. That annoying black haired boy who smirks a lot. I am so telling my daddy'."

"Did you just call me fluffy?" now she looks really annoyed.

"Yes"

"Why?"

"I would have thought the answer to that was obvious"

"Because I'm a werewolf?"

"No, because you're best friends with little red riding hood"

"What?"

"I am not explaining that joke to you fluffy"

"Don't call me fluffy"

I shrug,

"Yeah, original fluffy didn't like it much either"

Female fluffy seems to perk right up at that, she leans even closer to me,

"Original fluffy?"

"Yes, I believe his name was Mason" I reply vaguely.

"So, you knew Mason?"

"Uh, 'knew' is such a loaded word. Let's just say we talked from time to time"

"Where is he?" she asks, her eyes searching mine. I keep my eyes and my face completely impassive, something I'm luckily quite skilled at.

"Let's just say he's not going to be coming around anymore" I answer, making sure my tone suggests exactly why he won't be around.

Female fluffy's eyes harden,

"Your brother made a mistake in threatening me" she says, her voice low.

I strike fast, my hand clamping down over her wrist, pinning it to the table. She tries to pull away, but her strength is no match for mine. To anyone watching it would look like we're lovers talking quietly to each other. I lean in close to whisper into her ear,

"If you come near my family, or anyone I care about again, I will rip your heart out of your chest so fast that your life won't even have time to flash before your eyes, and trust me when I say, I'm good at that"

…..

"So, how's Fluffy. Jr?" I ask Caroline as we walk through the middle of town.

Caroline turns to me and her nose scrunches up in thought,

"Tyler's fine. He got through his first transformation"

"Because of you Care. That was very kind of you to help him. Dangerous as hell, but kind"

Caroline shrugs, but there's a certain bounce to her step that tells me she's pretty proud of herself too. I like this new confident Caroline, she's still crazy, although that's at least something I can relate to.

"I just didn't want him to be alone. There's more to Tyler than I thought, he's not just an-"

"Obnoxious assface?"

Caroline sighs, but she smiles at me,

"Yeah, he's just scared"

"Like you were?"

"Exactly. But you helped me through it, and I want to do the same for Tyler"

"Hmmmm-hmmmm" I nudge her side suggestively.

Caroline looks away, blushing slightly,

"Shut up Sin. We're friends, that's it"

I make a dismissive gesture with my hand,

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say"

Caroline rolls her eyes,

"I love Matt"

I put my arm around her shoulders and I pull her closer to me,

"Love him, do you? More than me?"

Caroline stifles a flutter of giggles,

"No way Sin. I could never love anyone more than you"

"That's what I thought" I say with a nod, "Have you told him you love him?"

Caroline groans and buries her face in my chest as we walk,

"Yes, I told him"

I look down at her, surprise all over my face,

"Holy shit! I thought you were into the whole 'I must stay away from him because I'm too dangerous' bullshit"

"I am. And it's not blullshit" Caroline argues frowning up at me.

I roll my eyes,

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that gorgeous, and I'll keep pretending I don't think it's stupid, which it is"

"I told him I love him and…God, I don't know what's wrong with me. I didn't mean to tell him, it just came out" Caroline buries her face in my jacket again.

I stroke her hair reassuringly,

"Calm down woman, it's gonna be fine. Worst comes to worst, I'll kill Matt"

Caroline hits my stomach,

"Sin"

"What, I would do it secretly. You'd never know it was me"

"You're insane" Caroline says as she arches an eyebrow at me.

"You love it" I wink down at her.

"Jeremy has his hands full with you" Caroline snorts out a laugh.

"I love him" I say more seriously than I meant to.

Caroline gives me a searching look before saying,

"Yeah, well, try not to screw it up then"

"Same to you Care, you fluffy lover you"

"Shut up Sin"

Ever's P.O.V

"I just feel like she's hiding something from me Ever" Matt says, he runs a frustrated hand through his blond hair.

My stomach clenches slightly, because I can see how stressed out my Matty is and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't tell him the truth, mostly because it's not my right to tell Matt anything about Caroline or the Salvatore's. But I wish I could take away Matt's worries all the same.

Maybe Bonnie has some sort of relaxy potion thingy I can use. Or possibly I could just slip him a few pills. That might be what my evil twin would do, because she's so evil. And grumpy. I told Elena about the deal with Mr. Gorgeous hair, she was less than happy go lucky about it. My evil twin is of the opinion that I'm a hypocrite for being pissed with her about what she did and then going out and doing 'the exact same thing' blah blah blah and more blahness.

Ok, first of all, I did not go looking for Elijah, he came to me. Secondly, he offered me the deal. And thirdly, I didn't sell out my own sister because I'm jealous of her ninja poking abilities. I mean, I don't know for sure if that's the reason why she Elena did it, but one can assume such things. One being me.

I place a hand on Matt's arm and he looks at me with those honest baby blue eyes of his, damn him, and I say,

"Caroline's going through some tough shit right now Matty, she just needs space to work things out, it isn't because she doesn't care about you"

"Then why can't she just tell me that instead of running off all the time" Matty whinges. Alright, he doesn't whinge, but by this point that's what it sounds like to me.

"I don't know Matty. But she kissed you, right"

"You saw that" Matt suddenly looks really embarrassed.

I give him a suggestive look,

"Hells to the yeah I did"

"Did you just say hells to the yeah?"

"I'm thinking of becoming a rapper. Can I stab you?"

"Uh, why do you want to stab me?"

I scoff,

"I don't want to Matty, but I need to up my street cred"

"No, you can't stab me for that ridiculous reason"

"Wait, so there is a good reason for letting me stab you?"

"No"

"You're so uncooperative Matty"

"Because I won't let you stab me?"

"Yes, we're friends. You're my Matty and I'm your Ever and-"

"Don't be saying that in front of your boyfriends"

"I only have one boyfriend Matty"

"If you say so"

I hit Matt lightly on the arm in protest,

"Are you scared of the Salvatore's, a big strong manly type like you?"

"I'm scared of the one that glares with 'I will kill you eyes' whenever another man touches or talks to you in front of him"

"Which one, they all do that?"

"Exactly"

 

Spoiler-More eventful chapter next time my peoples, and yes I kept Rose alive, but this is Mystic Falls, so, living through one episode doesn't make you immortal ;) xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler-More eventful chapter next time my peoples, and yes I kept Rose alive, but this is Mystic Falls, so, living through one episode doesn't make you immortal ;) xxx


	53. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy people Vs The Salvatore's!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-third chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then season five would not suck so bad, and yes, that pun was indeed intended people!
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

Daddy Issues

 

Ever's P.O.V

I walk into the kitchen and gasp dramatically when I see a horrible nightmarish being drinking from my favourite mug. I point at it and say,

"Be gone foul beast"

John arches an eyebrow at me, but as usual he pretends I've spoken to him nicely.

"Good morning to you too Ever" he says brightly.

He takes a sip from my mug. Great, now I'll need to throw that mug away.

I make a face at John,

"I thought you being here was just an awful, terrible, astoundingly unpleasant nightmare. Or maybe I'm dead, and this is hell" I look around me as if keeping an eye out for the devil himself. It couldn't be John because I'd assume being Satan would include having more than two brain cells.

Besides, John isn't evil, he's just really, really, annoying.

Damon revealed that he called John, or at least he called Isobel and got John instead. Although technically Damon didn't tell John to come back, John just sort of invited himself, much to mine and Elena's mutual horror.

Still, Damon insisted we go out on our date, and despite everything I ended up having fun, one thing I can always count on with Damon. The crazy psycho makes me laugh, and I know he tries really hard not to be completely offensive to, like, everybody we meet or come into contact with, so I really appreciate that.

"What are you doing here?" I ask John suspiciously.

I do not trust this man. I do not trust him with my life, hell, I don't even trust him to carry scissors, we all know what happened last time he handled a sharp implement.

John holds out his mug, MY MUG!, to me and says,

"Coffee?"

I shake my head,

"Nope, we're not doing that. No avoiding the subject, just tell me why you're here and then leave. In fact, if you want to skip the first part and go right to the leaving bit, then I'd be completely fine with that"

Jon sighs, as if he has anything to be sighing about, and answers,

"I'm here to protect you" he looks down and then back up at me in a really shifty 80s drugs dealer kind of way, "And that's all I can say at the moment"

I scoff. Loudly.

"Who are you James Bond? This isn't an action movie John. You are not in the CIA, they wouldn't even let you in the KND"

KND, as in the 'Kids Next Door' for those of you who had no childhood.

"I'll tell you more when I'm convinced I can trust you" John says all pompous and arrogant and uuggggggghhh.

"I hate your face" I huff in irritation.

Just as John is about to speak again Aunt Jenna comes rushing in saying,

"Oh God, I'm late"

Alaric comes in after her,

"Well that's what you get for hitting the snooze button three times"

When Jenna catches sight of John she freezes and stares at him like he's a big blob of horrifying goo. He is. John is so the human equivalent of a horrible goo-like substance. Bleegh.

"What. The. Hell?" Jenna demands, her eyes narrowing at John.

"And good morning to you Jenna" John replies with another smarmy smile that I want to furiously flick off his face. John acknowledges Alaric with a nod.

Looks like Alaric wants to punch John in the face. I wonder if I can put that on my Christmas list and ask for Alaric to give me my present early.

"It's ok I'm confused right, I mean we weren't expecting you, like, ever" Jenna says angrily.

John nods and steps forward,

"Well, I got in late last night and Elena let me in"

Yeah, she freakin' well did. Me, Elena and Jenna really need to talk about who they randomly invite into this house, especially after the Original vampire situation. Now we've allowed a dangerous and uncontrollable creature into our house who says he won't harm anyone, but who I can't possibly trust. AND we've let in Elijah. Not to mention bitchzilla.

Alaric shifts behind Jenna and he reaches out to touch her shoulder,

"You know, I think I'm just gonna take off"

Alaric and I make brief eye contact where we share a moment of intense discomfort before he leaves. I want to run after him, beg him to take me away from here. But I can't, because that would be 'weird'.

Jenna shakes her head,

"I'm still confused here" she says.

John shrugs, which somehow makes me want to flick him even more, although I can't explain why. I think his entire existence just frustrates the hell out of me.

"I've decided to come back and stay for a while" he says.

Jenna immediately looks defensive and pissed off,

"Not here you're not"

Ha, take that in the face Vader.

"Actually, you can't stop me from living here" John says.

Why? –my inward whingy voice snaps.

Jenna hits back with,

"Uh, actually I can, as legal guardian"

POW!

But then John ruins everything as per usual by saying,

"Yeah, about that, um, Ever, you want me to explain the situation, or would you like to do the honours"

I glare openly at him before turning to an expectant Jenna and saying,

"Fine. John is…on drugs, he needs to stay here under house arrest because he had the munchies and assaulted a Boy scout for his candy bar"

"What?" Jenna practically shrieks.

John gives me a look and then turns back to Jenna, he gets that really fucking annoying serious expression on his face and he says,

"I'm Ever and Elena's biological father"

Dun, dun, duuuuuunnnnn!

Oh right, that's why. Crap.

"There, now you know" John says before sauntering off like a little bitch who hasn't just been a complete assbandit.

"Uh, again, what?" Jenna stares at me, waiting for an answer.

I shrug and use my finger to make the 'he's crazy' sign by swirling it next to my forehead,

"It's the drugs, they make him say insane things"

"Ever, seriously" Jenna scolds desperately.

I slump onto the kitchen counter,

"I'm so sorry Jenna, I should have told you sooner"

"John is your biological father?" Jenna sputters in disbelief.

I nod reluctantly,

"Pretty much"

Jenna frowns and runs a hand through her hair,

"I think I'd rather he was on drugs"

I slap the counter in frustration,

"Yeah, me too, at least then we'd have a reason to have him locked up somewhere"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You brought back John Gilbert? That was your big save Ever move?" I say, not quite believing that Damon would willingly bring John fucking shithead Gilbert back to this town. On purpose.

Damon sighs and shakes his head,

"I went to go look for Isobel and I found Daddy Gilbert instead"

"He said he could help us. And we're desperate" Stefan says rationally. I do not like it when Stefan is rational, that normally means he's done something that's gonna piss me off.

"We can't possibly be that desperate" I argue, "The guy tried to barbecue me and Damon"

"Sinbad, little witchy's new judgy buddy is working with Elijah, so we can only assume that the moonstone was never destroyed" Damon says.

Stefan makes a sound of agreement,

"Ever is pinning all her faith on this deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I mean, do you trust Elijah, you know him, can he be trusted?"

I want to say yes, but that would be a lie. I shake my head,

"Eli is noble but…..no, you can't trust him" Not when it comes to his brother you can't, I don't say.

Stefan nods as if I've just conceded the argument with that one admission alone. Damon moves closer to me and makes eye contact, holding my gaze in a steely grip,

"It's not like we can just go up to Elijah and kill him, because apparently he can't be killed. Unless you have something to add"

Yes.

No.

Maybe.

Damn it.

"I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer" I say finally.

"He knew about the Sacrifice, Isobel told him" Stefan says.

"He said he knew of a way to keep Ever and Elena safe" Damon adds.

Oh excellent, John Gilbert to the effing rescue. Me thinks not.

I sigh, not wanting to continue this conversation but seeing little choice.

"So…..don't keep me in suspense, how do we do that?"

"He's not talking" Stefan says.

I wait for more, but that appears to be it. I give them both the thumbs up sign and I say in a British accent,

"Brilliant work you two. Now I have two pains in the arses to deal with, and we still have no idea how to keep the Gilbert twins safe. Top notch work" I nod at Damon, "Sherlock" then at Stefan, "Watson. You have both done this investigation business proud with your expert whimsy and starry eyed ideas. But I think it's time we let me, Agent Sinbad Salvatore, take over the case"

"Where's Rose?" Stefan asks me suddenly, obviously deciding to ignore my humour.

I shrug,

"Taking the day off after all the female fluffy action, she'll be back later tonight"

"What's with you being so reasonable all of a sudden?" I say to Damon, "Agreeing with Stefan, what is this, an episode of the twilight zone? Please, Damon, don't leave the dark side, it's much more fun over here. We had plans Damon, we were meant to meet up in hell at some point, why are you ruining our dream?"

Damon rolls his eyes at me,

"Because, I'm changing and evolving into a man capable of greatness. In fact, Stefan should watch out" he says giving Stefan a pointed look, "because I might need to go get a hero hairdo of my own, and steal his thunder"

I raise an eyebrow at Damon,

"Yeah, maybe, but you'll never get your hands on my lightnin' baby" I wink at him with flourish.

…..

I get a text from Caroline that seems pretty frantic so I head right over to her house. The moment I walk in through the door I can tell with just one look at Caroline's face that I'm going to have one more thing to deal with today.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

Caroline closes the door behind me and says,

"Tyler knows about you and your brothers. He knows that one of you killed Mason. I didn't say a word"

Oh, well, fuck then.

Damn it fluffy!

I run a hand through my hair and I try to breathe deeply so I won't lose my shit. I look at Caroline before saying,

"Its female fluffy, she's been telling him all sorts of tales. The fact that they're true isn't the point"

Caroline bites her lip worryingly,

"Tyler was so upset. The look on his face….he was so betrayed"

I shrug half heartedly,

"Ah, he'll get over it"

"This is really bad isn't it?" Caroline's eyes plead with me to tell her that it's not as bad as she thinks it is.

I nod,

"Yeah, it's bad"

"You're not going to tell Damon are you?"

I shake my head,

"Nah, he'd want to kill fluffy Jr., he thinks all werewolves should die"

"Well-"

"And he's not exactly wrong to think that. I mean, what if fluffy Jr. gets too big for his paws and decides to retaliate, he has every right to, he could get himself killed"

"Well we're not gonna let that happen" Caroline says with more confidence than I know she probably feels, "We have to get to him, and reason with him before he does something stupid"

"Oh, please don't look at me like that"

"Like what?"

"Like you want me to go 'talk' to him. I'm not good at the heart to heart stuff with fluffy people. Mine and Mason's moment ended very badly"

"Because you killed him"

"Exactly"

"Look, just try to explain, you always know the right thing to say. He and I…..we're friends"

"So, just to be clear, you want me to go, alone, to have a nice friendly chat with fluffy Jr."

Caroline makes a face,

"Maybe take Stefan with you for the 'nice' part"

"Yeah, that's probably for the best" I agree.

…

"We're not gonna hurt you, we just wanna talk" Stefan says to fluffy Jr., whilst also blocking his exit.

"Don't lie to the poor boy Stef, speak for yourself, I might hurt him if he doesn't do as he's told" I say with a smile at my brother.

I texted Stefan to come here and we briefly went over the plan, which was basically to convince fluffy Jr. that not all vampires are evil. I'm still trying to convince myself of that to be honest.

"Why did you break in?" Tyler demands, far too high and mighty-like for someone who has two vampires staring him down.

"Would you have let us in otherwise?"

"Tyler!" fluffy Jr.'s mother calls out to him.

He tries to make a break for it so I slam him up against the wall. He struggles against me, but his wolfy strength is no match for mine.

Eventually his mother leaves, thankfully without going on an all out search for her son.

"Sin" Stefan says in warning.

I roll my eyes and reluctantly release fluffy Jr. He stares at me and I raise an eyebrow right back.

"Maybe we're getting of on the wrong foot here" Stefan says all reasonable-like. I think I've already made it clear that I do not like that tone on him.

"What happened to Mason?" fluffy Jr. counters.

"Tyler there's a lot for us to talk about" Stefan says diplomatically.

Fluffy Jr. tries to make another run for it and I grab hold of his arm in a tight grip,

"I wouldn't do that. Without the full moon you're no match for either of us. So stop being so damn difficult"

I force myself to let go of him again and move back, allowing Stefan to take the lead once more.

Stefan sighs,

"Look, about Caroline, no matter what her flaws are, when push comes to shove you're gonna want that girl on your side"

I make a noise of agreement,

"Yeah, she's your friend, so stop being a dick to her"

Fluffy Jr. frowns at us,

"I though vampires hated werewolves"

"That's some left over idea from another time" Stefan says.

"Basically, it's bullshit" I add more bluntly.

Stefan gives me a look that I pointedly ignore and he continues,

"It doesn't have to be that way anymore. We go to the same school, we have the same friends, we keep the same secrets, this can work Tyler"

A bit presumptuous Steffy, but alright, you are the master negotiator in this situation. I'm just the muscle.

A phone starts to ring and for a moment I can see fluffy Jr. looking all shifty, not in the werewolf sense obviously more in the 'I just peed in the pool' way. I can tell what he's about to do seconds before he does it.

I make a grab for him just as he takes out his phone and answers it. He only gets out the words,

"Help-", before I restrain him and Stefan snatches away the phone.

I twist his wrist hard until he gasps out in pain. Stefan holds up the phone in front of fluffy Jr. and he says,

"Whose number was that?"

"I'm no genius, but if I had to guess, then I'd say it was female fluffy checking in on her adopted cub" I say.

Stefan throws the phone down on the desk when fluffy Jr. doesn't respond, his eyes narrow on Jr. and he snaps,

"Damn it Tyler, I'm trying to save your life, can't you see that"

You'd need a brain to see that, something I'm becoming more and more convinced that Tyler Lockwood a.k.a. fluffy Jr. does not have.

Fluffy Jr. glares openly at my brother and he says,

"You want to be friends, fine, lets be friends. Will you go now?"

I make a face and I let go of little wolfy only so I can cross my arms. I look between Stefan and fluffy Jr. before saying,

"Just for the record….I don't want to be friends"

"Sinbad" Stefan snaps in warning again.

"Yes?" I say with a smirk that I know will piss my brother off no end.

Stefan shakes his head and refocuses on fluffy Jr.,

"I don't know what else to say to you Tyler. I came back to this town, because I wanted a life. I wanted to exist where I could have friends and build a family"

Well, if by all that he means semi stalk Elena and Ever for four months to only then make a move, then yes, that's exactly the reason. Now that's what you call a slow play.

Suddenly my phone starts to buzz and I frown in confusion when I see that it's Caroline calling. I answer the phone despite the confused look Stefan is giving me.

"Hey, everything ok?" I ask.

"That depends, how badly do you want to keep her alive?"

Fuck. A. Koala.

I've moved on from ducks.

"Female fluffy, you better not have done what I think you've done" I say in warning.

"Where's Tyler?"

"Tyler? Who the hell is that? I have fluffy Jr. here, if that's who you mean."

"Yes, that's who I mean"

I can tell Stefan is listening in on this conversation because his face has gone from carefully neutral to…..possibly a bit upset, I really can't tell with Steffy sometimes, he can be such a shovel face.

"Then say it" I reply to female fluffy.

"Say what?"

"Ask where fluffy Jr. is"

"No, that's ridiculous"

"That's not a very nice thing to say about a young man's name. He might cry. I'm pretty sure I can make him cry" I wink at fluffy Jr. and he gives me a freaked out look.

Good.

Female fluffy huffs down the phone, but finally she says,

"I don't like playing games Sinbad"

"Not even fetch?"

"For Christ's sake, fine, where is…Jr. fluffy?"

"It's 'fluffy Jr.' actually, but close enough. He's here with us. Now, where's Caroline?"

"She's right here, want proof?"

"Not particularly, no"

But then all I hear down the phone is Caroline screaming and something within me snaps. Stefan is immediately on his feet, looking at me expectantly.

I growl down the phone,

"Hurt her again and I will kill you, slowly and very, very, painfully"

"What's happening?" fluffy Jr. asks and I shush him.

"I hurt her again and she's dead. Bring Tyler to me. The clearing by Wickery Falls. You have twenty minutes until she dies"

Female fluffy hangs up on me and I look over at Stefan. My hands clench and I say,

"Feel like going werewolf hunting brother?"

Ever's P.O.V

"We just need answers, please don't do anything stupid" Elena says to Damon as the three of us walk into the Grill.

Damon glares openly at John from across the room, and I can tell there's a big part of him that wants to kill the other man.

"Yeah, you never know what kind of voo doo curse you could unleash if you kill him. So don't be crazy" I say, squeezing his arm.

"But being crazy is so much more fun" Damon says, he gets that vampy glint in his eye that always spells trouble.

Damon goes to move forward and I tighten my grip on his arm,

"I mean it Damon. All I'm asking is that you try not to lose it completely. Be the better man, which shouldn't be too difficult, because it's John we're talking about"

Damon looks down at me and he holds my gaze for a long moment before saying,

"Ok then"

Damon plasters on the most fake smile I think I've ever seen him pull and he goes over to John. Elena and I follow after him.

"John, buddy, how you been?" Damon says even more fake enthusiasm. If he does much more of that then I think he's gonna hurt himself.

Plus, buddy?

Whatever happened to friendly acquaintance? Or, not friendly acquaintance in this case.

"I've been alright Damon" John says, "It's good to see you"

Ok, this is not going to end well. Damon has his murder eyes going on. So. Not. Good.

….

Damon is talking to John, hopefully getting him to fess up to his real reasons for being here. I don't trust for one second that he's actually here to help me and Elena, at least not without an agenda of his own.

Elena and me are at the bar. I turn away from looking over at John and Damon. I nudge Elena in the side and her eyes flicker over to me. She's still pissed off about the whole Elijah thing, and I really don't like this stupid divide that's been getting worse and worse for a while now.

Before our parents died, me and Elena weren't exactly best friends, but we were always there for each other no matter what. We're sisters, and that means a lot to me, I know it means a lot to her too. If she'd just stop being so stubborn, then maybe we could move on from this.

"Come on Elena, stop being pissy" I say.

Elena huffs at me,

"I'm not being pissy. I'm just angry"

I groan both inwardly and outwardly,

"But why? Aren't you over it yet?"

Elena narrows her eyes at me,

"No, I'm not 'over it', you went behind and made a deal with Elijah"

I protest,

"Ah, ah, thank you little miss pot, I think you'll find the kettle was just trying to help keep everyone she loves safe, unlike pot who decided to hand us both over to a crazy Klausy wousy man to be part of his tea set/sacrifice ritual"

Elena makes a face at me,

"What are you talking about? See, this is why I can't talk to you, because you're never sensible about anything"

I roll my eyes at her,

"Sensible smensible, who cares, God, you're so boring sometimes"

Elena looks about ready to burst,

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought that we should take the potential deaths of everyone we love seriously"

I smack my forehead in frustration,

"I know it's serious Elena, that's why I made the deal in the first place"

Elena shakes her head and stalks off throwing,

"I'm going to see Bonnie" over her shoulder.

Before I can even think about going after her, my phone starts to buzz, I take it out of my pocket and I answer when I see that it's Stefan calling.

….

"Why am I just finding out about this?" Damon demands, his voice rising slightly in anger.

I dragged Damon into the toilets when I got off the phone with Stefan. I explained the situation with Tyler and Caroline to Damon.

"Stefan and Sinbad we're worried that you would-"

"What? That I would kill him?"

I nod,

"Well, yeah, you would"

"Of course I would. That's what needs to happen"

I shake my head,

"No way, not Tyler Damon. Do whatever you need to do get Caroline back, but just…leave Tyler out of it, ok"

Damon grits his teeth and I can tell he's really pissed off about this.

"Why? Why do you care? He's a werewolf, he needs to die, I'm willing to kill him, it's a win win" Damon says.

I reach out and place my hands on Damon's arms, holding on tight as our eyes meet,

"Because Tyler's my friend Damon, you know that" I answer, "Too many people have died, I don't want Tyler to be another name added to the body count. Please try to understand that"

Damon's pale blue eyes burn into mine and he grabs hold of my hips, pulling me closer to him so that our chest's are pressed together,

"You need to stop doing that" Damon says.

I frown,

"Doing what?"

Damon stares down at me with an unflinchingly intense gaze,

"Assuming that I'll play the good guy, because it's you who's asking"

My eyes widen and for a moment I'm not sure what to say. Then I shake my head and respond seriously,

"I'm not asking you to be the good guy Damon, I'm not asking you to change who you are. I fell in love with you, Damon Salvatore, the psycho vampire who does crazy things for even crazier reasons. I don't need you to be good, I just need you to be good to me. I need you to put me before your desire to kill. I know you can, and that's all I'm asking for"

Damon lets out a harsh breath and he rests his forehead against mine for a long moment before whispering,

"I love you, so much. You'll always come first for me Ev's"

Before I can reply, John comes barging in like he's part of the special moment police.

Damon looks around at John and says,

"Do you mind?"

"What's going on?" John demands, his eyes looking between us frantically.

I roll my eyes,

"Nothing John"

"It doesn't look like nothing" John says suspiciously.

Damon snaps,

"Well guess what John, trust works both ways, so get out"

I shake my head in annoyance, I look up at Damon,

"Look, we don't have time for this, we need to get Caroline back"

Damon arches an eyebrow at me,

"No, we don't need to do anything. I can handle this" Damon moves away from me and looks at John, "First Dad duty, ground your daughter"

I make a grab for Damon's arm,

"No Day, I'm coming with you"

Damon looks back at me and he says,

"I want you to stay away where you're safe, that's all I'm asking for"

Damn him, got me with my own line.

Damon pulls out of my grasp and leaves the bathroom. I still try to go after him, but John blocks me.

"No, I'm with Damon on this one" he says.

I glare at him,

"You can't stop me from leaving John. You have no right to tell me what to do"

"I have every right, you want to know why, because I'm here to make sure you stay safe" John argues.

I narrow my eyes at him,

"No need, I can take care of myself"

"Oh, you mean that deal you made with Elijah?"

I look at him in surprise,

"How in the hell do you know about that?"

"You really think he's going to keep to his word. Trusting Elijah was a dumb move"

"Yeah, well, I don't give a crap what you think"

"We've had our differences, and I've made mistakes-"

"Oh, you think? You tried to kill my boyfriend and one of my best friends"

"It doesn't matter Ever. We're family-"

I scoff incredulously,

"You don't get to use that word. That word is off limits to you"

"Fine. But it doesn't change the facts"

I cannot believe he can actually be this much of an asshole after everything he's done.

"You're right, facts are facts, but shut up and listen to this, you may be biological father, but I will never be your daughter"

I shove past John and leave without looking back.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I know you're out there" female fluffy calls.

Stefan and I exchange glances, then we move forward through the tree's with fluffy Jr. in tow. When female fluffy catches sight of us I stop and ask,

"Where's Caroline?"

"Locked up tight" she replies.

"Let her go and we'll release Tyler" Stefan says, "This doesn't have to get any messier than it already is. We're not your enemy Jules"

"It's a little late to be waving a white flag" female fluffy complains.

She has a point.

"You need to leave town. No one else has to get hurt" Stefan is doing his reasonable tone thing again.

"I'm not leaving without Tyler" female fluffy says.

Oh for fuck sake-

"Fluffy Jr. is free to make his own decisions" I say with a shrug, "As soon as you release Caroline"

"Aw, don't say you've started without me" Damon's voice comes from behind us and he makes his way to my side.

"Hello brother" I say with a smirk, "Don't worry, we're just getting to the good bit"

Damon slaps my shoulder and says,

"Has Stefan finished doing his goodie goodie thing yet? Can we just kill them now?"

"Like I said, we're getting to the good bit" I answer.

"Give us Caroline" Damon says to fluffy Jr.

"Let go of Tyler" she replies.

"Give us Caroline, without a full moon it's not a fair fight and you know it. We will take you."

Female fluffy raises an eyebrow,

"I'm not so sure about that tough guy" then she puts her fingers in her mouth and she whistles.

Right about then I get a really bad feeling.

Suddenly a bunch of other werewolves reveal themselves. Damn, I knew I felt something, I should have trusted my senses more.

"Now, lets try this again" female fluffy says, "Give us Tyler"

I roll my eyes and push fluffy Jr. forward,

"Go on fluffy Jr., go to mummy wolf"

Fluffy Jr. walks towards female fluffy until he's standing next to her.

"Which one of you killed Mason?" one of the other wolves asks.

Ah, that's my cue.

I step forward and raise my hand. Smiling as I say,

"Now, that would be me"

The scruffy werewolf points at me and says,

"Make sure that one suffers"

Ooohhh, well, now I'm really frightened, how will we ever defeat these masters of…no wait, they're just werewolves. Fuck this shit.

"We can take 'em" I say to Damon and Stefan.

They both give me uncertain looks.

"I don't know about that" Stefan says.

"Well then" Damon says and he vampire speeds towards female fluffy.

Female fluffy jumps up spider man style onto the trailer and hisses at Damon and then flips back over his head.

Another fluffy person lights up a fire bomb, I rush at him and grab the fire wielding maniac from behind, using him to aim fire at the other fluffy people.

When the fire stops coming I tear wolfy's heart out and shove him to the ground. I see Damon ripping out two wolves hearts and Stefan snapping one of their necks. Damn, this is more fun than it should be.

One of the fluffy people aims a stake crossbow thingy at me and fires a stake, I catch it in mid air and throw it back so that it pierces his heart.

Another fluffy person comes at me and I bury my hand in his chest, ripping out his heart as well and then letting his body drop to the ground. Damon and Stefan seems to be handling things quite well actually, right up until Stefan gets stabbed in the back and female fluffy shoots Damon.

I snap the neck of the vampire that stabbed Stefan and as his body falls to the floor Caroline comes running out of the trailer. Before I can get to her though female fluffy slams her up against the wall with a gun to her back.

I help Stefan to his feet and Damon makes his way over to us. We stand together, watching female fluffy as she holds the gun firmly against Caroline. Fluffy Jr. comes out of the trailer and stops abruptly when he see's Caroline.

Before I can think up a way to get Caroline faster than female fluffy can shoot her, all the remaining werewolves drop to the ground, grabbing their heads and shouting out in obvious pain. I look around in confusion. What the fuck is happening now?

That's when I see Elijah's witch coming through the tree's, hands raised, and ju ju face firmly in place.

"Elijah made a promise to Ever" he says, "I'm here to see it's upheld"

Damn it Eli!

I mean, this is sort of a good thing, but still, damn him!

"You need to leave, now" grandpa witchy says.

Doesn't need to tell me twice.

I rush over to Caroline and I wrap my arm around her so that she can lean on me. Stefan appears on her other side protectively. All four of us make quick work of leaving the camp site.

….

"Is your mum at work?" I ask Caroline as she opens the door to her house.

I've brought Caroline home, and by the looks of things she's about two seconds away from completely losing it.

"She's at work" Caroline answers tiredly.

"You want me to come in?" I say in concern.

"I'm fine Sin" Caroline lies.

I lean against the door frame and I give her one of my best 'don't bullshit me' faces.

"You have to pretend with me Care, anyone would be upset after what you went through today" I reach out and push some blond hair away from Caroline's face.

Caroline is fast becoming one of my best friends, I fact, she already is, and I really hate the idea of her being in pain. I wish I could do something to make things better for her.

Caroline shrugs,

"I'm not ok, but I can deal by myself. I'm not girly little Caroline anymore you know"

I smile at her,

"Yeah sexy, I know you can handle yourself. But personally, I really need a cuddle"

That gets a snort of laughter out of Caroline and she shakes her head,

"I just really want to go shower"

I nod and with a playful smirk I say,

"You can do that in front of me, I'm cool with it"

Caroline hits my chest,

"Anyway, aren't you supposed to be seeing Jeremy?"

I nod again,

"Yeah, I am. I've missed the sexy fucker today, although I'm glad he's managed to stay out of the drama for once"

"So, are you making your relationship work?" Caroline asks, actual interest sparking in her eyes.

I'm not sure how to answer that, so I go with complete honesty,

"Right now, I have no idea what we are. Some part of me just wants to call Jeremy my boyfriend, but it's so much more complicated than that now"

Caroline says,

"I get that, I feel the same about Matt"

I chuckle under my breath,

"See, look at the two of us, we are both rubbish at relationships. Especially with two of the sweetest humans in Mystic Falls"

Caroline laughs too,

"Yeah, I guess life just keeps getting in the way"

I lean in closer and I kiss Caroline's forehead softly, when I pull back Caroline is smiling, and so am I.

"We're in it together then"

Caroline smiles wider,

"Yep, together, definitely"

Ever's P.O.V

I open the freezer and I take out the tub of ice cream that is sitting there waiting for me to devour it. Damon called and told me what happened with the werewolves. At least now I know Elijah is actually keeping his word to protect the people I love. Elena is still apparently out with Bonnie and Jeremy, which is probably for the best because I am not looking forward to telling her about all this.

When I close the freezer door something hideous is waiting right behind it. For once it isn't a vampire. I still jump a few feet into the air though for fucks sake.

"Ah, what the hell John?" I shake my head and I walk away from him.

John follows after me as I put my ice cream on the counter and he says,

"I'm sorry about earlier"

I cannot be bothered with this shit anymore.

"Enough already John" I say, "I don't want you here. I don't think I can make that anymore clear"

John sighs,

"I didn't come here to fight with you Ever"

"Yeah, I know, you're here to protect me blah, blah, blah"

"I thought you might want this" John holds out a bracelet to me, "it was your mother's"

I frown at it,

"You mean Isobel?"

John shakes his head,

"No, your mother, Miranda. I remember her wearing it when she was young", he takes my hand and puts the bracelet in it.

I look down at the bracelet, a conflicting wave of emotion filing me. I run my thumb over the silver bracelet and I wonder, not for the first time, what my mother would think of me now. After all the things I've done, all the things I've had to endure and survived. Would she still love the young woman I've become? I have to believe that she would.

"Miranda and Grayson were your parents Ever" John says, "And I know I'm nothing to you. You have no reason to believe me, or trust me. I've done so many horrible things. But when you lost your parents, I lost my brother, my family. I lost my way. I know I'm probably never going to make things right with you, or your sister, but I'm going to do everything I can to protect you both, and this family"

John meets my eyes once before leaving the kitchen and I swear my heart feels like its about to burst into a million pieces. I hate feeling so much and having no control over myself, or anything around me.

I don't know how long I stand there gripping my mother's bracelet and the kitchen counter before I hear Stefan say my name. I turn to see him standing there, and our bond washes over me, halfing my pain and making it at least somewhat bearable. But more than our bond, is the intense emotion Stefan evokes from within me just by existing in my life.

Without thinking I rush towards him and throw my arms around his neck. Stefan embraces me with his strong arms and I allow myself to sink into him, to let his presence seep into my bones and my heart. He fills me with warmth and the overwhelming feeling of completely unconditional love, something I've never before experienced with another person.

"Are you ok?" I whisper against his neck.

Stefan squeezes me tighter and I'm glad for it.

"I'm fine" he answers.

"Did you hear that?" I ask him.

Stefan doesn't need to answer this time for me to know he heard every word that John spoke to me just now. I can feel it emanating from him like a siren's call.

"I don't believe him Stefan, I just don't" I can barely get the words out, they're so hard to say.

"It doesn't matter, you don't have to. As long as you're alright, nothing else matters" Stefan whisper with complete certainty into my ear. His words make me feel a little better about everything.

I pull away from Stefan slightly and I say,

"Is Caroline ok, Damon called and said she was, but…."

Stefan seems to think about it for a moment and then says,

"Actually, Sinbad called me, he wants you to go over to Caroline's and stay the night with her. She's been through some really horrible stuff today, she could really use a friend like you right now"

….

Stefan drops me off at Caroline's house and I rush up to the door with my ice cream and my favourite pillow in my arms. I ring the bell and a few moments later Caroline comes to the door in her PJ's.

She smiles in confusion at me and says,

"Hey, what's going on Ever?"

I grin back at her,

"Sinbad and Stefan thought you could use some quality friend time, and since I am obviously the highest quality of friend, they sent me"

Caroline's face drops and she starts to cry, I rush forward and pull her into a tight hug. She hugs me back and I kick the door closed behind us.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading everyone! xxx


	54. Crying Wolf-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One escape. One kiss. And a memory about a fish smacking a face!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-fourth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would so beat up those fluffy people with my fistcuffs of doom! xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Crying wolf-part 1

Ever's P.O.V

I am awakened by the sound of a phone ringing. It is most unwelcome. Caroline groans next to me in bed and mutters,

"Go away"

I move over a bit towards the edge of the bed so that I can try to reach my phone. I let out a strangled yelp when that blond bitch shoves me out of bed and onto the pillow covered floor.

Assault! Assault! My lawyer shall be hearing about this. First I need to get a lawyer. His name must be Fredrick Macintosh, for reasons that are of course classified.

I grumble to myself as I grab my phone off the bedside table and answer it.

"Y'ello" I say, or more likely growl as my voice is still groggy from sleep.

I hear a muffled moan from miss prissy knickers up on the bed,

"Ev-er" she whines. I pick up a pillow and throw it at her head. That'll teach her for shoving me.

"How was the slumber party?" A smile lights up my face at the sound of Stefan's deeply amused voice.

I crawl out of miss prissy knickers' room and sit back against the wall with the phone still pressed to my ear. Finally I answer,

"Much needed. I live a very hectic life you know. What with my plans to sacrifice the doppelganger and…..wait, that's not me. I'm thinking of the wrong psycho here"

"What did you get up to?" Stefan asks, and I can practically feel the smile on his face.

"Ah, kicking old people, terrorising puppies lawns, stealing pine cones….all that sort of thing"

"So, the usual then. Can't have a sleep over without stolen pine cones"

"Of course, they are the best type of pine cones"

"How are you feeling today?" Stefan asks, and this time I can definitely hear the concern lacing his words. After losing it a bit last night over John, bleeghness to the extreme, I guess I kind of deserve Stefan's all worrying tone. I'm just glad Damon didn't see me like that, he would have ripped John's head off, quite possibly literally.

I shrug in reply even though Stefan can't see it, because on some level I know he'll feel it.

"Did you just shrug?" See.

"Yes, I did, and yes, I'm perfectly amazingly fine"

"Fine, huh?"

"Yep"

There's a long pause and I can tell Stefan is waiting me out because he knows I'm not actually 'fine'. I wish I was fine though, I wish I could just get on with things as if nothing awful had happened. See, I can handle all the vampire stuff, and the witchy stuff and the werewolf stuff and even the sacrifice-y stuff. But not thinking about my parents and all the things John said; that I can't deal with by myself without having a meltdown.

"Alright, alright you bloody mind reading wizard, I'm not fine" I say finally, with more than a little emotion clogging up my throat.

The concern and care in Stefan's voice makes my heart warm and my whole body relax. I can always rely on Stefan because I know he will always make things better no matter what.

"What do you need?" Stefan asks.

I think about that for a moment before replying confidently,

"I need to get away. To escape. To have some time to think freely without everything else getting in the way"

Stefan says thoughtfully after a few seconds,

"Like you did when you went on that road trip. You needed time to think, so you went away"

I'm a little surprised that Stefan would make that connection, but I suppose if anyone would be able to, then he would. Sometimes I think Stefan knows more about what I'm thinking that I do.

I nod to myself,

"Exactly Stef, I just need to breathe, you know"

Stefan takes another long moment to think and then says,

"Yeah, I think I understand. Where would you like to go?"

An idea hits me, but I feel tentative to suggest it to Stefan because I'm not sure how he'll feel about it. Finally I decide to just come out with my idea,

"The lakehouse. My family's lakehouse I mean, I haven't been there in a while. It's secluded and…away from here, which is the best part obviously"

I'm not sure what I want Stefan to say, or what I even expect him to say really. But what he does come out with is both surprising and at the same time exactly what I thought his answer would be.

"Alright then. We'll go to the lakehouse", he says with that stubborn Salvatore certainty.

I frown, even though I'm trying to conceal a grin,

"Really? You sure?"

Stefan doesn't even hesitate,

"Of course, if that'll make you feel better"

"Should we tell anyone else?" I ask tentatively, knowing how guilty Stefan feels about most things.

"No" Stefan's reply is firm and requires no follow up questions.

Part of me knows I should feel bad about just running away. But I'll keep my phone on for emergencies and it's not like me and Stefan don't ever hang out alone. In fact we spend a lot of time alone together at the boarding house. This is no different, it's just being alone together in a different place.

"Ok, so you pack a bag, and I'll pack a bag, then come pick me up at my house" I say.

Elena stayed at Bonnie's last night, and I figure they'll be spending the day together, or at least that's what Bonnie's text made it sound like. Jeremy is most likely over at the boarding house with Sinbad, and Jenna will be out by now too. Therefore, I have time to pack a bag and make a run for it before Stefan remembers his morals and changes his mind.

"Sound like a plan" Stefan says, and I know I'm not imagining the smile that is on both our faces.

…

"Are you alright?" Stefan asks me as we pull up outside the lakehouse.

I lean back in the car seat, my eyes raking over the house I spent so much time in with my family over the years. It feels almost surreal to be here after everything that has happened to me and Elena and Jeremy. We lead completely different lives now. For one, we have been invaded by vampy people, although that isn't completely a bad thing.

I turn to look at Stefan and he smiles sadly at me, and I know he understands how I'm feeling right now.

"I'm ok Stef, I just….haven't been back here since before…." I let the sentence trail off because I don't think it needs saying.

Stefan's eyebrows raise in surprise,

"Oh my God" he looks into my eyes and leans closer to me, placing his hand over mine gently, "Listen, just say the word Ever, and we'll get back on that highway and we'll go anywhere else"

I smile slowly at the complete understanding and willingness to do anything for me in Stefan's voice. I shake my head and say honestly,

"I've always had an amazing time here, it brings back so man good memories. I want to stay….I was just….having a moment"

Stefan studies my face for a long moment, and then he smiles slowly and nods,

"Ok, feel free to have as many moments as you want in front of me"

I let out a short laugh,

"Oh, don't worry, I want to share all my special moments with you"

It's only when Stefan's hand over mine tightens slightly and his eyes become somehow brighter that I realise what I actually said. More than that, I realise what I said is true, and there's no point taking it back now that I've already admitted it.

I smile at Stefan and I squeeze his hand once before we both get out of the car and head towards the front door. I keep sneaking glances at Stefan and I catch him doing the same thing to me. Why does it feel so different being alone with Stefan out here than it does at home? I can't work it out, but then, I'm not sure I even want to analyse it, because I know it's not a bad feeling either.

I unlock the front door and walk inside, moving to drop my phone and my keys onto the table near the entrance. It feels so strange being back here, and for whatever reason I seem to be holding my breathe, as if waiting for the world to start turning and drop me into another reality.

I catch Stefan's eye, and I can't help but smirk a little because he's still waiting outside for me to invite him in. I almost forgot about the vampire thing. Sometimes I forget Stefan's a vampire at all.

I could never forget Damon and Sinbad were vampires, not by this point, they revel in it too much. Stefan tries so hard to be human, and I understand why he feels the need to do that. Most of it is probably to do with Elena.

Stefan is a vampire, and if I was being hones with myself, I wouldn't want him to be anything other than what he is. Even the bad stuff that he's told me about, because it all makes up who Stefan actually is, take that away and some vital part of Stefan will be lost.

I could never want that for him. I wish he didn't feel like he had to act a certain way to live his life. Obviously I don't mean he should tell people he's a vampire, but I do hope one day he'll be more comfortable in his own skin, he has a right to feel comfortable with who, and what, he is.

"You don't have to wait out there Stef, there's room for two in here" I say, trying like hell to hide my smirk.

Stefan gives me a dry look and says,

"Oh, that's great, because I'm, uh….I'm stuck"

I gasp, slapping a hand over my heart.

"Shit, you can't come in"

Stefan arches an eyebrow at me,

"It's not going to be a very fun weekend unless you, uh, invite me in"

I bite my lip in an attempt not to laugh like a lunatic, barely managing to get the words out with a straight face,

"I'm so sorry Stefan….my parents left this place to John, bleegh, he's the only one who can invite you in….I completely forgot"

Stefan narrows his eyes at me,

"You're not serious"

I can't hold it in any longer, the look of abject horror on Stefan's face is too much. I snort out a laugh and say,

"Stefan Salvatore, otherwise known as Dr. Steffy extraordinaire…I officially invite you into this house"

Stefan practically growls at me, his eyes sparking with something close to playfulness.

"You're so mean to me Everlyna" Stefan says as he moves over the threshold and grabs me up in his arms, holding me tight against him.

He kicks the door closed behind us and lifts me up onto the kitchen counter. Stefan stands between my legs, my arms are around his neck. We laugh like it's the finniest thing that's ever happened, and our bond pulses with heat and approval at our newfound physical closeness. My eyes lock with Stefan's and for the first time in what feels like forever, I'm relaxed and completely happy.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I drag Jeremy out the door, unwilling to watch my brother tell Alaric all about how John gave him the dagger. Along with the white oak dust crap it should take Eli out of the equation, although what that'll achieve I have no idea. Nick-Klaus, damn it Klaus, will still come here, it is inevitable. What we should be preparing for is to fight when he does finally arrive, getting rid of Eli will do little good.

I know we haven't seen the last of those fluffy people either. If they were smart, then they'd be gone by now. But, from the looks of things so far, they really are some world class twits with fur. Plus they live in a trailer….in the woods. By choice. Not to be getting all snooty over here, but hell, those bloody peasants had better stay the fuck away from my lawn dang nabit.

I will bring out the hose, don't be thinking I won't.

Last night Jeremy filled me in on his and Bonnie's plan to basically kidnap male Sabrina, which sounds like fun to me. So, instead of getting involved in my brother's drama, I have opted to burrow my way into Jeremy's drama instead. I prefer Jeremy's drama, it involves less insane idiocy.

Jeremy threads his fingers through mine absently as we make our way to the Grill. He smiles at me and then says worriedly,

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with Damon and, um, well…."

"Damonsit him?" I supply.

Jeremy barks out a laugh and nods,

"Yeah, I guess. He can be pretty crazy. What will happen if he really provokes Elijah….."

Jeremy trails off, the smile slipping off his face slowly. I feel a harsh pang in my chest at the sight of Jer's happiness draining away because of my stupid mistakes. I hate that I've hurt Jeremy by…allowing my feelings for Eli to override my common sense and my love for Jer.

I don't want anyone but him, the brown eyed boy who soothes my heart and sets me on fire with his honest passion. Jeremy never holds anything back, everything he decides to do is done with everything he has within him. I admire that quality in him and I find it uniquely arousing too. There is nothing sexier in this world than a self assured confident Jeremy Gilbert.

I stop in the middle of the street and I slide my hand into Jeremy hair, tugging him closer so that I can kiss him. Our kiss turns from tentatively gentle to full blown 'I want you against that tree right fucking now'-ness. I truly love Jeremy, and I want him to feel comfortable with our relationship, no matter how much I fuck up. And I have fucked up; big time.

I bite down on Jeremy's bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth before pulling away only slightly so that I can look into his beautiful eyes. One of my hands is on the small of Jeremy's back, and the other is cupping his face. I can hardly stand to look at him without wanting to profess how much I fucking love Jeremy Gilbert all over the damn place.

"I love you Jer" I whisper, "I know I'm a massive fuck up, but I hope you can love me anyway"

Jeremy smiles, his eyes still a bit dazed from the intense kissing. But his voice is firm and sure when he says,

"I'll always love you Sin, no matter how many times you break my heart. It's not a choice, you know"

I am shit at relationships, like, really, really shit at them. The only reason my relationship with Ever lasted so long was because we were so alike, and because we were both busy falling in love with other people. We fell in love with each others brothers. I finally see just how weird that really is. You couldn't make this stuff up people, this is real life shit going on here.

We begin walking again and I sling an arm around Jeremy's shoulder, making sure he stays close to my side. I wish I could reassure Jeremy that I'll never break his heart again, but I'm not that certain of anything right now. Fuck knows what will happen when Nick-KLAUS, for fucks sake KLAUS, gets here.

Jeremy leans into me as we walk and shooting flood of pleasure makes its way through my entire body. Fuck, I love this kid.

When we make it to the Grill, I spot Caroline straight away, drinking alone like a saddo. Well, we can't have that. Jeremy and I walk over to Caroline. She raise an eyebrow at us when we reach her table and I raise one right back. I make a disgusted face and say,

"Uhhhggggg, you're here. That's very disappointing"

Caroline rolls her eyes at me,

"You're an idiot. Why do I even talk to you?"

I shrug and sigh dramatically,

"Because you love me. Because I'm amazing. Because I'm so tall and pretty and lovely and nice….wait, I'm describing Jeremy"

This time it's Jeremy's turn to roll his eyes at me. Caroline bursts out laughing,

"Do you actually use that line to get people to fall for you?" she asks me.

"I think he just did" mutters Jeremy as he shakes his head, as if embarrassed to be seen with both of us.

I kiss his neck, making him squirm deliciously against me.

"Worked though didn't it" I growl into his ear.

Jeremy giggles and then blushes furiously. I know he hates making that sound in front of people because he says it sounds so stupid. I disagree full heartedly. I happen to love Jeremy's giggles, they're sexy as all hell.

Caroline coughs loudly to get our attention,

"You two are so hot together…but…please….stop."

"Jealous" I accuse with a smirk, "Have you and my home boy Matt the main man had a tiff?"

Caroline groans and smacks her hand over her face. She nods almost angrily,

"Yes, he's been all weird with me today. He thinks something is going on with Tyler"

"Who?" I ask, bewildered.

"I think she means fluffy Jr." Jeremy whispers to me.

"Ah, right" I fix Caroline with a searching look, "Is there anything going on with you and fluffy Jr then?"

Caroline looks flabbergasted, that is the only word I can think of to describe the look on her face right now. She looks like a child's cartoon character who's been dropped into the real world by accident and has just been told that, sometimes, puppies die.

"NO! There is nothing going on with Tyler!" Caroline whispers harshly.

I frown and my eyes scan the area around our table, there's no one near us, we're in a pretty secluded part of the bar. I let go of Jeremy for a moment so I can lean forward and whisper back,

"Why are you whispering?"

"Why are you whispering?" she counters.

"Because I'm a world class secret agent. With secrets."

"You are a ridiculous person"

I ignore that comment and ask,

"Who are you worried will hear us? Those tables? The floor?"

Caroline narrows her eyes at me,

"Matt, obviously. I don't want him to hear what we're taking about."

I frown and reply, still whispering,

"Matt already knows about you liking fluffy Jr, you just said he does"

Caroline sputters all over the table and almost falls out of her chair with exasperation,

"I do not like fluffy Jr,-I mean Tyler"

I hold my hands up in surrender,

"Whatever you say Agent Blond"

"Shut up Sin, I am not a secret agent, and neither are you"

"My whispering abilities say otherwise"

"You're impossible. I don't know how Jeremy puts up with you"

"I fuck him into oblivion, that usually helps"

"I did not need to know that"

I pull back laughing, and out of the corner of my eye I see Bonnie and Elena talking to male Sabrina. Looks like the plan is underway.

Ever's P.O.V

I look out over the lake, my mind wandering all over the place. But despite all the things I have to think about, I feel strangely calm here.

I feel Stefan come up behind me. We're both standing at the edge of the dock. Stefan asks me,

"Having another moment?"

Lean back against his chest and after a brief pause, Stefan's arms come around me. I like the feeling of having Stefan so close, it relaxes my mind and soothes my soul in a way that I can't quite describe, at least not in a way that any one else could understand.

I sigh heavily and the point to another dock,

"Jeremy broke his arm diving off of there. When he was six. I jumped in to save him and Elena ran to get our parents. Dad tried to teach me and Elena how to fish right here on this dock. It did not go well"

"Why? What happened?"

"I caught a fish"

I can feel Stefan frowning in confusion,

"How is that a bad thing?"

I make a face at the memory before answering,

"After I caught the fish I hit Elena in the face with it and she fell over into the lake"

Stefan cannot hide his huff of laughter, and to be fair, it is quite a funny thought. Wasn't so funny back then because Elena cried, and I had to help dad help her, which meant letting go of my fairly caught fish. I lost the fish because it panicked itself back into the water. Stupid Elena being in the way of my fishing skills.

"You hit Elena in the face….with a fish" Stefan repeats to himself, as if not quite believing the words he's saying.

"By accident Stef, it wasn't like I suddenly decided Elena deserved a good fish thwacking" I say.

"I don't know Everlyna, you're quite a violent child" Stefan murmurs against my hair.

I pinch one of his hands that are around me, but a smile shines through anyway,

"I'll have you know that I am a very lovely child Dr. Steffy. I play nice with others"

"Well that's not true. I've seen you with 'others' and nice is not the word I would use to describe your interactions with them" Stefan says.

"Rude Stefan, very rude. I don't think I like you anymore"

"You never liked me"

"That's very true"

"You wound me Ever Gilbert. I might cry over this, my journal will be full of sad adjectives"

I can't help but laugh. But I'm serious when I say,

"I like you very much Stefan, more than I have any right to sometimes"

Stefan's body tenses, but he doesn't let go of me, in fact his arms tighten around my body in response. Our bond pounds between is with deep set emotions that neither of us are prepared to deal with right now.

I decide to move on with the conversation before we can get dragged down by our very bad, very forbidden feelings. It means nothing, and that is what I am going to keep telling myself until it becomes true. No matter how long that takes.

"I have so many memories. Some good, some bad. Do you ever think about our future?" I ask Stefan, "I mean, what our lives will be like ten years from now. As I do intend to live that long by the way, no matter what the big bad Klausy wousy wants"

Stefan smoothes his thumb over my hand gently and answers,

"Yeah. I think about the kind of life I want to lead. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. What I want out of life"

I'm not sure what to say to that, because it sounds to me like Stefan is pretty serious about it all. I can't say I haven't been thinking about my future too. And what I want.

"What do you want?" I whisper to Stefan, not knowing if he'll even respond, or if what I want him to answer with.

Stefan lets his mouth graze over my jaw, and I can't stop the shiver that escapes. What we're doing is bordering on the edges of wrong. I just can't figure out how to deal with how I feel, and not hurt anyone in the process. I am so in love with Damon, and every time we're together he consumes me completely.

But I have to willingly admit that there are other moments. Moments when all I can think about is Stefan. When I'm going to see Stefan again. What we'll talk about or do together. How much I want to touch him. How much I miss him when he's not around me.

All those things, rolled together inside my head and my heart.

Then there's Elena. My sister. My twin sister. I love her, so much that it pains me to even think about betraying her in such a way. I have once before, not at quite the same level as it would be with Stefan, but close enough that I know how it feels to have let both myself and my sister down by being impulsive and reckless and….me.

I'm not perfect like her. I'm not nice and sweet and innately good like her. I never will be. And honestly, I don't want to be like Elena. I just want to be me. But I know that would mean making all sorts of mistakes, even more than the ones I've already made in my life.

Finally after a very long pause, Stefan whispers,

"Us"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! ;) xxxxxxxx
> 
> I would love to have comments from you, my wonderfully smashing readers! xxx


	55. Crying Wolf-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bring the tissues for this one folks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-fifth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I would get a therapist on the show ASAP, because people are making crazy decisions that are annoying me! xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this scene- 'Like a knife' by 'Secondhand Serenade')

I freeze in Stefan's arms, even though his answer was something I expected, I'm still shocked by the intensity of emotion that is behind that one word. Us. So simple, yet so completely not simple at all. There is part of me that feels a ridiculous amount of joy at the thought of being with Stefan, of building a relationship and a life with him.

And I know it would work too. Me and Stefan I mean. We'd be more than just happy together, I know it, I can feel it deep in my core. We'd be so in love and I wouldn't regret a single thing. Our bond buzzes with anticipation.

At the same time everything snaps back into focus with that one honest answer from Stefan. I turn in his arms and I force myself to pull away from him. I really don't want to. In fact I even hate myself for purposely hurting us both like this. But I know I would hate myself even more if I allowed my intense feelings for Stefan to take over.

I'm not an idiot. Reckless, maybe. Insane, possibly, my team of personal therapists are still trying to work that one out. I have them working double time, so an answer should be ready any day now. But I know who I am. And I am not the type of person to cheat. I hate lying, and liars piss me off. Cheating is just another form of lying, therefore I really don't like it, or the people who think it's ok to do it.

That's the reason I didn't kiss Damon when I was with Sin, even though I knew Sin and I were over, and that I was in love with Damon. None of that logic mattered to me, my conscience just wouldn't allow it. It's the same here, although even more complicated because I'm still in love with Damon.

Not just that either. There's another major reason why I would never, ever, give in to my desires for Stefan whilst I'm still with Damon. I will not tear them apart. I refuse to become like bitchzilla. I may not be a good all selfless person like Elena, but damn it, I'd rather die than come between the Salvatore's in that way. It's just not who I am, and I don't ever want it to be.

Hurt flashes in Stefan's eyes, and that makes me flinch. I hate hurting him, just like I would hate hurting Damon. I care about them both too much not to feel completely broken at even the thought of causing them this much emotional pain.

I shake my head at Stefan, tears already trying to force themselves out,

"I'm so sorry Stefan, but we can't be this. It's not just you who feels this thing between us. I feel it too. But I just…I can't be that girl….the one who cheats on the man she loves with his brother, even if I can feel myself falling for him too. Try to understand that. You know me….better than I know myself sometimes. Please, don't hate me for this, it would break me apart if you did"

It's a long time before Stefan reacts in any way other than staring right at me. Or I should say into me. I can feel his beautiful green eyes raking over my soul, seeing everything, and despite the pain it causes him, understanding everything too.

Stefan nods slowly, as if it physically pains him to do so and he chokes out the words,

"I understand. I know how loyal you are Ever, it's one of the reason's why I lo-…..one of the reasons why you mean everything to me. And you're right, this isn't who we are. We're better than this. Elena and Damon don't deserve to be hurt by us in this way. And…I could never hate you"

Each word from him feels like a physical blow to me, even though he's just agreeing with what I've already said. Hot stinging tears cascade down over my cheeks, and it fucking hurts so damn much I can barely breathe because of the weight that feels heavy hanging over my heart.

Stefan moves towards me suddenly, stopping right before actually touching my body with his. Those kind and understanding eyes of his cut into me like a knife, and I have to force myself not to look away. It would be an insult to Stefan and everything we've built together as friends if I did.

But Stefan is breaking in front of me and it's fucking killing me to watch. I want to touch him so badly, but I can't, because if I do then I know I'll break my resolve and forget about all the reasons why can't hold him.

My eyesight is blurry with the amount of silent crying I'm doing. I know it's only a matter of time before I descend into a sobbing fit. I need to get away from Stefan before that happens, because I also know it would break him even more to see me that way and not comfort me the way he'd want to.

Stefan is crying silently too, tears sliding down his face slowly, smashing my heart to pieces with every second that passes. Our bond is almost unbearable, and both if us are trying to block it out. If we don't then it'll consume us with this devastatingly awful pain. When Stefan speaks, his voice is barely understandable because it's so filled with emotion,

"I don't want to hurt you, or my brother. But we can't ignore this, like it's not there Ever. Pretending won't change anything. It won't change how we feel"

Now I really need to get away before my knees buckle, I can't stand this. I hate it, and I don't want to lose Stefan. It's all become so fucked up, and it's all my fault. My voice is barely even a whisper when I reply,

"I know"

Before Stefan can say another word, I rush past him; and he lets me go.

…..

This is so pathetic right now. Strike that, I'm so pathetic right now.

I'm crying. Like a freakin' girl. I disgust myself. I would want to slap me, if I weren't me. That makes sense right? No? Damn.

I'm in my parent's closet. Hiding. Ish.

Damon's been calling me, texting too, he must be really worried by now. I feel awful for letting him worry, but I can't do what I need to do over the damn phone, so he'll have to wait until I get back.

I know Stefan is still here, actually, he's outside the door to my parent's room. I can feel him through our bond. He's contemplating just coming in to see if I'm alright, or giving me space to deal with my own emotional shit. I have no idea what I'd rather he do.

I've fucked up big time, and there's nothing I can do to make it better, not without fucking up in another way. I know what I have to do when I get home, and that's enough to make me feel sick to my stomach with non-stop bleeghness.

I thwack my head against the wooden planked closet wall out of frustration.

OW!

Sort of….wait a second….why is that wall hollow?

I stand up to get a better look, feeling along that hollow wall. Just as I expected, one of the planks comes free quite easily in my hands. I swear to Santa, if I find Narnia back here, then I'm gonna be pissed. I ain't got no time for goat men and moody-ass lions called Aslan. I've got my own crap to deal with.

I start pulling away the other planks one by one, eventually making a gaping hole in the wall. There's a door there, which unfortunately has a lock. I argue with myself for a few minutes, until finally I make a decision and I call out,

"Stefan, get in here. I've found a secret door that I need you to open. I know things are awkward between us, but I'm too nosy to let this go"

What? It's true. How do you think I keep up with the Salvatore's? They don't just tell people things, you have to prod and poke 'em a little.

Stefan is beside me a few moments later, staring at the door with a perplexed expression on his face. He's very studiously not looking at me, and to be honest I can't blame him for it. After everything that's happened recently, I'm surprised we can even stand to be in the same room together.

Stefan breaks the lock off of the door and he slowly pushes it open. I lean forward to see what the hell is inside. Stefan reaches up to turn on the light, I gasp when three walls plastered with weapons are revealed.

"Oh, for frigs sake" I say. The weapons look suspiciously vampire killy-like. Stefan finally looks back at me and for a moment we give each other a 'what the fuck' stare.

I then notice the stock pile of old journals. I move inside and grab one, flicking through the pages.

"These must be the other Jonathan Gilbert journals. Jeremy had the one, but John said that there were others. This is fucking weird, how many more surprises will I have to suffer through. If I find out I secretly have a nice twin somewhere, then I'm gonna be complaining to the manager"

"The manager?" Stefan asks.

I turn back to him, still not quite meeting his eyes,

"Of life"

"You mean….God?"

"Yeah, that guy. Or whoever's actually running this show"

"Right. And a nice twin? Not an evil one?"

I give him a hard look,

"I already have an evil one, her name's Elena. My other twin would be the nice one"

"You're not the nice one then?" Stefan definitely looks amused now.

"Of course not. I'm the normal one" I answer indignantly.

Stefan practically chokes out a laugh, slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound. I narrow my eyes at him as he says,

"You? Normal? In what universe is that even remotely possible?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I cross my arms and fix Stefan with one of my best 'mock offended' looks.

Stefan rubs his jaw thoughtfully, a smile still curving his lips,

"Fine, if you're the normal one, then Sinbad's a virgin, Damon and Bonnie are secretly best friends, John loves vampires, and we all sparkle in the sun"

I have to force down a burst of laughter,

"And apparently in this universe you're the funny one"

"Anything's possible then" Stefan finally meets my eyes, and for a moment all that pain and sense of loss comes crashing back over both of us, making it hard to breathe again.

"Yeah, anything's possible" I whisper almost inaudibly.

Stefan looks away, his jaw tight as he says,

"I'll go get some fire wood, give you a moment"

He walks away, leaving me inside the hidden room of vampy death devices.

Excellent, just me and my weapons…Kevin is going to be so jealous.

…

After about twenty minutes Stefan still isn't back, and I start to get a bit worried. I walk through the house, stopping near the front door. The door's open so I can see that it's pretty dark out already.

I call out to Stefan,

"Hey, you growing the trees out there?"

I frown when there's no reply. Even worse than that I start to get a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know someone's watching me, and I'm damn sure it's not Stefan, so unless there's a real unfriendly owl hanging about…

"Stefan!" I call out again, moving around the house a bit.

I pick up a knife from the counter and I slowly make my way outside.

"Stefan, seriously, I think I have an owl stalker!"

I feel him behind me and on instinct I spin around and plunge the knife deep into his stomach. The guy grasps out in pain, but I don't wait around to find out if he's just an overgrown boy scout. I run back inside the house, slamming the door shut behind me.

Thinking fast, I run upstairs, stopping suddenly when I hear the door being crashed open. I press myself up against the wall, my heart thudding like crazy. All I can think about is what the hell they've done to Stefan.

I can feel pain through our bond now that I've reopened it, and not just the emotional kind anymore. They've hurt him somehow. I swear if they kill him than they're gonna have one pissed off avenging doppelganger to deal with.

"I can smell you" the guy says loud enough for me to hear him.

He can smell me? Well, that's nice. What does he want? A gold star? Although him saying that does tell me one thing; he's definitely a werewolf.

I pull off my jacket, dropping it onto my bed quickly before running into another room and closing the door. I can hear him coming up the stairs, and I desperately don't want him to hear me, so I press my hand over my mouth, concealing the sound of me breathing.

Whilst he's distracted in the other room I make my way downstairs again, thinking frantically of what to do next. This is like the Hunger Games, but worse because I don't have a Peeta to throw in between me and my psycho.

I push the door shut to make him think I've gone outside and then I rush back through the house to my parent's room. I snatch one of the stakes off the wall in the secret vampy death room and I hide, waiting for Mr. smell a lot, to come after me.

After a few moments he does stalk through my parent's room, moving into the closet supposedly to check if I'm there. Wrong. Whilst his back is to me I stab him again, this time with the stake. Again, I don't wait around to see how he feels about it, I run from the room and back through the house.

I can feel him chasing after me though. I burst out through the front door, skidding to a halt when I hear a shout of pain coming from behind me. I turn around to see Stefan ripping out Mr. smell a lot's heart.

Stefan doesn't look that steady on his feet so I move mindlessly towards him, just so grateful that he's alive and safe.

"It's alright" Stefan says as he pulls me into a tight embrace.

I cling to him for a few moments, trying very hard to get my heart beat back down to a less frantic level. My eyes widen when I see Tyler come out from behind some tree's. He looks stricken and I realise that I hate that he's hurting.

"Tyler" I say, pulling away from Stefan even though part of me really wants to hang onto him forever.

"I didn't know what they were gonna do to you" Tyler says, "I didn't. I just….I didn't want to be like this anymore"

I move towards Tyler and he lets me wrap my arms around him. He holds me close his breath on my neck as he says in a broken whisper,

"I'm sorry Ever"

"It's ok Ty, you big dummy. I should have just been honest with you from the beginning. I'm a rubbish friend" I whisper back.

Tyler shakes his head, squeezing me tightly,

"No way Ever, you're a great friend. You're the best person I know, and everyone who knows you is lucky to have you in their life. You're amazing, don't ever let anyone tell you differently"

With that a new resolve comes over me. I know who I am, and what I need to do. I'm just gonna have to be strong enough to do it.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Well, that was fun. Apparently Eli does plan on letting his brother kill Ever, or sacrifice her or whatever the fuck. I really don't care. If Eli or Nick make one move to hurt Ever then I will happily destroy the fuckers.

Bonnie did her ju ju stuff and got Luca to fess up. It was pretty impressive on Bonnie's part. Although I don't think I'll ever get used to all the ju ju-ness.

Jeremy and Elena went home, and I have no idea where Stefan and Ever have run off too, although I have the sneaking suspicion that they are together. Damon called me a while ago and asked if I'd seen Ever. He seemed pretty frantic about it. If Ever's with Stefan, then she'll be fine. I told Damon that and he was not at all relieved by my suggestion, in fact he was quite mean about it. Damon can be one over protective bastard sometimes, especially when it comes to Ever.

I just hope she's home already and making Damon feel like an idiot for worrying.

Even before I walk into the boarding house I sense that something is wrong. For fucks sake, I do not feel like dealing with fluffy people. I can feel them, smell them even. I let my enhanced senses run loose for once, picking up their scents and scrunching up my nose in distaste. Do these people never bathe?

They better not have made a mess all over the floor, I just cleaned that carpet. Alright, I didn't clean it, but I watched Stefan do it, and it took him, like, ages. I'm having sympathy clean up pains.

I roll my eyes, not at all in the mood to put up with this shit. I kick open the door and move purposely through my home until I get to the living room. I'm greeted with the sight of Damon chained to a chair, a weird torture collar around his neck, he looks like an extra from the movie 'Saw' or something.

This. Is. Ridiculous.

All I wanted was to go to have a drink, wait for Rose to get home and then drink with her and talk about my rocky relationship with Jeremy until we both pass out on my bed. That was it. That's all I wanted. But, no, now I have to deal with a fucking fetish porn situation in my own fucking living room.

Damn it fluffy people!

I also see Alaric dead on the floor, luckily he's wearing his ring. I did not feel like cleaning up a friend's body tonight. Maybe tomorrow when I've had a good sleep.

I'm leaning against the wall with my arms crossed, looking over all the fluffy people and sizing up my chances. I'm thinking they're pretty good right now. They haven't noticed me yet because they're too busy getting freaky with my brother and asking him stupid questions, like 'where is the moonstone?' I'm really starting to hate that moonstone.

"Hello everyone" I say in a sing song tone of voice.

Damon smiles genuinely at me, as if we're about to sit down and have a cup of tea together.

"Baby brother, I'm so glad you could join us" Damon says unaffectedly.

"Yeah, me too, I can't believe I almost missed it" I say just as brightly.

"Don't be stupid Sin" female fluffy has the nerve to say to me, "Just tell us where the moonstone is and we'll leave"

"Me? Be stupid? Oh, no, I would never steal your job Lassie. Now, get the hell out of my house" I snap viciously.

Female fluffy growls at me, and suddenly one of the other fluffy people comes at me. Moron. I snatch that boy's heart right out of his chest in one swift movement. Seriously, we need to send these wolves to better obedience schools. Even though they just saw me kill their pet idiot, the two other fluffy people make a run for it. I rip their hearts out as well.

Damn, Stefan is gonna be so pissed about this mess. Maybe I can get away with saying the dog did it.

Female fluffy makes a quick get away, and I let her go. Hopefully she'll warn all her other fluff bunnies to fucking leave.

I raise an eyebrow at Damon and the annoying bastard actually smiles at me. I roll my eyes skyward and pray for the patience not to kill him too.

After a few moments Damon says,

"You going to get these chains off me or just stare at me all night with your creepy psycho killer expression?"

I shrug half heartedly,

"I think you look good in chains big brother"

"I look good all the time, and you know it" Damon argues.

A slight chuckle escaping my lips and I say,

"I think the word you're looking for is fabulous"

…

"So, he planned on killing her all along?" Rose says.

Ever is sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, looking really pissed off and upset. Damon is standing near her protectively, like her own personal guard. He looks about ready to tear anyone's head off who even breathes in his girlfriend's direction.

"Yep, the Sacrifice is all part of Elijah's plan" I confirm.

Damon makes a deep growling sound, and that murderous look on his face becomes even more pronounced. Ever simply seems dejected, and I have this weird feeling that it's not all about the whole Elijah situation. She keeps looking at Damon in a way that worries me, like she's bursting to say something to him, but can't because we're all in the way.

Alaric came back to life about an hour ago and then went home after I explained the situation to him. Not long after that Ever came in, saying that Stefan had dropped her off at home and then she drove right over. Stefan is with Elena at her house. All the while she was talking I couldn't drop the sense that she was holding back.

Damon pretty much suffocated her with one of the most aggressive hugs I've ever seen. He asked her where she'd been all day and Ever said she'd explain later. Damon must have sensed the same thing I did in her voice, because for once he didn't push.

Ever meets my eyes, and I see everything I need to know that whatever's about to happen between her and Damon, it's going to end badly for all of us.

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this scene-'Alien' by 'Cary brothers')

"We're gonna have to keep you somewhere safe" Damon says to me.

"Yeah, I'm going back to the lakehouse tonight" I say, my voice coming out more than a little bit strained.

"So, that was where you were today? At your family's lakehouse?" Damon says, anger tingeing the edges of his tone.

Me and Damon are alone now. I know Sinbad sensed the mood in the room and made quick work of removing both himself and Rose. I appreciate it, and I hate it, because my heart is already breaking, and I haven't even really said anything yet.

I don't know if I can handle this. But I have to, there's no other option that doesn't end in disaster for everyone involved.

I nod, getting up from my seat on the sofa and moving a few paces away from Damon, even though all I really want to do is stay as close to him as possible.

"I had to get away, so yeah, I went to the lakehouse"

Damon's jaw tightens noticeably and he grits out the question,

"Alone?"

I bite my lip and shake my head,

"No"

"With Stefan?" Damon asks, there's trepidation in his voice, he doesn't want to ask, but he has to.

I look up, meeting Damon's pale blue eyes as I answer,

"Yes, with Stefan"

Damon nods, his jaw tightening even more. It feels like there's a bubble of emotion just waiting to be popped between us. I can barely get my next few words out, but I know I have to.

"Damon" tears are already burning my eyes, "I think we need…..I need some time"

Damon's hands tighten into fists by his side,

"Time? What the hell do you mean by that? Please, tell me, because I've spent the whole fucking day worried out of my mind. I thought….just….whatever it is I've done to upset you, I can fix it" intense emotion fills Damon's every word, making his voice crack in places.

I have to hold a hand over my stomach then, because being sick feels like it might be a real possibility right now. A strangled sob escapes my lips, causing Damon's eyes to widen in surprise and intense concern. He moves towards me, but I back away, pushing a hand out in front of me to warn him off. Hurt strikes fast and hard on Damon's face.

I shake my head, unable to speak just yet. I take a few steadying breaths as I watch Damon internally argue with himself over what to do. I know he wants to touch me, to make sure I'm alright, to make whatever's hurting me better. But he can't make it better, no one can but me, and I'm not doing a very good job of it at the moment.

Eventually I manage to force out the words,

"I think, we should take a break. From us"

Damon sucks in a sharp and painful breathe. He shakes his head vehemently,

"No, why, what is this Ever? Is this about Stefan?"

"No!" the word burst out of my mouth before he can even finish the sentence. My eyes lock with Damon's as I try to explain,

"It's about me. There's some stuff I have to work out in my head, and it's not right for me to be with you whilst I'm doing it"

Damon tries to move towards me again, but I back away. He doesn't stop this time though and I end up pressed up against the wall. I'm trapped by Damon's strong arms on either side of me. Damon's intensely pale blue eyes burn into me like two balls of blue fire. They hurt my heart and my very soul. This is killing me, and I'm only just hanging on by sheer force of will alone.

The pain and confusion on Damon's face smashes my heart, grinding it up until there's nothing left but a mess of emotion.

Ashes of my love and my pain.

"Do you…..do you not love….love me anymore Ev's?" Damon asks the question like it physically destroys him to do so.

I couldn't stand it if he thought that I didn't love him, so I shake my head harshly. The hot tears on my face scold my skin and every time a try to breathe, a sob breaks free. I keep my eyes locked with Damon's as I say brokenly,

"Day, it's not that I don't love you, because I do, so fucking much, or that I don't want to be with you. I just can't be…..not right now"

"Why?" Damon snaps, his voice going back to the bite of anger from before.

I shake my head again,

"Please, Day, don't make this any worse than it already is"

Damon scoffs loudly, the upset and rage in his eyes flashing violently. But instead of yelling or hitting out at the furniture or the wall, he leans in closer to me until our foreheads are practically pressed together and he whispers,

"Harder? How could this possibly get any worse? The woman I'm in love with is telling me she can't be with me anymore, and she won't even tell me why. There is no worse than this. I feel like I'm dying here Ever, I'm begging you, don't do this"

Another cracked sob breaks free and causes a whole body shudder to force its way through me. I can't be here anymore. It's too much. I can't possibly feel this much without completely devastating myself. I need to get out.

"Day, oh God, please. I'm not saying we can't ever be together again, I just need some time. Let me have it. I need it. Or I'll end up destroying all of us"

I splay my hands over Damon's chest and I push him away, and it fucking breaks me apart to do it. Why does everything have to hurt so damn much? Damon, to my surprise, actually lets me push him away. It's only then that I see the wetness in Damon's eyes, tears of devastation and destruction are threatening to fall from his eyes, and I cannot bear to watch it happen.

I try to move past him, but he grabs hold of my arm, forcing me to look back at him. Damon looks lost and unsure of everything around him, like all of this is a horrible nightmare he'll get to wake up from. Right now I wish it was just a nightmare. But it isn't, this is real life. And in real life, there's no way to make it stop, you just have to keep moving, and hoping that it'll somehow get better.

"I love you" Damon whispers the words desperately.

Another sob threatens to escape, and all I can whisper back is,

"I know"

I yank my arm out of Damon's grip and I run from the boarding house, getting into my car and driving away before I can change my mind. I can't change my mind, I need to do this. No matter how hard it is, or how much it hurts like hell. In the long run, this will be better for all of us. I can't sort out my feelings for Stefan whilst I'm with Damon, it would be unfair to both of them, and myself. I need time to think about what I really want, and I need to do it alone.

I'm gonna go back to the lakehouse tonight, to regroup after finding out about Elijah. Even though I thought it was a possibility that his plan was to let me die, I hadn't actually let myself think about what I would do if that turned out to be the case.

When I get in it looks like Jenna, John and Jeremy are already in bed. But the light is on in Elena's room. I figure Elena is in as much danger as I am right now, so it's probably best if she comes with me to the lakehouse, hell, she'll probably want to get away from John just as much as I did this morning.

I wipe away the last of the stale tears on my face and I knock on Elena's door. As I walk in I say,

"Hey, sister of mine, feel like going to the lakhouse, you know, get away from everything-"

I stop talking abruptly when I see Elena's tear streaked face. She's curled up on her bed still crying out silent tears. She looks right at me and I say,

"Elena, what the hell happened? Why are you so upset?"

I move toward the bed and I sit on the edge, waiting earnestly for an answer from my twin. All my heart break over Damon still pulses through me, but right now I make myself focus on Elena's pain.

Elena looks up at me and out eyes lock together. She eventually manages to choke out the words,

"Stefan…..Stefan broke up with me"

Oh shit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, now, either you'll all hate me for this chapter, or only half of you will, or alternatively, you'll all understand why I did it. I had to keep true to Ever's character, she would never purposefully come between the brothers, she loves them too much for that. Also, Ever is the type who likes to escape, so that she can think out how she feels. In some ways she reckless like Elena, but not with her feelings, she'd never want to hurt anyone. So, anyway, please don't hate me for this, I just did what I felt was right for Ever's character. This doesn't mean there will be no romance, in fact there will probably be even more than before. Plus, I've already decided what Damon's reaction to this will be, and I think you'll all really like it because I'm not doing that whole self destructive thing that the show like to do, mostly because I think Damon's character is better than that by this point. Also, please let me know what you think about the Ever's decision and the final shocker at the end! I'd like to know how you felt about the Stefan and Damon scenes in this one if that's ok, I'd really love it if you could tell me what you thought, even if it's just a short review!


	56. The Dinner Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-sixth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd ask the question we're all thinking; whatever happened to Christmas? I swear, do they not celebrate it in Mystic Falls or something? xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

The Dinner Party

Sinbad's P.O.V

When I walk into the living room I find Damon sitting down on the sofa with a drink in one hand and that pointy-ass dagger in the other. I'm not sure if he's been there all night or not. He's flipping the dagger over and over again as he drinks his bourbon and stares off into space like a vampire mental patient. In case you were wondering what an insane vampire is, basically, that's all of us.

There are no sane vampires, I can promise that if nothing else. If there are any sane vampires then they're doing a bloody good job of hiding. Maybe they have a secret base that us psycho vamps don't know about, like in the 'Underworld' movies.

I arch an eyebrow at him and ask,

"So, is this how it's gonna be for the next one hundred and forty-five years?"

Damon turns an open glare on me and says deceptively calmly,

"What are you on about now?"

I sigh dramatically and pour myself a rather large drink. Something tells me that I'm gonna need it. Then I move to stand directly in front of my brother before answering his question,

"Well, let's recap shall we. When the first woman you loved dumped you, albeit in a less personal way, you spent the next one hundred and forty-five years obsessing over her. What I'm asking, is if you're going to do the same thing this time, or if you've decided on a new tactic, like, for example, wallowing on the sofa with alcohol and old fancy weaponry? If so, then I must say, that's very Stefan-y of you"

When Damon doesn't reply straight away, I continue,

"Speaking of Stefan, are you going to blame him again this time as well? Because, I want to be prepared if I have to deal with you two squabbling again over a girl. At least this time, Ever is worth fighting for, and at least she didn't lie to you or fuck with your head"

Damon snorts a derisive laugh,

"Yeah, how lucky I am that Ever decided to simply break up with me and give up on us instead of work through our problems together. You're right, that makes me feel so much better about the situation"

I sigh once more and down my drink, wincing slightly at the harsh burn. I fix Damon with a perceptive look I know he hates,

"Answer my questions damn it, Damon, I want to know what you plan to do, at least in regards to our brother"

Damon stands up then and he places the glass and the dagger down onto the table before straightening up again and meeting my hard stare with one of his own. Damon raises one eyebrow thoughtfully and then says,

"Fuck it. I'm gonna do the complete opposite of what I really want to do. The opposite of what everyone expects me to do"

Well, fuck, now I'm interested,

"Which is….?" I look him over, "Get a hair cut? Be nice to actual people? Go to an AA meeting? Make friends?"

Damon rolls his eyes at me, but answers anyway,

"I'm going to fight for her. She might think that I'll go off the rails-"

"-A fair assumption" I interrupt.

Damon narrows his eyes and I lift my hands in silent apology, urging him to continue whatever this is. Damon's eyes soften slightly, but the determination in them does not decrease even slightly as he says,

"I'll do whatever it takes to get Ever back. I once promised that I'd spend the rest of our lives proving to Ever that she made the right choice when she chose me over you-"

I make noise of protest but then Damon gives me another warning glare and I close my mouth, realising that now is not the time for a snarky reply.

"-And, if I have to prove to her that she should choose me over our brother as well, then I will" Damon finishes, the firmness in his tone surprising and completely undeniable.

"So….you're not going to start killing everyone in town? Or try to destroy Stefan? Or something else equally ridiculous and dramatic?" I ask tentatively, unsure if I can actually believe how reasonable Damon is being right now.

Damon is not a reasonable person, he's never been, even when we were all children. He always did things his own way, and his every reaction was extreme. Damon always puts his whole heart into everything he cares about, whether that be a good thing or bad; which is mainly the reason why he took to being a vampire so well, because he threw himself into it.

Damon shakes his head and gives me a small smile, one that could easily turn into a smirk at any moment.

"Ever loves me, I know she does, that isn't the problem, it never has been. She's just confused over her feelings for…..for Stefan" he says Stefan's name with some reluctance, as if he isn't quite sure how to say it.

I can sympathise with how hard it must be for Damon not to hunt our brother down and kick his ass. The old Damon would have done far worse than that. I figured it would be different this time, but I never actually expected Damon to be so…..human about it all.

I find myself wanting to smile at the thought, although I'd never actually do so, or tell Damon why, because I'm sure he'd still object to being accused of behaving like a human. And that's how he would see it, as an accusation; because he's insane, as I already stated.

I argue with myself about saying this, but eventually I decide it needs to be said,

"Damon, you know Stefan would never actually…..try to 'steal' Ever. The guilt over Elena alone would eat him alive. Ironically."

Damon pauses for a moment, as if thinking about his response carefully.

"Yeah, I know he wouldn't do it on purpose. The fact that he's done it by accident is actually more fucking annoying than if he had done it on purpose. But either way, it doesn't matter. I know Stefan will never fight for something he truly wants if it hurts other people, which is why I'm not going to kill him. I don't need to, because Ever wants someone willing to fight for her, even if she'd never admit it. And that person will never be Stefan."

That may be twisted logic, but it's true. Stefan would never hurt someone just to get what he wants, not even a woman he obviously loves, which will always be his downfall. But Ever texted me some vital information a few hours ago that I think Damon should know. I'm just worried how he'll react to it, or I was before he reacted so weirdly to everything else.

I put my glass down on the table and I say to Damon,

"Stefan broke up with Elena" the words come flying out of my mouth before I can talk myself out of it and I wait for the impending explosion from my eldest brother.

When Damon's jaw simply hardens, I relax a little. He tilts his head to the side as if confused by the information.

"How do you know that?"

I shrug,

"Ever texted me this morning. They're both at the lakehouse. Elena and Ever I mean"

Damon surprises me further by barking out a short laugh and saying,

"Has he completely lost his mind? That's….like saying Prince Charming just broke up with the Cinderella"

I scoff,

"As apposed to your break up, which is Belle breaking up with the beast"

Damon chuckles darkly under his breathe and quirks an eyebrow,

"What does that make you and Jeremy? Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty? Because at some point that boy's going to need to wake the hell up and realise you are the worst candidate for a boyfriend on the planet"

I growl in reaction, even though I know he's right.

"Oh yeah, because you're definitely good boyfriend material Mr. Anger management. You know, you're that guy every father hopes his daughter never meets"

Damon seems to consider that for a moment, and then a smirk spreads over his face,

"I am definitely that guy. And you're the guy every girlfriend, boyfriend, husband and wife hopes their boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband never meets."

"Harsh brother, you hurt my feelings" I place a hand over my heart in mock upset.

Damon snorts again and waves his hand in a dismissive gesture,

"If you're going to pretend to have feelings, then there's no point in me continuing to have a serious discussion with you"

I roll my eyes and say drolly,

"Yeah, because those Disney references just scream, 'mature conversation'"

Damon laughs again and then his face suddenly becomes more sombre,

"I can't decide if Stefan breaking up with Elena is exactly the kind of 'selfless' thing he would normally do. Or if he's done it for a completely different reason"

I shrug again, really not knowing the answer to that one. I can only speculate since Stefan still hasn't come back home yet.

"Maybe he's done it for the same reason Ever broke up with you. Maybe he needs…..time. To think. To sort things out inside his head"

Damon narrows his eyes in thought for a moment and then replies,

"But that would make sense. Since when does Stefan ever do anything that makes sense to normal people"

Now it's my turn to be confused,

"Are you suggesting that we're the 'normal' people in this situation?" I gesture between us.

Damon blinks rapidly in surprise, as if just realising what he said and finding it ridiculous.

"That came out wrong. I meant, people who don't have a pure snowy white soul"

I nod in understanding,

"Ah, people who walk the low road and like it there just fine thank you very much"

Damon smirks at me again,

"You don't walk the low road baby brother, remember?"

I smirk right back, because I do remember,

"You ride the low road, big brother"

"Till the very bloody end" We say in unison.

…

"Apparently little wolf boy wonder ran away from home last night" Damon says as we pour ourselves another drink.

"Fluffy Jr. ran away? To where? Narnia? Wonderland? Oooh, Neverland's always nice this time of year, isn't that where lost boys go?"

"It doesn't matter where. He's gone, which ends our werewolf chapter, bringing us to…."

"Killing Elijah" I say with a sigh.

Damon rolls his eyes,

"Look, I know you're against this whole 'kill Elijah' thing because once upon a time he got into your pants" I growl in warning, but Damon ignores me, "But, if we stopped killing everyone who's ever been fucked by you, then….there'd be no one left for me to kill"

I glare at my brother,

"Shut it father, get on with telling me your master plan before I snap your neck for my own amusement"

Damon seems to forcibly stop himself from saying something cutting, which is good because I might actually have snapped his neck otherwise.

"We have the dagger" he says, as if it's just that simple, "Elijah needs to die. He's a threat to Ever and I want him gone Sinbad. The sooner this whole stupid Elijah thing is dealt with, the sooner I can start to fight to get Ever back. There's too much going on right now to concentrate on anything other than keeping Ever safe and alive"

I nod, understanding and agreeing with his need to keep Ever from harm if nothing else. I would die to protect Ever. I just don't think getting rid of Elijah will accomplish much of anything. But I know Damon doesn't understand that, he never will, because he doesn't know the Originals the way I do. He doesn't know the quiet and resilient strength of Eli, and definitely doesn't know the rage and overwhelming passion of Nick. To be honest I hope he never will, nobody sane should ever want to.

I shake all that old emotion off and I try to focus on the here and now as I say to Damon,

"He's an Original vampire Damon, are you sure you're prepared to take him on in any way"

Damon gives me an indignant look and then replies,

"Yes, I've dotted all my 'i's and crossed all my 't's for this one alright, I don't want any surprises. All I need to know is that I can count on your help"

I think long and hard for a few moments, then I realise it really doesn't matter what I say. Damon's still gonna do it, and something is still going to go shit ways at some point. I might as well be there to help make sure Damon doesn't die at my ex's hands.

"Fine. I'm in, you lunatic"

….

"So, other than your lecture on the history of Mystic Falls, did you get anything else out of Elijah?" Damon asks Alaric.

We met up with Alaric at the Grill to talk about our plan on how to deal with Eli. But right now I'm far more interested in the obvious resentment on Alaric's face. He really does not like Eli, which is fair enough considering how he's been hovering around Jenna since he got into town.

Alaric shakes his head,

"No, it was really boring" he makes a face, "Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming"

"I'm afraid all the Charming roles have been filled" I say, trying to suppress a laugh at Alaric's obvious jealousy.

"You sound jealous" Damon says with a smirk, he turns to me, "Does he sound a bit jealous to you?"

I nod in agreement, letting a small smirk of my own shine through,

"Yeah, I'm sensing that too"

"Maybe, we shouldn't talk about this here" Alaric says uncomfortably.

My spine stiffens on instinct when I catch sight of Jenna and Eli coming into the Grill together. Damon frowns and he follows my gaze. He smirks again at Alaric and says,

"Hey, look, it's Jenna and her new boyfriend"

Damon calls them over and I thump his thigh under the table. My eldest brother doesn't react and I consider stabbing him with a blunt butter knife to see if that'll have any effect. But then Eli and Jenna are right in front of us and Damon is talking again.

"I heard you had quite a meeting of historical minds today"

Jenna smiles openly,

"Yeah, I guess you could say that"

I catch her eye and I wink before saying,

"Alright beautiful?"

Jenna laughs and nods,

"Stop it, you, no more flirting"

I smile suggestively at her,

"But I like flirting with you, it's fun. Alaric doesn't play along like you do" I raise an eyebrow at Alaric, giving him the full affect of my most devilish smirk, casing the young History teacher/home made Hunter, to blush furiously.

I can practically feel Damon internally rolling his eyes, and that makes me smile wider. See how he likes being the one who's irritated for once. Damon and I used to compete like hell when we were younger to see how much we could piss each other off, or at times anyone else, including our father. It was an unspoken game of ours that neither of us have ever completely let go of.

Jenna chuckles in response.

I try my hardest to ignore Eli, but Jenna makes that impossible by gesturing to him and saying,

"Oh, Sinbad, have you met Elijah?"

Before I can answer Eli swiftly steps forward and says in that annoying velvety voice of his,

"Yes, we have met before. In fact we know each other very well"

I narrow my eyes at him. Fucking Original vampire, throwing me off like that.

Alaric gets out of the booth we were sitting in and says,

"Well, sorry, but I have to go. You know, papers to grade"

"You know, we should continue this. How about a dinner party" Damon says with a carefully hidden smirk aimed my way.

Asshole.

"It'll give Elijah a chance to catch up with my brother. I always like to know my brother's friends" Damon adds.

Even bigger asshole.

I glare at him for only a moment before smoothing out my features, making sure that I do not make eye contact with Elijah.

"Yeah, how about tonight, at the boarding house" Damon continues, completely ignoring my discomfort as per usual.

I am going to beat him to death with a wooden spoon. Because that's what assholes deserve.

"I'm free tonight" Jenna agrees with a smile at Alaric, who now looks even more uncomfortable than me.

Good, we can share a flask.

"It would be a pleasure" Eli says with a very pointed look at me.

I want to snap at him that there will be nothing pleasurable about it, especially not anything that would include me. But I think that would throw out the wrong message to Jenna, and I really don't want Jeremy to hear about it and then take it the wrong way.

I'm trying like hell to be a better boyfriend, as being a better person is off the table by this point. I hope Ever is having more luck dealing with her problems than I am with mine.

Ever's P.O.V

"Elena, come on, get out of bed….fuck, I never thought I'd be the one saying that" I shake Elena again, trying to awaken the beast from her slumber.

We're still at the lakehouse, after telling aunt Jenna where we were heading we both came straight here for some sisterly bonding time. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that not only did I break up with a man I am still completely in love with, but also that Stefan, another man I have very complicated feelings for, broke up with Elena, my twin sister. Also, the two men I'm torn over, are brothers. Vampire brothers, with enough blood between them as it is. Now doesn't that just complete the circle of 'what the fuckary'.

Honestly.

Such. A. Clusterfuck.

"I don't want to get up, it's rainy and miserable outside" I hear Elena's muffled voice from underneath her pillow.

I make an exasperated noise and I try hitting her with my pillow. I miss Kevin. He's the real victim in all this.

"Good, then you should like it, because you're miserable too"

Elena groans, she sits up suddenly causing me to fall backwards onto the bed. I let out a little yelp, and I all I can hear is Elena laughing at me. Stupid evilally evil twin.

I sit back up just in time for the smile on Elena's tear stained face to die away once more. I feel so awful that my sister is upset over something that is at least partly my fault, even though I didn't technically do anything wrong. I wish me and Elena were closer sometimes, like other sisters or twins are. But the truth is, we're so different in a lot of ways, and neither of us are willing to change, which was fair enough when we could both just live our lives separately and do things our own way.

But now things are very different. Our parents are dead and we have a badass vampy boy coming after us. There's nothing in life that prepares you for either of those things.

I love Elena, she's my sister, and there are times when we've connected as more than that, even as friends. I would do anything for her, the same way I would do anything for Jeremy, and I know she feels the same way. But I have to wonder if she would still love me if she knew the truth about my…'thing' with Stefan.

Probably not.

And I wouldn't blame her either. If I thought something was going on with Damon and Elena then I'd be pretty pissed off too. Elena is too good a person to actually do anything like that, and I know it. Although the thought of Elena and Damon together is pretty ridiculous. Damon's not 'good' enough for Elena, and Elena definitely isn't bad enough for Damon. In a relationship there has to be a certain kind of balance, and those two would completely tip each other over the edge.

"I still feel horrible" Elena states with another groan.

I can't help laugh a little at that,

"Well, yeah, it's gonna take more than one night's sleep to get over a break up Elena"

Elena looks down at her hands, her fingers twiddling almost nervously. She looks up at me,

"It's more than just a break up Ever….Stefan….he's…..at least, I thought he was…..the love of my life"

Damn it! The bad feelings just keep getting worse and worse.

I hate that Elena's upset. I hate that I'm partly responsible. But most of all, I hate that a small part of me can't help but feel…..glad. Not that Elena's upset obviously, but glad that she's no longer in the way of me and Stefan.

I am, the most awful person. Bad me! Mental slap!

I look Elena over sympathetically,

"Sometimes, things don't work out the way we want them to. If it makes you feel any better, I feel really shitty about my break with Damon too"

Elena scoffs loudly,

"No offense Ever, but it's not the same"

I frown harshly,

"Why the hell not?"

Elena sighs and meets my eyes,

"Because, one, you broke up with him. Two, if you wanted Damon back, all you'd have to do is say the word and he'd be yours again, and you know it. Three, at least you know why."

What I feel for Stefan is complicated as hell, but I cannot deny that it's there. I broke up with Damon because I need time to sort out how I feel for Stefan, I have to know the extent of it before I can move forward. I have to know if it's something I can get past, or if I'll always feel this inner yearning for Stefan.

It seems to get stronger every damn day, so I have to take that into consideration as well. And if it isn't something I can let go of, then how can I possibly have a future with Damon. It wouldn't matter if Damon was just any other guy, but he isn't, he's Stefan's brother, which makes things a lot more complex than they might otherwise be.

I raise an inquisitive eyebrow,

"What do you mean?" I ask my twin.

Elena tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear and replies,

"I have no idea why Stefan broke up with me, and it's driving me crazy thinking about it"

"What did he say to you?"

Elena shrugs,

"That he couldn't pretend things were alright anymore and that is wasn't fair on me to carry on lying. But what does that even mean? Unless he means he stopped loving me. But, how could he have just stopped loving me? I don't understand"

"I find it hard to believe that Stefan completely stopped loving you just like that Elena. Maybe he just….needs some time, to think" I argue, not at all sure what the right thing to say is.

Elena makes a face at me,

"To think about what though?"

I shrug, unwilling to answer that question as it could lead to other more uncomfortable questions.

I get off the bed and I dump a pile of Jonathon Gilbert journals onto the bed.

"Come on, sis, let's go through some of these. Reading about our crazy ancestor might make you feel better, or at least take your mind off of….stuff"

Stuff? Yeah, lets go with stuff, that's not an understatement at all.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"This is a bad idea" Alaric says to me as Damon pours himself a drink.

"There's no such thing as a bad idea. Just poorly executed awesome ones" Damon says.

Alaric shakes his head,

"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to the vampire who didn't kill my wife, the one who actually knows something about Original vampires"

Damon scoffs,

"You really need to let that whole 'wife' thing go. Don't be so complainy all the time, it's boring."

"Shut up Damon" I snap tiredly. Then I turn back to Alaric and I say,

"Yep, this is an awful idea. I'm just here for damage control, I swear"

"I don't like the idea of Jenna being in the same house with Elijah" Alaric worries, his expression pensive.

"Jenna's perfectly safe" Damon says with a shrug, "Plus tonight is just a fact finding mission, it's totally harmless"

Alaric raises an eyebrow at Damon, and then exchanges a few glances with me. I sigh heavily,

"Ric, I'll keep Jenna safe. Eli won't touch her, I won't let him anywhere near her"

"Can you promise that?" Alaric says harshly.

I nod firmly,

"I'll keep her safe, no matter what, alright"

Reluctantly Alaric nods in acceptance, but then his eyes flicker to Damon,

"No sneak attacks, or secret plans Damon, nothing that will put Jenna in harms way"

Damon lifts his hand and replies,

"Scouts honour"

I smack him over the head and he glares at me. I just smile sweetly back at him.

"Don't be such a dick" I warn Damon.

"Yeah, why is he being all grumpy today?" Alaric asks me.

"He was dumped by the love of his life last night, and now he's all upset and pissy about it" I answer.

Damon growls, low and primal,

"Fuck off Sin"

"Language dear brother, that is no way to speak in front of company" I say.

Before Damon can reply, the doorbell rings and we go to answer it. Jenna comes out of the dining room to see who's at the door. When John comes striding in I let out a silent groan. I am disliking this night more and more with every passing moment.

"Who invited him?" Jenna asks, irritation thick in her voice.

"Oh, John, what a surprise" Damon says.

"Leave" I add.

"When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games" John drawls arrogantly.

No wonder Ever hates this guy. I hate this guy, and I barely know him.

"There's not gonna be any games tonight John, it's just a friendly dinner party" Alaric says.

"Right" John remarks disbelievingly.

John looks at me and I stare back,

"Don't look at me. This is Damon's show. I just live here"

John turns to my brother, and Damon shrugs,

"Just a friendly dinner party, like Alaric said"

Friendly, friendly, friendly.

Like a lion having dinner with one mouse, a zebra, two panthers and now a rat.

This is going to be so much fun.

Fun on a stick.

Fun on a fucking pointy stick with barbed wire wrapped around it.

See, fun.

…

"I hate to break it to you Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town" Jenna says as she pours some wine into his glass.

"Hm, do tell" Damon replies, his eyes darting towards Eli.

I've somehow found myself seated between Eli and Jenna, being close to Jenna is a good thing as it will be easier to protect her if things should go horribly wrong like I expect them to. But sitting close to Eli was very carefully manipulated by Damon. I don't know what he thinks that will accomplish. Unless he means to distract Eli with my proximity. If anything, it'll be the other way around.

Eli looks up at the mention of his name,

"Well, as I was telling Jenna earlier, a faction of settles migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690s. Over the next one hundred years they developed a community where they felt safe from persecution"

Images of the past assault my mind as I remember many times when Eli would talk for hours about the history of this world. It was so interesting to hear it from someone who actually experiences most of the changes that occurred in the world. I used to love to listen to him talk, it was one of my favourite things.

I give myself a mental shake, now is not the time to think of such things. I left those memories behind a long time ago, and I have no interest in revisiting them in any way, shape or form, despite what Eli might believe.

"Mmmm, because they were witches" Jenna leans in and whispers to me. I smile easily and whisper into her ear,

"Because they were women, you mean"

Jenna elbows me gently in the ribs and we laugh under our breaths.

Eli pulls our attention back to him by saying,

"The lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighbouring settlements. So these witches were rounded up, they were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around"

Eli's eyes land on me, as they have been doing throughout this dinner party. His gaze scorches my skin and I have trouble sitting still. I want to snap at him to stop staring at me, but I know it would have little effect on Eli. He may claim to be different to Nick, but in the end they are in fact very similar when it comes to doing whatever the fuck they want and not giving a shit if anyone else doesn't like it.

A trait that I find both incredibly infuriating, and sexy as all hell. It fucks with my head on a daily basis, not that I'd ever admit that to either of the crazy bastards.

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story" John says very unhelpfully.

"So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon asks Eli.

His acting skills are going to need some serious work.

Eli shrugs casually, but his burning gaze doesn't leave my face as he says,

"Oh, just healthy historians curiosity, of course"

Damon nods and smiles,

"Of course" then he gets a mischievous look on his face that makes my hand twitch. A clear signal that he's about to do something that's gonna make me want to punch him in the face.

"Have you come to town for any other reason?" Damon asks with a very obviously pointed look at me.

I glare at him from across the table. I want to kick him, but we're not twelve anymore, so I don't. I'll just have to kick him later when we're alone.

Eli's eyes seem to heat up by ten degrees as he looks me over,

"I do have certain….other interests involving this town"

How dare he even suggest that I…fuck.

Jenna blinks rapidly,

"Sin, you were involved with Elijah?" she sounds shocked.

"No" I lie swiftly at the same time as Eli politely says, "Yes"

I refuse to acknowledge Eli, which is something I know will drive him crazy.

Not that I'm trying to….fuck.

Thankfully, after that, Damon suggests we all go to the living room to have a drink. John and Jenna stay behind to take the dishes into the kitchen. I'm about to follow Damon into the living room when suddenly my phone starts to ring; it's Ever. I frown down at the screen, then I nod at Damon once before leaving the room to take the call.

I can feel Eli's eyes on me as I walk out, but I force myself not to look back at him.

When I get far enough away I answer the phone,

"Ever, what's wrong?"

"The dagger, it could kill him. Don't let him use it Sin" Ever says frantically.

"What? How could it kill him?"

"It's in the Gilbert journals. Only a human can use the dagger, it would kill any vampire who uses it. Stop Damon Sin, now"

"Consider it done Ever" I say swiftly before hanging up.

I make my way to the living room where Damon is talking to Elijah. I quickly type a text into my phone and then I stride over to Damon, ignoring Elijah's eyes on me once again. Damon frowns angrily at me.

"It's a text from Ever" I say as I show Damon what I've typed.

Damon is careful not to show much reaction to the words, but I can feel his disappointment.

Jenna comes in just in time to say,

"Deserts almost ready guys"

Eli is watching us carefully and I turn towards him, smiling politely as I practically shove Damon towards the dining room. I can feel his anger, and I'm pretty sure it's directed at a certain Gilbert rat.

We all sit down and almost straight away Damon silently raging eyes fix on John. He looks between Eli and John, a spiteful plan illuminating his eyes already. I know this can't end well, but all I can do is brace myself for the impact of destruction that Damon will cause. His revenge gene is uncontrollable.

"Elijah, did you know John is Ever's uncle/father" Damon says.

"Yes, I am aware of that" Eli replies.

"Of course she hates him" Damon continues, "So there's absolutely no point in keeping him on the endangered species list"

Oh, shit.

Luckily Jenna and Alaric are in the kitchen, because John's response would raise questions with Jenna that none of us want to answer.

"What I want to know Elijah, is how you plan on killing Klaus"

Eli doesn't seem at all bothered by what my insane brother and John are saying. But then again he never seems very affected by anything. I can feel the heat coming from his body though, and I can tell he's getting pissed off just from the way he's sitting. With Eli, the more casual he behaves, the more angry you know he is.

"Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now" Eli states, his voice smooth and calm as ever. Eli looks at Damon, "I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Ever. I allow Ever to remain in her house, living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability I will take her away from you, and you'll never see her again"

Damon's jaw hardens and a sound very similar to a snarl comes out of his mouth. I give him a hard look along with a warning,

"Damon"

I can sense something behind me, but before I can react, Eli yells out in pain. I shove away from the table, my eyes immediately drawn to Alaric. Eli's skin goes grey and cracked. Alaric has just stabbed Eli with the damn dagger.

The young hunter rips the dagger back out and hands it over to me.

"Now, get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert" he says to Damon and me.

Damon looks a bit shell shocked for a moment, but then he shrugs as if he always meant for this to happen,

"Yeah, ok"

Well, fuck a duck then. Who knew hunters could be useful?

Ever's P.O.V

"Elena, we need to talk about this" I say as I walk out onto the balcony where Elena is brooding, big time.

Elena is pissed as hell at me, at everyone really, for not telling her about the dagger, or our plan to use it on Elijah.

My twin shakes her head angrily,

"What point is there in talking if you and the Salvatore's are just gonna lie to me. If you don't like my decisions then that's fine, there's nothing I can do about that. But if you ever, go behind my back again-"

"You'll what?" I snap, having had enough of her martyr attitude for one lifetime, "There's a time and a place for being selfless Elena, you big dummy. But sometimes, just sometimes, we have to be a little bit selfish. Otherwise we might as well just give up now. Because life is hard, and it's complicated. You can't just do stuff Elena and expect everyone else to bend around you. Just because you think something is right, that doesn't mean it is"

"It's my life, Ever" Elena argues, crossing her arms indignantly.

"Yeah exactly, it's your life. And I'm your sister, so I'm gonna do, whatever it takes to keep you safe"

"So, all this sisterly bonding, that was just distracting me?" Elena says, her voice rising.

I make a frustrated sound at her,

"What are you talking about?"

Elena glares at me,

"We don't talk like this Ever!"

"Likes WHAT?" I shout back at her.

Elena gestures between us,

"You and me, we've never been close. Before our parents died, we barely spoke. It was always you and Jeremy against me"

I shake my head in disbelief,

"Elena, I don't understand what you're trying to say-"

She cuts me off,

"I'm saying that you were always the favourite twin, and you never liked me"

I can't believe she could think that.

"Elena, you were our parents favourite, mum spent all her free time with you. And I love you, you're my sister, how can you even think that I-"

Elena cuts me off again,

"I know you love me Ever, I do know that. But only because I'm your sister. You don't actually like me, you never have. Our parent's may have spent more time with me, but that was only because I was always the good one, the one who did everything right, the one who actually tried to get their attention. I got straight A's, and I really actually liked town events. But no matter what I did, everyone still liked you better. Dad still called you his 'number one girl'. You were the fun twin. The exciting twin. The sexy twin. The funny twin. The twin who understood. The one who fought for what she wanted and never backed down from a fight no matter what anyone else said. You're the one who Bonnie first told about her magic. You're the one who Caroline asked about losing her virginity, and who she trusted to talk about becoming a vampire with. You're the one who Matt called when they found Vicki's body, and he let you help him through it. You're the one who Jeremy first admitted to having feelings for another man, he never even told me anything about it, or about his relationship with Sinbad. You're the one who Sin first told about the Salvatore's being vampires. You're the one who Jenna talks to about Alaric. You're the one who John gave our mother's bracelet to. You're the one our birth mother took an actual interest in. You're the one who Elijah came to make a deal with. You're the one who managed to make a half descent man out of Damon Salvatore. You're the one who Stefan trusts the most with all his secrets, you didn't even have to ask, he just told you because he wanted to. And you're the one the Salvatore's trust with all their plans"

For a moment I'm so shocked that I have no idea what the hell to say. But when I do finally try to speak, Elena just holds up her hand and says,

"I can handle all that, it's fine, but please stop pretending like you're the one who has to try harder. I'm the one living in your shadow, not the other way around, and the worst part is, you don't even realise how special you are to everyone."

I sigh heavily, reaching up to run a hand through my hair,

"You can't honestly be jealous of me. I mean, you're Elena"

Elena shakes her head and moves to walk past me to go back inside, stopping only to look at me and say,

"I'm not jealous Ever, I'm just not blind, or stupid enough not to notice reality. Goodnight, I'm gonna go to bed, ok"

I let her go after that. Obviously the crazy evil twin has made her mind up, and me yelling at her won't change anything.

I'd really like to yell at her though.

I walk over to the balcony and lean on it with a frustrated sigh. Sinbad texted me to say that Alaric daggered Elijah, I texted him back telling him to make sure the dagger stays inside Elijah or he'll just come back. I haven't heard anything from them, so I assume nothing's gone wrong in the Elijah department.

I take my phone out and I stare at it for a long time. I've been wanting so badly to text him all day, but every time I go to, I stop myself. I just don't know what to say. So much has happened in the last few days, and I'm still trying to make sense of it all. Now I have Elena going off on one about all this ridiculous bullshit. She's crazy of she thinks everyone likes me more than her. People trust me because….because I don't judge, that's all it is, not because I'm more special or something stupid like that.

I decide to bite the bullet and text him, asking simply,

"I miss you. Please let me know that you're alright"

A few seconds later I get a text back that says,

"I miss you too. I'm fine, don't worry about me. How about you?"

I can't help but smile, he's always putting me first. I text,

"Not bad. I'm alive, so, that's a plus"

His reply is quick,

"You being alive is one of my primary goals, so I'm pretty glad about it too"

I can't help but laugh at that, and I joke back,

"Is that all I am to you, a goal?" 

There's a short pause before he answers,

"You're everything to me"

My breathe hitches, because I know with complete certainty that he means it. I can't help but reply,

"I wish I could talk to you in person right now"

There's another heavy pause before he answers,

"Do you mean that?"

This time I don't even have to think about my response,

"Yeah, I really mean that"

His response his swift and it makes my eyes widen and a smile spread over my face,

"Good, then look down"

I do look down over the balcony, and he's standing there with a tentative smile on his handsome face. I gesture for him to come up and less than a few seconds later, Stefan is leaning on the balcony next to me.

My eyes catch his and our gazes lock for a few very long and unbearably intense moments. Our bond buzzes loudly between us, the emotions crackling and sparking like bright flames. The flames lick my heart and scold my soul with a brand.

"You broke up with my sister" is all I can find to say. Actually there are about a hundred things I want to say to Stefan, but that's the only thing I can force out of my mouth right now.

Stefan winces, and I can read the internal battle going on inside of him. His pain makes me reach out and place my hand over Stefan's on the balcony railing. I squeeze his hand reassuringly,

"It's ok Stefan, I understand. You don't have to feel guilty for doing what you felt is best for everyone. I mean, I broke up with Damon too"

Stefan's eyes widen slightly,

"You did?" he asks.

I nod,

"Yeah, I had to. It was only fair. I need time, to think about everything that's going on between me and Damon. And me and you. I can't just ignore how I'm feeling and hope it goes away"

Stefan's brows furrow, and he takes a deep breathe before asking,

"Do you want it to go away? The feelings you have for me, I mean"

Now, if that isn't one of the hardest questions he could have asked me.

I take a deep breathe of my own,

"No, I don't want what's going on between us to stop just so my life would be easier"

Stefan accepts my answer, and for a while he just lets that sink in. But eventually his eyes grow more intense, and he turns his hand so he can thread our fingers together. His voice is low and intimate when he says,

"You're wrong about one thing"

I frown and lean forward, closer to Stefan,

"What thing?"

Stefan reaches up with his other hand and runs his fingers through my hair in a gentle caress as he replies gravely,

"I didn't break up with Elena because it was best for everyone. I did it for me; because I didn't stand a chance of having you whilst I was still with your sister. I feel guilty for it, and I should. But I don't feel guilty for the way I want you, I can't make myself not want you Ever."

I bite my lip and frown harshly,

"I won't be another bitchzilla, Stefan. I refuse to tear you and Damon apart like she did"

Stefan is shaking his head even before I've finished my last sentence. His grip on my hand tightens and the look in his eyes becomes even more intense,

"It's different this time Ever; you're different. I know that you love my brother, and I'm not asking you to stop loving him. But what I do want is the chance to fight for you. Can you give me that, just a chance, the same way you'll give Damon one"

I see something move out of the corner of my eye near the balcony door, but with the way Stefan's staring at me I easily dismiss it as a trick of the light. What Stefan is asking for is fair, and it's the only solution that makes sense to me so far. If I can get Damon to agree….although maybe he won't even want to fight for me. I find that hard to believe, as I know how much Damon loves me. This might be the only way that I can fairly decide what I really want. I need to give them both an equal opportunity to show me what they want from me, so that I can decide what I really want from them in return.

I allow myself to smile at Stefan, and for the first time tonight I see hope in his eyes. I lean into Stefan's touch as I say,

"Yes, I can give you that"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I walk into my room later, only to be confused by the sound of the shower. I didn't turn it on, and no one else would need to use my private bathroom since Jeremy is at his home tonight. I get a really bad feeling as I step into a very wet aired bathroom.

The moment she steps out of the shower I groan both inwardly and outwardly.

Katerina smiles at me in the way she knows I hate.

Why does the universe hate me? What have I done to deserve this hell?

Actually, don't answer that one universe, I remember now.

"Do you have a robe?" Katerina asks me as she stands there naked in front of me.

I roll my eyes and say to her,

"You know, I almost forgot that you exist. Ignorance really is bliss when it comes to you"

"So, you forgot that when an Original dies, their compulsion on vampires wears off" Katerina muses.

Yes, I did forget about that actually.

"Why are you still here? Why haven't you run away like you always do?" I ask, very much interested in her response for once.

Katerina shrugs,

"I meant what I said before. I want to stay and help"

"Oh joy" I say dryly.

Katerina smirks at me,

"About that robe then….."

Just kill me now universe, it'll be less painful in the long run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think of my story! xxx


	57. The House Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you got the special teddy? xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-seventh chapter.  
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I’d include more strip dances. Just at random, for no reason at all but to amuse me. xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN  
The House Guest

 

Ever’s P.O.V

“What the hell is bitchzilla doing here? What, I go away for a few days and you all decide you need a replacement?” I snap angrily.

Damon still has his hand wrapped around bitchzilla’s throat, he’s holding her up against the wall in a steely grip. Apparently she was trying to ‘play’ me again. Sinbad called me over, he said we had to talk about a few things. I didn’t expect this to be what he wanted to talk about.

Elena and me came back from the lakehouse earlier than I thought we would. My evil twin is still really pissed off with me. In fact she seems even more pissed off than she was when we actually argued. I have no idea why though. I get that she’s upset about Stefan and me not telling her about the dagger, but it’s like all her emotions have come raging to the surface. She’s pretty much ignoring everything I say, and she even snapped at Jeremy this morning on her way to school.

Me and Elena are gonna have to talk it out if she keeps acting like this. Although when she finds out about Stefan, my evil twin is going to disown me. And I wouldn’t even blame her if she did. I feel awful about it, but not awful enough that I’m willing to give up Stefan.

Jeremy came over with me to the boarding house because he wanted to see what Sin was so stressed about. Now I kind of get why Sin didn’t was Jeremy me here. Bitchzilla is back, and she has STOLEN MY FRAKING CLOTHES! 

Now, I shall have to burn them, and do a voodoo dance around that fire, just to make sure all the epic evil bitchiness has vacated the area within which I live my life. You know how much effort, not to mention lighting fluid, that is going to take. A lot, is the answer.

I look between the three Salvatore’s. At least it’s not awkward, that’s something to be grateful for. Ever since I agreed to let Stefan fight for me, I’ve been worried about what would happen the next time we were all in a room together. Bitchzilla has taken the awkwardness out of the situation by being her usual irritatingly arrogant self. 

So, yay for bitchzilla.

Jeremy is leaning against the door frame behind me, I can practically feel him frowning over my shoulder at Sin.

Stefan keeps giving me side long glances, whereas Damon is staring right at me unapologetically. It’s Sinbad though who answers me,  
“When we killed Eli, it broke the compulsion and freed bitchfoot from her not-so-final resting place”

“How is that even possible?” Stefan asks, looking extremely frustrated.

Bitchzilla tries to break free from Damon’s grip. He lets her go, only for her to say,  
“He’s an Original, they have all sorts of special skills”

Then she looks at me and raises an eyebrow,  
“You know, it’s harder to be you than it used to be. Damon knew right away that I wasn’t you”

I blink in surprise,   
“You did?” I ask Damon before I can think the question through.

Damon gives me a dry look and he says,  
“You have a mark at the base of your throat, I always look at it when you walk into a room”

My hand automatically goes to the spot he’s talking about. I never really thought about it before, but there is a faint mark there, almost like a scar of some sort. I don’t remember where it came from.  
“Why?” I find myself asking, again without thinking too much about it.

Damon’s smirk isn’t at all playful, if anything it’s predatory when he answers,  
“Because it’s my mark. Because I marked you.”

I have to look away then, because my heart has begun to beat like crazy at the spark of possession in Damon’s pale eyes. I can feel Stefan shift uncomfortably too, and our bond tightens around my core a little, as if chastising me.

Bitchzilla’s smirk is far more annoying, she looks between me and Damon before turning slightly towards Stefan and saying,  
“Aww, isn’t that romantic?”

Ah, awkwardness, there you are.

My hands clench into fists and I snap at her,  
“Crazy lady, I do not want you here”

“That’s really no way to talk to someone who’s willing to help you with your current….Klaus situation” Bitchzilla says in a tone that makes me want to hit her in the face with a beanie baby. A big beanie baby. Maybe even a freakin’ Furby.

Sinbad shakes his head at me,  
“Yeah, Ever, you can’t go around saying things like that. Katerina isn’t a lady. I believe you’ll find her proper title is Sir Slutworth, or alternatively, the infamous Bitchbandit” Sinbad says with a wink at me.

I can’t help but bark out a laugh, and I can hear Jeremy chuckling behind me. Bitchzilla gives Sin evils and crosses her arms angrily.  
“You all need me” she snaps.

“Ha, like hell we do” Stefan says, an edge to his normally more reasonable voice.

Bitchzilla rolls her eyes,  
“We all want the same thing. Klaus dead. Yet here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads cut off”

I scoff loudly in her direction,  
“First of all, we’ve told you before, leave those chickens alone, they haven’t done anything to you. Secondly, it’s Kausy wousy, have some God damn respect. Thirdly, we. Do. Not. Want. Your. Help.”

“That’s very stupid of you then” Bitchzilla narrows her eyes at me, “Do you know where Klaus is-“

“Klausy wousy” I correct, causing Sin to stifle a laugh behind his hand.

Bitchzilla makes an irritated sound,  
“Do you even know when he’s coming?”

Damon steps forward, he still has that threatening air about him, like he might snap at any moment.  
“If you know something, then say it. Or get the hell out”

Bitchzilla smirks in response and looks at me,  
“Fine, then, I’ll just go to the Grill and have some lunch, maybe Aunt Jenna’s free for a bite”

Bitch. 

I turn to Sinbad and throw my hands up,  
“Sin, GET ME A BEANIE BABY AND SOME LIGHTER FLUID!”

……….

“Why is she still here?” I say to Stefan in exasperation as we get out of his car in the school paring lot.

Stefan shrugs,  
“She wants what we want. Klausy wousy dead. Maybe she see’s this as her only chance”

I can’t help but smile at him,  
“You said Klausy wousy”

Stefan shakes his head, but he can’t conceal a smile either,  
“I figured you’d just correct me if I said anything else, Everlyna”

As we walk together I link my arm through his automatically,  
“Too right Dr. Steffy. But, I still think Bitchzilla just wants to trap you, Sin and Damon in her web of bitchness. I don’t trust her”

Stefan nods in understanding and our bond glows brightly at the instinctual contact of my arm looped through his. I ignore the pang of guilt in my chest. I said I’d give my feelings for Stefan a chance, and I will. More than that, I want to.

“I know you don’t trust her, neither do I. But, she did stay, shouldn’t we at least try and figure out why” 

I groan, banging my forehead against Stefan’s leather clad arm,  
“How the frik are we going to do that? All she does is lie, it’s just the way she is”

“Look, I hate it too” Stefan says calmly, “But she does make a point. We don’t know Klausy wousy the way she does”

“But we have Sin for that” I argue.

“Have you tried getting my brother to talk about him?” Stefan asks.

I make a face,  
“Yeah, I get your point. Sin gets all weird whenever I even try”

“I don’t want to push Sin to relive something that affects him that badly if we don’t have to” Stefan reasons gently.

I know how much Stefan cares for other people’s feelings, especially those of the people he loves. I wish I could be as selfless as he is sometimes. But then I’d be Elena, and that would be positively frightening. Not to mention the horrific affect it would have on Sinbad if he lost me as his partner in crime and badassory.

I sigh heavily,  
“I don’t want to make Sin feel crappy either. You’re right, we should at least see if she can actually be of help to us before we toss her down a well”

Stefan laughs, and despite everything, his laughter makes me smile. Stefan stops suddenly and moves so that he’s facing me, his hands grip my upper arms steadily as he says,  
“What are you up to tonight? Feel like hanging out? There’s that new vampire movie you haven’t seen yet. We could go sit in the back of the cinema, and you could mock how awful and inaccurate it is all the way through. I know how much you love doing that”

I smirk to myself,  
“I do love doing that. Besides, I’ve told you before, they aren’t vampires. They’re sparkly people with fangs and far too much baby powder on their faces”

Stefan’s eyes brighten,  
“So? Is that a yes?”

I wish so much that I could. I shake my head,  
“I can’t. I told Bonnie and Caroline that they could come over. Bonnie’s freaked because she’s lost her ju ju power, and Caroline’s having Matty drama again. It’s kind of a girl’s night” then I make a face, “Maybe bitchzilla can join us”

Stefan’s eyes dim for a moment, and at first I think it’s because I said no to a night out with him, but then I see that he’s caught sight of Elena talking to some girls from our year nearer the school entrance. Part of me wants to jerk away from Stefan, even though we’re not touching in an overly intimate way. But that’s the guilt talking again, so I suppress the urge.

“How about Elena? Is she alright” Stefan asks me, his concern running deep.

I bite my lip for a moment, not sure how much I should tell Stefan considering everything that’s happened recently. But I haven’t lied to Stefan before, so I’m not gonna start now just because it might be painful for him to hear.  
“She’s still upset about everything. Although I’d say she’s directing a lot of her anger towards me for some reason. I don’t know what to say to her anymore. I almost feel like we’ve gone back to normal”

Stefan frowns, the pain at causing Elena and me hurt shines brightly in his eyes,  
“What do you mean?”

I shrug helplessly,  
“Before our parent’s died, we rarely talked at all. In fact, now that I think about it, there was a lot of unresolved tension between us. I never understood it. I thought maybe she felt I was too reckless and immature, but now……there’s just a lot we need to talk about. Tonight could be a good opportunity to do that I think. I’ll tell her about us, I want her to hear it from me instead of finding out some other way, you know”

Stefan nods, our bond letting me know that he understands completely,  
“Are sure you don’t want me to be there for that?”

I shake my head immediately,  
“No Stef, I don’t want her to feel ambushed by us. I know she’ll be upset, no matter what, but maybe she’ll at least understand how we both feel, if I can explain it to her properly first”

Stefan hesitates, as if he wants to argue about being with me, but finally he just says,  
“Ok, if you think that would be best, then I’ll stay away”

I smile up at him tenderly,  
“Thank you Stefan”

He pulls me into a tight embrace that I reciprocate without hesitation. I’m not looking forward to telling Elena the truth about why Stefan broke up with her, but if there’s any chance of her ever forgiving me, then I have to woman up and deal with the consequences of my feelings for Stefan.

………

“It was bad” Alaric says in frustration, “John’s been planting all these seeds about Isobel and now Jenna knows I’m lying about something”

He paces in his class room, as if that’s going to help. Stefan paces a lot, but no one can do the brood face quite like he does it. The thought makes me smile, I think that broody expression is so sweet. One of my favourite things to do is to break him out of a brood session, to make him smile and laugh until all the tension in his body goes away.

Damon doesn’t pace. He doesn’t brood much either. My Day is more of the rampage and destroy kind of guy when he’s pissed off or worried about something. Calming Damon down and getting him to let go of his anger takes real skill, patience and experience. I liked being the one who could do it though. I liked being the one Damon trusted to give him peace of mind even though part of him wanted to tear the world to shreds.

He can be one pissy bunny. But he was my pissy bunny. 

You know like in old cartoons where they’d have a really cute bunny, but then all of a sudden he would turn into a really hacked off ninja bunny, yeah, that’s Damon in cartoon form. Pretty to look at, but if you poke the bunny, then you’d better be prepared to deal with a bunny ninja in your fucking face.

Damn it brain, leave me alone! Concentrate on your favourite teacher! He’s got issues too. Although all his issues could probably be resolved if I killed John. Maybe, I could say to Damon and Stefan that whoever kills John first is the one I choose to be with.

Yeah, because that’s not ridiculous.

I think Damon would go for it though. But he’s an insane ninja bunny, so we can’t base all our rational thought on what he’d do.

“John’s gonna end up dead on the kitchen floor if he’s not careful. Last time he ruined one our best knives with his shenanigans” I say, commiserating with Alaric’s irritation.

Alaric huffs and shakes his head,  
“Yeah, well, that’s easier said than done” he holds up his ringless hand, “I gave him back his ring”

I gasp in surprise,  
“Why? Did he threaten you with his stupid face?”

Alaric lets out a short laugh,  
“Look, Jenna keeps asking about Isobel; you know, ‘was she murdered?’ ‘Why haven’t they found the body?’ I mean, how much longer can she stay in the dark?”

I sigh, reaching up to run a hand through my hair,  
“Do you think we should tell her the truth? I’ve been wanting to, but, it’s not my secret to tell, at least the Salvatore stuff isn’t. I could tell her about mine and Elena’s birth mother I guess, but it’s not like I can prove it”

Alaric does a little spin on the spot before pacing up and down a few more times. He looks at me and says,  
“I can’t be with Jenna and not tell her the truth anymore. It’s not fair to her, and it’s the kind of relationship I want”

I nod in understanding,  
“Not to mention it’s becoming more dangerous for her not to know. I just thought we could hold off until after all this Klausy wousy shit has been dealt with”

Alaric moves closer to me, his eyes fixing me with an apologetic stare,  
“I’m sorry to be putting all this on you. But I feel like it’s your decision to make. And whatever you decide to do, I’ll respect it”

Well, crap, yet another massive decision to make. Excellent, just what I need. It’s like Christmas has come early or something.

Emphasis on the or something part.

 

Sinbad’s P.O.V

“She’s out of the tomb?” Bonnie asks incredulously. 

I make brief eye contact with Jeremy before saying,  
“Yeah, Bitchfoot is on the loose, it sucks, big time. But we’re handling it”

By handling it I mean leaving Damon to bitchsit whilst I go out with Jeremy to try and find a way we can actually stop Nick from going all Alpha vamp and sacrificing Ever. I know it’s only a matter of time before Nick comes here. The bastard always gets what he wants, because he never, ever, ever, gives up.

“With bitchzilla strutting around again, we’re gonna need to get your powers back” Jeremy says earnestly.

“Look, I want to get the Sabrina family on our side. Now that Eli’s bit the dust, sort of, we can work with them” I don’t even know what could actually be done. But the more people we have on our side, the better chance we’ll have of coming up with something. We’ve already lost Rose, she texted me last night to say that she had some stuff to take care of out of town, which is weird because she didn’t mention anything about it before. But, then, I’m not Rose’s keeper, she can do what she likes, and I have enough problems as it is without worrying about anyone else’s.

Bonnie frowns harshly,  
“That’s impossible, they hate us” she says as if that’s the end of it.

I shrug,  
“Then we’ll have to win them over or a lot of people are gonna die”

Bonnie raises an eyebrow at me,  
“By Klaus’ hand or yours?”

I smirk at her,  
“Oh Bon, my favourite witchy person, there’s no need to fret. Could you at least get the other Sabrina folk to meet with us and have a civil conversation?”

Jeremy laughs under his breath,  
“Better question” he says with humour alight in his voice, “Can you have a civil conversation?”

I poke my tongue out at him, but my attention is on Bonnie. She nods reluctantly after a few moments and says,  
“I’ll try”

“Thanks Bon, you sexy little witch you” I smile slowly at her, and Bonnie blushes slightly before quickly walking away.

Once she’s gone back inside the school I turn back to Jeremy. There’s no one else around outside, and that makes my mind swirl with dangerous thoughts. I hook a finger through one of Jeremy’s belt loops and I pull him close to me so that his groin brushes mine. I smirk openly at the slight sharp intake of breath that movement inspires in Jeremy. I let my teeth graze his ear as I lean in close to whisper,  
“That wasn’t a very nice thing for you to say baby. Then again, civility is for humans. I’m a vampire, a monster, a creature of dark magic. I’d be kinder to me if I were you Jer, or I might just let loose my control and shove you up against this wall, actually-“

I spin Jer so fast that he barely has time to take another breath before I have him pressed into the wall, my body trapping his purposely. Jeremy sucks in a harsh few breaths before gasping,  
“Sin-“

I crush my lips to his, cutting off anything else he might have said after my name. A rush of blood goes to my cock, filling it instantly as Jeremy’s arms wrap around my neck. He makes needy sounds into our deep kiss. I plunge my tongue inside the hot cavern of his mouth. It scrapes over his as I unapologetically take possession of Jeremy’s mouth.

I run a strong hand up over his thigh, he gasps again when my hand caresses the bulge in front of his jeans in a way that I know drives him wild with need. I know every soft spot, every sensitive area on Jeremy’s body, and I am not afraid to use them. I growl softly against his lips, and or eyes lock as I say,  
“It’s been a while since I’ve been inside of that beautiful body of yours Jer, I miss it, I miss having you writhe and struggle against me. I miss you being in my bed at night. I miss how you laugh when I nibble your neck, and how you come when I bite you. I miss you begging me to bite you. So fucking sexy baby”

Jeremy stares into my eyes, emotions washing over him wave after wave. I know he’s conflicted, and maybe it’s unfair of me to push him, but I want Jer so badly. Now that Eli’s officially out of the picture, I can really start to build my relationship with Jeremy again. I love him, I know that I do. I need to prove it to Jer though, but I can’t if he won’t let me.

“I love you Sin” Jeremy whispers, his voice broken and damaged, just like the expression on his handsome face.

“How about a date?” I suggest, the thought pops into my head unexpectedly, but once I think about it, I know I should have suggested it much sooner.

Jer frowns, but there’s hope in his soft brown eyes too,  
“A date? You mean…..”

I chuckle under my breath and the sound vibrates through my hard body causing Jeremy to shiver against me. God I want to fuck him raw….damn, stay on point Sinbad you prick. Think with the brain damn it, not the cock for once.

“I mean, we could go out for…dinner. Not to the Grill either, we should go to a place where we won’t run into our friends or family members” I say in a rush, not sure exactly what Jer wants from me by this point.

I know, if our relationship if going to become anything real and sustaining, then it needs to be about more than just sex and art and violence and vampire fetishes and my own sharp wit. We need to….’tallk’ and that shite. I mean, we do, and it’s not like I don’t know anything about Jeremy. I know what food he likes and what bands he enjoys listening to, and all that sort of stuff. But, Ever pointed out that we need to talk more about our….feelings, I guess is the right word. She says I’m too standoffish with my emotions. 

I wish she was wrong, but the fact is, I am shit at talking about my own emotional crap. I just am, I always have been. I’ve never had a good reason to try and not be that way before. But I’m willing to try, for Jeremy.

Jer smiles openly at me, he doesn’t look unsure or guarded as he says,  
“Yes, Sin, I’ll let you take me out to dinner. You weirdo”

I kiss him again, hard, and I squeeze his erection as punishment for that last remark. This is going to be one hell of a date.

………..

“What are two doing?” Katerina comes in all high and mighty and bloody irritating. 

I look at Damon, who is studiously ignoring our unwanted house guest. She looks at me and I sigh in annoyance,  
“For fucks sake, I believe one Bitchfoot sighting is enough for today thank you. So, shoo, be gone evil seductress” I make shoo gestures towards her.

The new pain in my ass continues to stand there as if I still haven’t answered her at all.  
“Ah, are you pouting now too? Damon’s been doing that all morning. It’s really annoying” Katerina says huffily.

Don’t kill her. Don’t kill her. Don’t kill her. Why am I not killing her again?

Well, if there’s no murder on the agenda, then I’ll just have to laugh my ass off at the irony of her last statement. I raise an eyebrow even as I snicker in Katerina’s direction. She gives me a look as if to say ‘what?’ and that just makes me laugh harder.  
“Oh, I’m so sorry Katerina, God forbid we annoy you. I mean, why would we? You’ve been so good to us. It’s not like you ruined our lives once, and then came back to attempt to ruin our lives all over again for no good reason”

Katerina huffs again,  
“Sin, you really need to stop living in the past”

I narrow my eyes at her and say,  
“Katerina, you really need to stop living with your head stuck up your own ass”

“Or just stop living, that would work” Damon suggests with a blank, and frankly quite bored, expression on his face.

I want to talk to Damon, to work out how he’s really feeling. I’m just so damn distracted. I keep thinking about Eli. He’s down in one of the cells, just laying there with that dagger in his chest. I know I shouldn’t give a toss, but I really fucking do. Even after everything he’s done. It just doesn’t sit right with me. Not enough that I’d betray Ever and my brothers by undaggering him, but enough to make me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Katerina chooses to ignore us again and looks at the Journals we’re holding,  
“Are those the Gilbert Journals?” she asks.

I smile sweetly at her,  
“Nope, they’re self help books. Me and Damon have decided to tackle our issues head on. You want one, I’m pretty sure there’s a ‘How not to be a complete slut’ manual in here”

Katerina narrows her eyes at me,  
“Aren’t you using that one?”

I slap a hand over my heart and adopt a wounded expression,  
“Ooh, that got me, no really, stop, I can’t handle any more of your superior wit”

Katerina gives me a hard look and then sighs,  
“How am I supposed to help if you won’t tell me what you’re up to?”

“Can you tell us where a bunch of witches were massacred in this town a few centuries ago?” Damon asks absently as he sorts through the journals.

Katerina makes a face,  
“Uh, no”

“Then you can’t help us” I say.

Katerina reaches for one of the journals and Damon slaps her hand away.

“No touchy touchy Bitchfoot”

Katerina reaches for them again, and this time I know she’s trying to get a reaction. But Damon takes the bait and they end up in a smacking war with each other. I ignore them, even when Damon ends up slamming Katerina up against a wall by her throat.

Ignore the stupid overly dramatic people, that’s my new thing, and I’m stickin’ with it.

I pour myself a drink as Damon and Katerina hiss insults and thinly veiled sexual advances at each other. Although the latter mostly come from Katerina.

I think over my meeting with the witch folk. It went….ok, I guess. They didn’t try to fry my brain ju ju style, so that’s a step in the right direction. But I can tell they don’t trust us, and I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t trust us. I wouldn’t even go near us, if weren’t part of ‘us’.

Finally, Katerina starts spouting something semi useful,  
“Emily Bennett told me about the massacre. It was a big deal in witch folklore. When a witch dies violently, they release a mystical energy, marking the place of their death with power”

“Elijah wanted to know the sight of the massacre” Damon says.

“What was he gonna do when he found it?” Katerina asks.

Damon shrugs at her,  
“I don’t know” he looks at me suddenly and asks, “What did papa witch and baby witch have to say?”

I sigh heavily before answering,  
“Eli had no weapon to kill Nick-Klaus I mean” Damn, I need to get a rein on that impulse, “But he believed that if a witch could channel enough power, then they wouldn’t need one”

“Like the power you get from a hundred dead witches” Damon says with a knowing look at me.

I nod, but before I can reply, Stefan comes home and Damon seems to stiffen to an almost painful level. I wince inwardly. I’ve had enough of this bullshit. Katerina gets this ‘interested’ look on her face that worries me deeply.

Stefan comes walking in, and it might be my imagination, but his step seems to be a lot lighter. It’s so freakin’ weird to see him looking that content. He’s usually to up tight. I do not know what Ever’s done to my brothers. First Damon being reasonable and now Stefan’s comfortable with himself all the damn time. Makes me wonder what the woman did to me. Actually, I know the answer to that, she made me realise that I’d missed being human, that I’d missed loving someone and having them know me for real.

Ever is one hell of a woman, there’s no one else out there like her, despite the fact that there are two women in this town who look exactly like her.

I get why both my brothers are so bent out of shape about having Ever. But I just wish that they’d….I don’t even know, talk to each other maybe. They never talked about Katherine without it turning into a Salvatore bitchfight with fists and broken windows. 

This time should be different, because Ever is so different; and even more than that, Damon and Stefan are different. They’ve changed so much since coming back to this town, and pretty much all those changes have been good ones. 

I don’t want that to stop, I don’t want them to slip back into how they were before. If nothing else, they’ll lose Ever, because I know her well enough to know with absolute certainty that she would never come between them the way Katherine did. Not by choice.

I look at Katerina and I say,  
“Piss off Kitty Kat, it’s sharing time at the boarding house again, and I don’t want you anywhere near the special teddy”

Katerina looks hesitant, but make sure to put a massive threat into one deadly look aimed her way. She rolls her eyes,  
“Fine, I’m going”

“Hallelujah, best news I’ve had all week” Damon mutters as Katerina flee’s the room.

Stefan is leaning against the archway, Damon’s back over by the journals and I’m sitting on the sofa. I need proximity for this, so I gesture for my brothers to come closer. They both move reluctantly and Stefan says,  
“So, we’re actually going to talk, that wasn’t just a way to get her to leave?”

I frown at him,  
“Shut up Stef, you’re not holding the metaphorical teddy, we’ve been through this before. Now sit your ass down. You too Mr. Anger management”

Damon grumbles, but for once he actually does as he’s told. It’s another fucking miracle folks. Stefan sighs and sits down on the table in front of me and Damon. They both eye each other warily, and I smile in contentment.

This is going well so far, I like this.

Count down, 4, 3, 2, 1-

“How’s Ever?” Damon asks Stefan, and there’s definitely an edge to his tone.

Stefan sits forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he says calmly,  
“Ever’s feeling overwhelmed by everything Damon. I don’t think she needs us fighting, to be another thing for her to worry about”

Damon’s jaw hardens, but he nods grudgingly, accepting what Stefan is saying,  
“I know”

“I don’t want to fight with you Damon” Stefan’s voice is low and firm.

Damon looks like he wants to be pissed off, but then thinks better of it. He nods in understanding again,  
“Yeah, I don’t want to fight with you either Stefan. I spent so many years hating you, and resenting you. I’m tired of it” Damon levels his gaze with Stefan’s then, pale as moonlight blue eyes locking with startling wild green, “So, we won’t fight, not like we did before. But you should know, that doesn’t mean I’m just gonna let you have Ever. I’ll fight for her, because I love her. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Ev’s, and I know I won’t love anyone else that way either, no matter how long I live”

Stefan takes in a deep breathe, and then lets it out slowly before replying with equal passion,  
“Alright, then you should know, I’m going to fight for Ever. I don’t want there to be hatred between us anymore Damon. But I can’t….I won’t give up the chance to be with Ever, she’s too important to me, and I want her too much not to not give her everything I have in me”

Damon looks a little startled, and I have to admit that I am too. It’s very rare to hear Stefan sounding so assertive and sure of what he wants. It’s freaking me out, but I think it could be a good thing too. Maybe. We’ll see.

“Then, you both agree, no fighting each other. Whoever Ever chooses, the other will respect that decision” I say slowly, my eyes flickering between my two unpredictable older brothers.

Stefan and Damon stare at each other intensely for another few moments, and I almost worry that they’re about to go in for the kill anyway. But then Damon makes a low growling sound and says,  
“It’s not like we much of a choice. Ever would kill us both if we fought over her”

Stefan actually lets out a bark of laughter at that,  
“Ever would beat us with Kevin first”

Damon smiles, it seems strained, but also genuine,  
“That bat, I swear she cares more about that thing than most humans. Our Ever’s insane”

Stefan’s lips curve into a smile too and he raises an eyebrow at Damon,  
“Our Ever really is something special”

My brothers share a moment of understanding that I don’t think they’ve ever come close to before. I clear my throat and say,  
“Yeah, she is, personally I don’t know what she see’s in either of you. You’re bloody useless without me”

Damon and Stefan exchange another glance, this one more full of humour than tension. They both look at me and Damon says,  
“You’re not holding the special teddy”

With something very closely resembling a smirk on his face, Stefan adds,  
“Therefore, what you just said is invalid to us”

Ah, so we are related after all.

 

Ever’s P.O.V

 

“Chinese food or pizza?” Caroline asks me.

Bonnie is leaning on the kitchen counter looking between us with a small smile. I know that she really needs a night off from worrying about her witchy crap. The same way Caroline needs a night off from her internal struggle of- ‘Should I date the amazingly sweet guy that I’m in love with or not?’ 

I wish I had their problems. Although they probably feel the same ways about me. Elena’s gone out, and I actually don’t know where. All she said was ‘I’m going out’. This is almost as bad as the time she left a note, a note, and went off alone to talk to our egg donor’s friend. But it’s not like I can force her to stay home if she doesn’t want to.

“Like you have to ask” I reply as I take glasses out of the cupboard for drinks.

Caroline takes out her phone to call the place, but then sighs at what I’m guessing is a picture of her and Matty. Bonnie takes the phone from her and says,  
“I’ll do it”

I put a few glasses down on the counter and ask a question that’s been niggling at me ever since I heard about it,  
“Do you think Jonas is being sincere?”

Bonnie shrugs noncommittally and says,  
“I don’t know. I think he’s at a loss, he’s not sure who to trust”

I nod,  
“Well then, let’s just add that to the list of uncertainties in our lives”

After a brief pause Caroline says,  
“What are we gonna do about this movie situation?” her eyes widen with excitement, “What about the notebook?”

I laugh and shake my head,  
“Only if you want to see me vomit directly onto the floor”

Bonnie makes a noise of agreement,  
“You know if we watch those kinds of movies then Ever will just mock them the whole way through”

I pretend to be affronted and hurt, but then I smile and tilt my head to the side,  
“I just….they’re so damn funny. ‘Please, I love you so much, even though we’ve only known each other for two minutes! Have my baby’s young sir!’”

Caroline rolls her eyes at me,  
“Why do you hate romance so much?” 

I think about it for a moment and then reply,  
“I don’t hate romance. I like it, sometimes, but a lot of it is so archaic. Like, giving a girl flowers, I don’t get that. Flowers are useless and they die in less than a week. Now, if I was a guy, I’d get a girl a rock. Rocks are strong. Rocks don’t die after two days. A rock says our love can endure even the harshest of winters, and won’t be destroyed by the sun, or the rain, or being put in a dark corner. Rocks, do not get inappropriately touched by bees”

Bonnie and Caroline do that thing where they look at each other as if they have no idea how to respond to something I’ve said. Finally, Caroline replies,  
“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘diamond’, Ever”

I make a face at them and shake my head adamantly,  
“No. The word I am looking for is definitely, rock”

Jenna chooses that moment to come in. I smile at her,  
“Hey, you alright?”

Aunt Jenna nods and narrows her eyes at us,  
“Yep. What are you three doing?”

“Uh, girls night” I answer. The look of conflict on Jenna’s face makes alarm bells go off in my head,  
“Are you sure you’re alright? How’s…everything?”

Jenna smiles, but it’s definitely not a happy one,  
“You heard about my fight with Rick.”

Oh damn, I hate that they’re fighting because of all this vampire stuff.   
“Yeah, he feels horrible about it-“

“Is this….some kind of disguised attempt to cheer me up?” Jenna asks suspiciously.

I scoff,  
“Aunt Jenna, you know, I am not that suave. But, if you’d like to join our girls night, then you are more than welcome” I gesture at Bonnie and Caroline, “And if you want to talk to us about stuff, then you can”

Caroline laughs,  
“Yes, because I am a winner at successful relationships”

“You too?” Jenna asks. 

“You have no idea” Caroline answers with a heavy sigh.

A few moments later Jenna moves towards us and says,  
“Oh, go on then” she shakes her head, “It’s just this whole Isobel thing, he’s hiding something from me”

I exchange a look with Caroline and she says,  
“To play devil’s advocate, maybe, there is a great reason why he’s not telling you. Maybe he is just trying to protect you”

Jenna frowns at her,  
“Well, that’s not his call to make. I deserve the truth, everybody does”

“But sometimes it’s harder than that” Caroline argues.

“Not if it’s somebody you care about it isn’t” Jenna says.

Suddenly Caroline hits the counter with both her palms and with her usual enthusiasm she states,  
“You know what we need; dancing. There is a band at the Grill”

Oh crap on a stick.

“I’m in” Bonnie and Jenna say, so I shrug and say I’m in too.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

Oh right, because this is Mystic fucking Falls and I’m Ever freakin’ Gilbert, that’s why.

………….

When we get inside the Grill my spirits lift, it looks like tonight might actually be fun as long as nothing traumatic happens to ruin everything.

“I need a drink” Jenna says and she heads towards the bar.

Matty walks past Caroline and completely ignores her when she says ‘hi’. Ah, so, Matty’s in a mood. That does not bode well.

“Things just got...real awkward” Bonnie says.

I turn to agree with her when suddenly I see Jeremy over at a table with Elena. I catch Jeremy’s eye and he smiles openly at me. He waves me over and start to move towards him, dragging Bonnie along with me. But when Elena see’s me she gets this weird look on her face and immediately leaves Jeremy and gets lost in the crowd.

Damn it Elena!

I continue on to the table here Jeremy is. Caroline catches up with us. Jeremy gives me a questioning look, but all I can do is shrug. I have no idea why Elena is being this off with me. I haven’t even told her about Stefan-

Oh shit!

She must have overheard me talking to Stefan. How could I not have realised?

No wonder she’s been so pissed off with me.

“He said the balls in your court” Bonnie says to Caroline, and I assume they’re talking about Matt.

Caroline shrugs,  
“Yeah, but I can’t do anything about it”

“Why not?” Jeremy says, “All you do is talk about how much you like Matt; and it’s pretty obvious he feels the same way”

Caroline sighs and does a little figety dance on the spot,  
“Yeah, but I’m still hiding so much from him”

I reach out and touch her arm genty, she meets my eyes and I say,  
“Alaric’s in the same boat with Jenna. Maybe it’s time we started being more honest. We keep hurting the people we love by keeping things from them, which is exactly what we’re trying to avoid in the first place”

Caroline seems to think hard about that for a few moments. Then suddenly she’s stripping her jacket off and striding with alarming speed towards the stage. 

“What is she doing?” Bonnie asks.

I shrug,  
“I dunno, but a determined Caroline is not something you want to mess with”

“Agreed” Jeremy and Bonnie say.

Caroline gets up onto the stage and a smile almost splits my face as the crazy woman starts talking about the band, and then says she’ll be singing. At one point I’m pretty sure she mind ju ju’s the lead singer of the band. Caroline dedicates the song to Matt and starts singing.

I exchange a glance with Bonnie and I see that she’s smiling like a lunatic too. Sometimes, Caroline is pure epicness.

Mid-way through the song I lock eyes with Matty and I give him a small nod. If he doesn’t go kiss Caroline then I’m gonna kick his ass up onto that stage myself.

Luckily I don’t have to, because near the end of the song Matty goes marching toward Caroline and before she can say a word to him, he kisses her fairy tale style. It’s so damn cute that I can barely stand it.

Everyone in the Grill starts clapping, including me, Bonnie and Jeremy.

Right, one mission well and truly complete. Now I need to find Elena and frantically explain myself so she doesn’t hate me forever.

……..

When I catch sight of Elena again I leave Jeremy behind with Bonnie and I go after her. She see’s me coming and flee’s. Elena’s fast, but so am I.

We end up outside and I grab hold of her shoulder so she’ll have to stop and face me. Elena goes one better and pretty much whirls on me, her face set with anger and frustration. She must see on my face what I’m about to say, because she holds a hand up to stop me and snaps,  
“No. I don’t want to hear any of your excuses Ever. There is nothing you can say that will make this better!”

I shake my head, my eyes pleading with her to listen to me,  
“I’m sorry Elena, I know that’s shitty, and that it doesn’t change a damn thing. But I am truly sorry. I never meant to-“

Elena’s eyes flash with rage and she cuts me off,  
“What exactly are you sorry for Ever? Are you sorry that my boyfriend fell in love with you? Are you sorry that you fell for him back? Or, are you sorry that you both lied to me about it for God knows how long”

I nod frantically, unsure of what else to do,  
“Yes, yes, yes, I’m sorry for all of it. I’m sorry I’ve been a crap sister to you for all these years. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner about me and Stefan. I’m sorry that there’s nothing I can do to take any of that back. I never once meant to hurt you, and neither did Stefan, it was never planned, and we only very recently admitted the truth of how we feel to each other. As soon as we realised, I broke up with Damon, and Stefan….well, he broke up with you. Because it was wrong of us to lie to you and Damon. I know you hate me Elena, but, please believe that I really am so sorry”

Elena’s seems to deflate a little bit, but the anger in her eyes doesn’t ease at all, nor does the bite in her tone,  
“So, what, are you and Stefan….together now? Does Damon know? Does anybody else know?”

Shit in hell, I feel awful for upsetting Elena like this. I truly never meant to, and if there was some way to make that hurt go away, then I’d do it in a heart beat. But there isn’t, even if I was willing to give Stefan up, then she’d still hate me for ‘taking’ him in the first place; and she has every right to.

I bite my lip and then say,  
“Yes, Damon knows, and so does Sinbad. But that’s it”

Elena shakes her head,  
“How has Damon not at least tried to murder Stefan yet?”

I let out a huff of laughter,  
“I have no idea. But I’m glad they’re not fighting like idiots the way they did with bitchzilla”

Elena sighs heavily and leans against the wall, her eyes search out mine,  
“I thought you were in love with Damon”

I nod, not quite sure how to explain this part,  
“I am in love with Damon”

Elena’s brows furrow,  
“Then why did you break up with him?”

I lean against the wall next to Elena before trying to explain,  
“I love Damon, so much that it hurts to be without him. But, I can’t deny what Stefan and I have between us. I just….I need time to think about what I really want, and I couldn’t do that whilst I was still with Damon”

After a long pause Elena nods, her expression resigned. She looks me up and down before saying much calmer than before,  
“I don’t hate you Ever. I’ve never hated you. I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose, not like this. But….I don’t know what the right thing to say is. Or the right thing to do.”

“Join the club evil twin of mine” I say tiredly as I rest the back of my head against the wall.

Elena shakes her head and then a bubble of nervous laughter comes out of her mouth. I blink at her in surprise. When our eyes lock, I start laughing too. Soon enough we’re both laughing like lunatics outside the Grill, earning us weird looks from passers by. We must look drunk off our heads right now; first yelling and then laughing madly all over the place against a bar wall.

I pull Elena into an embrace, she stiffens at first, but eventually she relaxes into it.  
“I wish it was different Elena. I’m glad you don’t hate me, because I really do love you. That’s something I’m completely sure about”

Elena nods against my shoulder and she squeezes me tighter,  
“I know, and I love you too. Even though…..it’s just gonna be really hard for a while, ok. I’m not saying I’m alright with everything, or that we won’t fight again over it later on. But I don’t want to lose you over this”

“You won’t ever lose me Elena” I whisper back into my twin’s ear softly.

 

Sinbad’s P.O.V

“Damon, what the hell are you doing?” I shout as I watch my brother blow torch Eli’s body. Katerina is on the floor bleeding.

Stefan comes up behind me just as Damon shouts back,  
“It’s some kind of crazy-ass psychic witch attack” he looks at us, “Get over there and do something about it!”

I look over at Katerina and mouth to her ‘are you alright?’ She nods back mouthing ‘yes’. Before I can say anything else Stefan is pulling on my shoulder and Damon shouts,  
“GO!”

At that me and Stefan do go. When we get to Jonas’ apartment, it’s pretty clear that something is very badly wrong. Witchy Jr. fried corpse reaffirms that theory and times’ it by about a million. Then when we see the picture of Ever lain out ritual style on the floor; we know shits going down.

Stefan is already calling Ever before I can even get my phone out. I call Jeremy, knowing that he might be with Ever. 

“Sin, get over here, Jonas is breaking the Grill apart!” are Jeremy’s first words when he answers the phone.

“I’ll be right there baby, stay safe” I say in response.

When I hang up Stefan is already heading out the door, and I follow after him. It seems he got the same reaction from Ever that I got from Jeremy.

Fuck! Why do witches always have to go all ju ju happy?

Elena and Ever are actually outside when we get there. I instantly start to panic about Jeremy, but I have to force that back at least a little. Obviously Jonas is panicking, and we need a plan.   
“Is Jeremy ok?” I ask frantically, the need to rush inside and protect him threatening to take over.

Ever nods and gives me a reassuring smile,  
“He’s with Bonnie”

The urgency of the situation takes away a lot of the awkwardness out of Elena, Ever and Stefan being this close together after everything that’s happened. But it’s still fucking weird as hell. I know Stefan had to physically force himself not to yank Ever into his arms as soon as he saw her, something which was obvious to Elena as well if the way she pointedly looked away from Stefan and Ever was any indication.

“Are you both alright?” Stefan simply asks instead.

Ever and Elena nod. Ever says,  
“Yeah, were around the corner when we saw him walk in. What’s wrong with Jonas? Has something happened?”

“Luca is dead. Jonas is here for Ever” I explain quickly, we really don’t have time for more in depth detail.

“What are we going to do?” Stefan says, he looks like he could pace up a storm right now.

Ever’s eyes suddenly brighten,  
“I have an idea”

I frown at her,  
“What?”

“Bitchzilla” is all she says. It’s all she needs to say for me to get it.

Looks like Katerina might actually come in useful after all.

Yet another freakin’ miracle.

 

Ever’s P.O.V

“How did you guys actually convince her to do this?” Elena asks Damon.

Me, Elena, Jeremy and Damon are downstairs in my house, whilst Stefan, Sinbad, Bonnie and bitchzilla are upstairs taking on Jonas. My idea seemed pretty solid at first, but now I’m worried about what might actually go wrong.

“We didn’t. She seemed pretty enthusiastic about it” Damon answers dryly.

Elena makes a face,  
“Ooooh, that’s not good”

“Nope, that’s not good at all” Damon agrees.

“At least she’s being useful for once” I say. Damon turns to look me in the eye, and that alone almost brings me to my knees.

His eyes, the eyes that I love so much, they fucking intense. I don’t know how anyone could resist eyes like that. I know I barely can, especially when Damon looks at me like I’m the most important person in the entire universe.

Stefan, Sinbad and bitchzilla come downstairs.  
“Everything’s taken care of” Stefan says with a nod at me.

Bitchzilla smirks annoyingly at me and she rips my necklace from her throat,  
“I’m guessing you’re gonna want this back” she holds it out to me and looks down at the clothes of mine that she’s wearing, “But your pretty little outfit is gonna need a good dry clean”

I snatch my necklace out of her hands and scoff, gesturing at her I say,  
“You think I’m wearing that after you’ve been wearing it. You’ll be lucky if I don’t decide to burn that outfit with you still wearing it”

“Is that all you have to say to me?” bitchzilla snaps, making me want to burn her all the more.

“This doesn’t change the fact that you’re the infamous bitchzilla” I say with a shrug.

“Rude” she replies, “I rather like you. You remind me of…me”

I narrow my eyes and gasp dramatically, taking a few steps backwards,  
“That was so uncalled for!” 

Bitchzilla rolls her eyes at me,  
“Look, I want Klaus dead. If we’re gonna take him on, you need to be alive, so, I’m not a threat to you”

“Or Elena” I say, gesturing at my twin as she moves closer to stand beside me.

Bitchzilla eyes Elena in a weird way and then sniffs,  
“Fine, her too. Although having three of us around is a little crowded”

“I couldn’t agree more. Feel free to exit and make it one less” Sinbad says from his place next to Jeremy.

………

When Jenna gets dropped off my Alaric, me and Elena are sharing ice cream in the kitchen. She comes through looking thoroughly frustrated. I offer her a spoon and she joins us.

“Rough night?” I ask.

Jenna snorts out a laugh,  
“Yeah, things got a little crazy”

I exchange a look with Elena,  
“We know what you mean”

Stefan and Damon took care of Jonas’ body, and Sinbad and Jeremy took Bonnie home. They seem to be getting on ok, or at least no worse than usual. I mean, it’s still awkward as hell at times, especially when we get that three way look going on. But I have hope that maybe, just maybe, we could pull this off without anyone dying, or at the very least having a limb unsurgetically removed by force.

Suddenly the door bell rings and we all frown at each other.  
“Who’s that?”

I shrug, and all three of us go to see exactly who the hell it is. It must be one of the Salvatore’s, or maybe Jeremy coming back. 

Elena’s grip on my arm tightens painfully when Jenna opens the door to reveal Isobel standing there.   
“Hello, you must be Jenna” she says, “I’m Elena and Ever’s mother”

I shake my head, my whole body going rigid with anger,  
“Isobel”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you all liked this chapter. It’s got some good old Salvatore banter in there, as well as some bitchzilla goodness. Plus a lot of angst and tension coming from all sides. Please let me know what you thought dear readers ;) xxx
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xxx


	58. Know Thy Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad ju ju!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-eighth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd bring in Kevin as a main antagonist. xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Know Thy Enemy

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Hello Ever, Elena, it's nice to see you both again" Isobel says.

Bitch. How dare she come here and say that in front of Jenna!

Speaking of, Jenna looks round at us in confusion, and I can't blame her. From her point of view, this must be a major 'what the fuckary' moment.

But all she says is,

"Again?"

Damn it!

I take a few step forward, before I can speak though my egg donor says to Jenna,

"So, you must be the woman who's dating my husband"

Oh, she did not just go there.

Isobel continues,

"I need to speak with Ever and Elena. May I come in?"

Alright, that's it.

"No, you bloody well can't, Jenna, don't invite her in" I snap, my eyes narrowing on Isobel. I can feel Elena next to me, she's practically vibrating with anger.

Isobel looks at me with a pointed stare,

"I need to talk to you Ever-"

"Nope. Request denied, thanks for stopping by" I interrupt before slamming the door in her face.

I turn back to Jenna and Elena slowly, reluctant to face my aunt's anger and look of betrayal. I wince when I see that Jenna has tears in her eyes. She looks from Elena to me and says in a teary voice,

"You knew she was still alive"

I can tell that part of her wants me to deny it, but there would be little point in doing so. Isobel just threw me and Elena under the bus. I didn't think it was possible for me to hate that woman any more than I already did. I was so wrong.

"I'm so sorry-"

"And Ric, John, did they know?" Jenna cuts me off.

I look at Elena and she shrugs helplessly.

"We can explain everything Jenna-"

"No" is all Jenna says before she runs away from us and up the stairs. Elena and I chase after her, calling out for her to let us explain. But Jenna doesn't stop.

She goes into her bedroom and locks the door. I bang on it,

"Come on Jenna, please, don't shut us out!"

"You have to talk to us" Elena says, "Please"

I stop Elena from hitting the door again and mouth 'leave it'. My twin frowns at me, but she complies immediately. Ha, who knew this was all it would take to get Elena to do as she was told. If I wasn't so upset about Jenna, then I'd make a joke about it. But even I'm not that insensitive.

Isobel is so gonna pay for this. I don't care who she is to us, this time she's gone way too far, and I'm not putting up with it anymore.

…..

"Is she up yet?" Alaric asks as he comes in through the front door.

I cross my arms and shake my head,

"She won't come out of her room"

"What did you tell her?"

I make a frustrated sound,

"Nothing, she won't talk to me"

Alaric sighs, his jaw hardening,

"We need to fix this Ever"

I nod in complete agreement,

"I know"

At that moment Jenna comes down the stairs in a rush, like she can't wait to get away from us.

"I don't want you here Ric" she says when Alaric tries to talk to her.

"It's not how you think Jenna. There's so much that you need to know" I argue vehemently. I can't let her just run off like this, it's too dangerous for her right now.

"I don't want to hear it Ever" Jenna says, her tone still very much one of upset.

Alaric steps forward,

"Look, Jenna, I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling right now"

"Rage and betrayal about covers it" Jenna snaps in a way that does not bode well for this conversation.

"Where are you going?" Alaric asks her.

"I'm gonna stay on campus" Jenna replies as the shrugs on a jacket from the cupboard.

"Please, Jenna just stop. Let us explain everything to you" Alaric tries to say, but Jenna just ignores him and looks at me

"Ever, you have to go to the Lockwood's and accept the cheque for your mom's foundation" Jenna says.

Despite everything I can't stop myself from groaning,

"Awww, can't Elena do it. You know I can't be trusted with big cheques. Remember a few years ago, mom and Elena were sick, so she asked me to go accept the cheque for that other foundation thingy, and I ended up using it to play secret millionaire with Tyler and Matty. Then I got drunk and there were fireworks, most likely illegal ones, and somehow the big cheque ended up in a pond. Not even the Lockwood's pond, just a pond. I don't even know how we got past the guard dogs and the electric fence. And the cheque had a firework taped to it; that frog went flyin'"

Alaric gives me a wide eyed stare, and yet again I realise my brain has faults that other people find disturbing. I shrug in apology.

Jenna just shakes her head and goes to open the door. I cannot let it end like this. Without putting too much thought behind it, I throw myself in front of the door and press myself up against it. In response, Jenna shouts,

"EVER, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

I spread my arms out wide and shout back,

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE! WE NEED TO TELL YOU STUFF! IT'S IMPORTANT STUFF DAMN IT!"

Jenna shakes her head,

"I don't have it in me to hear any more lies from you"

I nod,

"Good, because the truth's gonna be pretty hard to swallow"

Jenna glares at me, but I don't remove myself from the door.

"Ever, you lied to me, what could have been so crazy that you couldn't just tell me the truth?"

I look over Jenna's shoulder at Alaric desperately. He's still staring at me like he thinks I'm insane. To be fair I am spread eagled across the front door like a lunatic. Yeah, right, like a lunatic she says.

Just then the door opens and I almost fall the fuck over. I move away to let Elena come in, she went to drop Jeremy off at the boarding house whilst I called Alaric.

Elena's eyes widen in surprise and she says,

"Jenna, we need to talk to you"

I throw my hands up,

"Elena, you nincompoop, I tried that already"

Elena crosses her arms,

"Well, it obviously hasn't worked"

I point at her,

"Not yet"

Jenna shakes her head in anger,

"That's it, I'm leaving, let me go. I can't be here right now"

I look frantically between Elena and Alaric, trying to glean what they think we should do. Elena's expression is sad,

"Just let her leave Ever"

I frown at my twin,

"You are not helpful"

Jenna tries to get past us, which only leaves me with one option really. I throw myself at Aunt Jenna, tackling her to the ground with an impressive use of inner strength more than outer. Jenna gasps as we both hit the floor, with me on top of her.

"Ever!" both Alaric and Elena shout, "What are you doing?"

I sit up on Jenna and look up at them before shouting,

"I DON'T FREAKIN' KNOW! STOP SHOUTING AT ME YOU USELESS PEOPLE!"

"Let me up!" Jenna snaps at me.

I shake my head, no, and say,

"Sorry, I'm afraid I cannot agree to do that unless you're willing to listen to what we have to tell you"

"Let her up Ever" John says as he comes ambling in, like all this isn't somehow his fucking fault.

I glare up at him,

"Piss off John, this is a family thing, and you're not invited"

"It's better that she not be here what with everything that's going on" John continues as if I hadn't spoken. I hate it when he does that.

Unfortunately John continues,

"Maybe if you'd been more honest with her from the beginning then-"

POW! IN THE FACE!

Alaric punches John full on in the face!

I want to clap and do a little happy dance right now!

Elena and Jenna gasp, I, on the other hand, start laughing my ass off. I point at John, whose nose is now bleeding,

"That. Was. So. Deserved" I look up at Alaric and smile at him, "You are the best teacher ever Alaric. You should get an award of some kind for this"

Jenna tries to push up,

"Ever, seriously, get off me. I'll stay and talk if you remove yourself from my stomach right now"

I grin at her,

"Excellent, excellent"

I get up quickly and Alaric offers a hand to help Jenna up. She takes his offered hand reluctantly and gets to her feet. I look at Elena smugly and say,

"Ha, and you wanted to let her leave. I told you sometimes violence works"

Elena rolls her eyes at me and replies,

"Yeah, and that's why Katherine and Damon like you best"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"Low blow evil twin. Also, it's bitchzilla, don't make me tackle you too. I'll do it."

"I know you will, you crazy-"

Elena is cut off by Jenna, who says,

"Guys, seriously, start talking or I'm leaving"

I nod at Jenna before retrieving my phone and sending a text to a certain family of vampires. If we're gonna explain everything, then we need proof to back it the fuck up.

….

"Well, that could have gone a lot worse" I say as I drop down between Stefan and Damon on my window seat.

I got Damon and Stefan to come over at talk to Jenna, which turned out to be a good decision because she never would have believed us otherwise. At first Jenna thought we were messing with her, and she got really angry. But eventually we got her to calm down and accept what we were trying to explain to her.

It took a long time, and Jenna is still pretty freaked out by it all, but at least now she knows everything. She's out with Alaric and Elena, they pretty much ordered me to stay here. They said I'm too excitable. God, you tackle one person to the ground, and suddenly you're a maniac; and I just know they're never going to let this one go.

Stefan sighs and leans forward,

"Yeah, at least now you don't have to worry about keeping it all a secret from her anymore"

Damon barks out a laugh,

"She tried to bash you in the face with a frying pan Stef"

Stefan's shoulders shake with silent laughter,

"I know. Next time we tell someone we're vampires, you have to do the vampire face"

"Did you really tackle your Aunt to the ground to stop her from leaving?" Damon asks me, with a smirk aimed my way. Stefan raises an eyebrow and looks at me too.

I roll my eyes and answer,

"I panicked ok. She was trying to escape-"

"Escape?" Stefan questions, humour alight in his eyes.

"This isn't a prison movie Ev's" Damon is laughing at me again. Stupid vampire. But I'm smiling too, if nothing else, I'm enjoying being in both Damon's and Stefan's company without any awkward tenseness.

I don't know what Sinbad said to them, and I'm convinced he must have said something, but they're not sniping at each other, or acting in any way bitter. If anything, I'd say they're getting on better now than they ever have before. I have no idea what to think about that, but I'm glad for whatever has happened between them to cause this newfound peace. Hopefully, it'll last.

I shove Damon's arm,

"Shut up Day, I handled the situation with decorum and grace, thank you very much"

"By sitting on someone" Stefan says slowly, his eyebrow still firmly raised.

"You handled the situation like an insane person; because, you are, in fact, an insane person" Damon fires back.

I glare between them,

"Don't make me sit on you both"

Damon shakes his head and makes a mock distressed face,

"No, you'll crush Stefan"

I slap him again on the arm,

"Are you calling me fat?"

Damon just smirks at me and says,

"No. I'm calling you abnormally heavy"

I throw my hands up in the air for the third time today,

"That's it! I'm getting Kevin! He shall avenge me!" I try to stand up, but Stefan and Damon pull me back down between them.

Before I can protest John comes into my room and all my attention becomes focused on telling him telepathically to turn around and fuck right off.

"Ever, can you come downstairs please, I need to talk to you" John has the nerve to say.

I narrow my eyes at him,

"I have nothing to say to you John. You've said and done enough"

John sighs,

"Please, it's important"

I glare openly at him,

"Oh, well then, that changes everything" I say sarcastically.

But I get up anyway to follow him downstairs. I gesture for Stefan and Damon to follow me. How Damon's stopped himself from snapping John's neck after everything he's done is a mystery to me.

When I get downstairs, Isobel comes walking out of the kitchen. I immediately regret leaving my room.

"I asked John for a do over" she says.

I spin on John angrily and snap at him,

"You invited her into my house! Is there no end to your prick-like nature?"

"She has information about Klaus" John says, "Please, just, listen to her, ok"

Since I'm too pissed off right now to speak without a stream of swear words coming out, I look to my very own vampire henchman. Stefan and Damon exchange a glance. Damon shrugs and gestures for Stefan to take the lead on this one. Stefan steps forward closer to me and says,

"Fine. What do you know?"

…..

"Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. We knew our best chance was to find him before he could find you" Isobel says to me as I pace in the kitchen.

"Best chance of what?" Stefan asks with a frown.

"Keeping Ever and Elena alive" John answers.

I glare viciously at John and make a dismissive gesture in his direction,

"No, you, do not get to talk. No after all the shit you've pulled"

"So, were you actually able to find Klaus?" Damon asks Isobel. He has this intense look on his face, like he's just waiting for her to give him a location so he can go kill Klausy wousy himself.

Crazy bastard probably would.

"No" Isobel answers, "Nobody knows where he is. But there are these rumours that are flying around, that a doppelganger exists"

"Which means any vampire that wants to get in favour with Klaus, will be lining up to capture you" John says.

I shake my head in disbelief,

"I'm not falling for this. No way" I look at Isobel, "You made it perfectly clear last time you were here that you didn't give a damn about me and Elena. Now I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?"

"Isobel's been helping all along. Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take is any one of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight here, to Mystic Falls where you were bound to be discovered. So we killed them" John says.

I scoff angrily and gesture at Damon,

"You almost killed Damon and Sinbad, two people who I happen to care very much about"

Isobel stands up from her seat and says to me,

"I have a safe house I can take you to. The deed is in your name. No vampires can get in without your permission. Not even me"

I frown at her, something is not quite right about all this,

"My name? Why me? Why not Elena? Actually, why didn't you insist on talking to Elena and me. There's got to be a reason. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you looked at me and Elena that first time we met, like you were studying us. Why? Tell me, now"

Isobel exchanges a long, hard look with John and then says,

"There is a rumour"

"What rumour?" I ask suspiciously.

Isobel narrows her eyes at me,

"Have you ever wondered why you and Elena are twins?"

My hackles rise and I say,

"What do you mean? Just tell me, I don't want to play guessing games with you"

Isobel closes her eyes tightly for a moment, then she opens them and fixes me with an intense stare,

"There is only one doppelganger Ever"

I shake my head,

"Well, no, because there's me, Elena and bitchzilla"

Isobel sighs and tries again,

"No. I meant, in each generation, there is only one doppelganger. It's the law of nature. Only one of you is the doppelganger Ever"

Finally, I get what she's trying to say,

"And you think, that the doppelganger is me?"

John and Isobel exchange another glance, and John answers,

"Yes, we believe you are the true doppelganger"

I shake my head again, not sure what to make of what they're saying,

"But, how could you possibly know? Elena and I both look like the doppelganger, and it's not like we have some sort of special symbol that marks us or anything"

Isobel shrugs,

"I would be lying if I said I knew for sure. But…when we met, I could just feel that it was you Ever. I don't know if it's in my blood to be able to sense it, but I believe completely that you are the true doppelganger"

"And Klaus would know too most likely. Or he would have some sort of spell preformed to find out which one of you to sacrifice" John adds.

"Or he'd just kill them both" Damon says casually.

I arch an eyebrow at him,

"Thanks Day, now I feel so much better"

My mind is reeling though. Am I the true doppelganger? Does it even matter? And most of all, I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with my connection to Stefan. It can't be a coincidence, can it? My eyes stray to Stefan, and his gaze locks onto mine. I can tell he's wondering the same thing. I can feel it through our connection. Part of me wants to prod at our bond and see exactly how he's feeling and what he thinks about all this, but I know now isn't the time to explore that, especially not with Damon in the room.

I push all those thoughts away though when Isobel says,

"Please, Ever, just let me help you"

I glare at her, unable to keep the bite out of my voice when I reply,

"You wanna help me? Then get the hell out of my house"

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I can't find him anywhere. He's not at home, he's not answering his phone" 

"How could you let him go?" I question Caroline, running a frustrated hand through my hair as I grip the phone tighter against my ear.

"My mom walked in and he just took off. I didn't know what to do"

"Did your mom hear anything?" I ask.

"No, she just thinks we were fighting. But, he knows about me, and he's freaking out about Vicki"

"Alright, listen, you need to find that blue eyed beauty and you have to calm him down by any means necessary. Even compel him if you have to. Is he still on vervain?"

"I slip it into his soda when he's at work, but I didn't get to last night, so it should be out of his system. He has a catering shift at the Lockwood's today, I'm gonna try there"

Caroline hangs up after that and I shove my phone back into my pocket with a long drawn out sigh.

"This is so bad" Jeremy says from the sofa.

I move to drop down next to him,

"It could be worse. Stefan and Damon are still at Ever's, and they haven't called with any bad news on the Jenna front. So, small victories"

Jeremy nods, but I still see the worry in his eyes,

"I guess. Are we still meeting Bonnie at Jonas' apartment?"

I wrap an arm around his shoulders and say,

"Yep. Actually, we better get going"

I pull Jeremy up from the sofa into my arms and for a moment he rests his forehead against my shoulder. Jeremy takes in a deep breathe and one of his hands grips the material of my t-shirt. I softly stroke the back of Jeremy's head in soothing circles. Against his ear I whisper,

"Everything's gonna be alright Jer, I won't let your world fall apart ever again, I promise"

Jeremy doesn't respond, he just grips my t-shirt tighter and takes a few more deep breathes.

When we get to Jonas' apartment, Bonnie is already there waiting for us inside. I look around once more, taking note of Luca's charred body, before saying,

"Yep, everybody's dead"

"We should pack up the grimoire's. They spent years collecting them. I want to make sure they're safe" Bonnie says.

I lean closer to her and tease,

"You know, we could just get another match and cremate him"

Bonnie rolls her eyes at me,

"Don't be disrespectful. Not to him" she says sadly.

I point at myself,

"What? Me? Disrespectful? Never little witch. I'll bury him however you like"

"What exactly are we looking for?" Jeremy asks as he moves around the room.

"According to Luca's dad, one of these contains a spell that'll let me harness the energy that's left behind when a witch dies violently" Bonnie answers.

I raise an eyebrow at her,

"I didn't know you and Sabrina senior were so close"

Bonnie gives me a look that might humble a better man, but that just makes me want to ruffle her hair.

"We weren't" Bonnie says, "But, when he gave me my powers back, he gave me a message; if I can find the spot in town, where the old salem witches were burned. I can harness their energy to use when I need it"

I smile at her,

"Great. Then we'll put that on our list of things to do today. Harness ancient dead witchy ju ju power"

Bonnie spins on me,

"You know where the witches were burned?"

I make a face,

"Did I forget to mention that?"

"Are we gonna have to read through every one of these books until we find the right spell?" Jeremy asks as he picks one up and starts to flick through it.

Bonnie shakes her head,

"Not exactly" she moves to stand in front of the shelves and she raises her hands in front of her.

I have to stop myself from wincing as she starts doing her ju ju stuff. It's not that I hate magic exactly, I've just had a truck load of bad experiences with it.

Moments later, books go flying off the shelves, and Bonnie bends down to pick up one that fell open when it hit the floor.

"It's this one" Bonnie states.

"Goodie, then grab the rest, and lets go" I say, very much wanting to leave this place before something bad happens, which it probably will. This is a witch's apartment after all.

Ever's P.O.V

"Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth, that word has got out about the doppelganger?" I ask Damon and Stefan.

We're all basically lounging around the Salvatore's living room right now, and I feel like this isn't very productive of us at all.

Stefan lets out a breathe I think he's been holding for a while, and he says,

"Look, I don't trust a word that she says, but, I think that we'd be stupid to ignore the warning"

I nod, thinking that he's probably right, even though I'd much rather just never think about Isobel again.

"You know, you should just stay here" Damon says, "It's better for us to keep an eye on you"

Stefan shakes his head despondently,

"What? In the house that any vampire can enter, no" he gestures at me, "Her house is safer"

Damon shrugs and says,

"Then we'll stay there"

Stefan makes a noise of agreement. I look between them with narrowed eyes,

"So, is that the plan then? You two never let me out of your sight again. We spend the rest of forever together"

Damon smiles dryly at me,

"Let us know when you come up with a better one"

I sigh heavily and let my head fall back against the sofa,

"Alrighty, then vampire henchmen of mine, one of you will have to come with me to the Lockwood lunch in"

Elena texted me earlier to say she and Jenna were having lunch somewhere outside of near campus. Apparently Jenna's still a little jumpy about everything and seems reluctant to come home, or anywhere near home actually. I said to Elena that she was missing all the fun here with me and the Salvatore's. She said she'd rather not be here to watch my ex and her ex fight over me. I told her they aren't fighting each other at all. She replied that that sounded even more disturbing.

I kind of agree.

"Which one of us do you want to go with you?" Stefan asks me. Just then I realise what I've done to myself. They'll want me to pick one of them, and I'm worried no matter which one of them I choose, the other will think it's a statement about who I actually want to be with.

I swallow loudly and decide to change topic drastically,

"Is Sinbad taking Jeremy and Bonnie to the-"

Damon cuts me off with a swift round of 'sssshhhh'-ing.

I realise why a moment later when I hear bitchzilla say,

"Don't get quiet on my account. If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, then please, do tell"

We all exchange glances as bitchzilla comes bitching in. She rolls her eyes when we don't say anything in response to her.

"So, what is the plan to get us all out of this mess?" bitchzilla asks.

"I delivered to you a moonstone, a dagger and werewolf to lure and kill Klaus, and right now, all you have is a moonstone. Or so you tell me" she continues.

"Oh, no, we have it" Damon says.

"Where is it?" she asks.

"It's in a very safe place" Damon answers cryptically.

Bitchzilla gets all pissy and snaps,

"I've been honest with you. Time to return the favour"

Damon narrows his eyes at bitchzilla and says,

"Let me be honest with you. Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep, for trust"

"I was particularly interested in the burning you thing bitchzilla. But these guys" I gesture at Stefan and Damon, "Thought you'd be useful"

Bitchzilla huffs and says,

"Fine, be that way"

…

In the end I decided to just bring both of the Salvatore's with me to the Lockwood's. As soon a we're through the door, Caroline comes rushing up to us.

"Any luck finding Matt?" Stefan asks her.

"None. What if he tells somebody? What if he tells everybody?" Caroline says frantically.

Damon shrugs,

"Then we'll kill him"

"Day!" I snap in annoyance, even though I'm pretty sure he was joking. Probably. Ish.

Stefan just says,

"We'll find him before that happens Caroline" he turns to me, "Do you have any idea of where he could be?"

I frown in thought, but I come blank,

"No, not really. Matt wasn't usually one to run"

Caroline gets this panicky look on her face,

"This isn't how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to tell him at the right moment, in the right way, and he was supposed to be ok with it because he loves me"

I can feel that Damon is about to say something Damon-y, most likely something to do with 'teenage romance', so I give him a silently threatening look. He heeds my warning and shuts his mouth. Stefan notices the look and Damon reaction, and he hides a smile behind his hand, but there's no hiding the amusement in his eyes.

I put a reassuring hand on Caroline's arm and say,

"We'll help you find him. I just have to accept this big cheque thing"

Caroline's eyes widen slightly,

"Are you sure you can be trusted with a big cheque after last time?"

I nod and gesture at her,

"That's what I said"

Caroline laugh under her breathe and says,

"Just give me call when you're done ok", she leaves the Lockwood's, leaving me with my two henchmen.

I really am worried about Matty. I always wondered how he'd take the whole vampire thing. There was always a part of me that thought he wouldn't take it well, which the main reason why I didn't ever try to tell him about it. Not because I don't trust him, but because Matty is a very black and white sort of person. For him something is usually good or bad, he doesn't usually see any grey areas.

Stefan must read what I'm thinking because he says,

"Maybe he'll come around. You accepted it"

I can tell Stefan wants to reach out and touch me, but is stopping himself because of Damon. I'm not sure what I want him to do, which so beyond frustrating. I place a hand on Stefan's, which sends shockwaves of pleasure through our bond. I see that Damon notices, and his body stiffens slightly. I place my other hand on Damon's and his eyes widen in surprise.

I don't really know what I'm doing. All I do know is that it feels good to be touching them both like this. If that's messed up, well, then I honestly don't care. Damon and Stefan stare at each other for a really long moment, and I try to read the look in both their eyes. It's strange to watch them like this, but I do immensely enjoy spending time with both of them. I never knew how good it could be between the three of us.

After a while they both look down at me, and almost in unison my two Salvatore's link their fingers with mine. I begin to wonder how in hell I'll ever be able to ruin this by choosing one of them.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Is this the spot where Emily Bennett was killed too?" Jeremy asks.

"Yep, the founders thought it was poetic" I say as we trek through a field.

Bonnie turns to me and asks,

"How do you know where the witches were burned?"

"Because I tried to save her" I answer with a shrug.

"Why?" Jeremy asks me, real interest written all over his face. That's one more thing I love about Jeremy, he's actually genuinely interested in this kind of stuff.

"I respected her a great deal. Plus, she helped with my brothers, I felt like I owed her one. Just because Katerina thought Emily was her winged monkey, doesn't mean she was" I say, causing Jeremy to snort out a laugh.

When we get closer to the big old house, Jeremy asks me,

"Are you sure it's the right place?"

After a moment of consideration I say,

"Yeah, sure, why not" and I continue on towards the house.

I get a bad feeling before I even open the door to the house. When a take few steps inside that feelings gets worse. Suddenly a gust of powerful wind rushes at me and I end up being thrown out of the house quite forcefully.

Jeremy and Bonnie gasp, and Jeremy comes to my side instantly. I get to my feet just as Bonnie saus,

"What the hell was that?"

I sigh, rubbing my chest as my heart is practically beating out of chest painfully. Jeremy touches my arm, his eyes full of concern. I squeeze his hand reassuringly and answer Bonnie's question, even though I'd much rather not.

"It's the witches. They can smell the evil ju ju on me. In my heart and on my soul. By this point I'm basically just a dark magic entity"

Bonnie frowns,

"Why are you marked by dark magic?"

I shrug noncommittally,

"Shit happens Bon"

Jeremy gives me a look like he doesn't believe that it's that simple, which it isn't. But I'd rather postpone having to explain my past with dark magic for as long as I possibly can.

"What do you think we should do?" Jeremy asks me.

I gesture towards the house,

"You and Bon Bon go ahead, and I'll wait here for you. I'd rather not give the witches a chance to unleash any more of their wraith on me"

Bonnie nods, but her expression is unsure, although the little witch looks like that most of the time. Her self doubt is worrying to me. Jeremy kisses my jaw softly and then follows Bonnie into the house.

After a while I call out,

"You guys want to hurry it up in there. I know I'm immortal, but that doesn't mean I actually want to spend the rest of forever standing here"

When I don't hear a reply I move towards the house, just as I reach the threshold the front door slams shut in my face. I nod to myself, yep, that's about right.

"Well fuck you too then. I'm hurt Emily, really, I am"

Damn judgy witches.

Suddenly my head starts to pound like crazy, that knock from those witches had some power behind it, and I feel like it's dislodged something my brain. Out of corner of my eye I see a blur of movement. A blur I damn well recognise.

I shake my head in denial,

"No, no, no, no, not right now, please, no"

Get the fuck out of my head witches!

I turn around frantically, and I see him then, standing by a tree as if he was always meant to be there. He stares at me, and I stare at him. It's a moment I hoped never to have again, or at least not any time soon. He takes his hands out of his pockets and lifts one hand, he mock salutes me with two fingers, and there's small smile on his face. But, he doesn't move towards me for whatever reason.

Maybe he can't, or, maybe he doesn't want to. Either way I'm grateful, I don't think I could handle him being any closer than this right now.

Evan Night. My own personal ghost. I wonder if Ariel is around somewhere too. Probably. I can't imagine death separating them for very long.

I blink hard as the pain in my head gets worse. And then he's gone; he simply flickers out of existence.

Fucking witches, they can never stay out of my damn business.

Ever's P.O.V

"And here to accept the donation to the Miranda Summers Gilberts scholarship fund, is Ever Gilbert" Carol Lockwood says, her eyes resting on me as a bunch of people clap politely.

I give Stefan and Damon a pained look as I move towards Carol to accept the envelope, this time not a big cheque, but a little one. I think they found out I was accepting it and decided to play it safe.

I stand up at the front and say,

"The historical society was my mom's baby. She considered all of you family, and would be honoured and touched by this gift"

I hear crashing sounds coming from the hall way and I see both of the Salvatore's jerk their heads towards the stair case. They move towards whatever the cause of the crashing was, and I try to follows after them. The crowd get in my way though, and by the time it clears enough for me to go after them, a very attractive bitchzilla comes out of nowhere to stop me.

She looks me up and down and says,

"Nice dress", then before I can reply she slaps her hand over my mouth and adds, "Can I borrow it?"

…

Oh good, I've been snatched and kidnapped. Again. Whoop di freakin' do.

I wake up just as the car stops in what looks like a cemetery. Isobel gets out of the car and her henchman opens my door.

Can I just stay in the car? It's not like she can compel me not to.

"Just because you can't be compelled, doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me" Isobel says, officially killing my dreams.

I sigh and follow after Isobel as she walks through the cemetery.

"So is that what happened? You were compelled to betray bitchzilla"

"If I was, I couldn't tell you" Isobel says very unhelpfully.

"Ah, so this is the work of Klausy wousy then. You did find him, and now he knows where I am" I state, irritated and confused at yet more lies coming from this woman.

Isobel stops in front of a grave and I ask,

"What is this?"

I read the tomb stone; Isobel Flemming. Oh, right.

"My parents" Isobel looks at me, "your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body. They visit every week and they bring flowers, even though there's no one buried here. The Isobel they knew, is dead. So maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the human part. The part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughters"

I blink in surprise,

"What?"

Isobel shrugs,

"But instead you got to meet the other part. The part that would betray her own flesh and blood"

Before I can respond Isobel's phone rings and she answers it. A few moments later she asks a question that chills me,

"I'm done?"

I don't know who's on the other end of that phone, but I'm pretty sure they're working for Klausy wousy, and considering he's my number nemesis, I'd really rather not be at their mercy.

"Who was that?" I ask when Isobel hangs up, "Is it someone from Klausy wousy's fan club?"

Isobel looks at me sadly and says,

"I'm so sorry Ever. Tell your sister that I'm sorry too, I wish I could have seen you both before…. I was such a disappointment to her, and to you"

Then Isobel reaches up and rips off her necklace, dropping it to the ground. Instantly the sun makes her face burn. Isobel spreads her arms out and lets it happen. My eyes widen in shock and horror at what I'm seeing.

Isobel sets alight and her blood curdling screams hit me at full force. I have to hold my stomach because watching her burn is making me feel sick. I take a few steps back, and despite everything she's done, I feel an ache of loss. Not exactly for what was, but for what could have been if things were different.

But things aren't different, they're just this.

…..

"Is that Isobel's?" Stefan asks me as he comes walking into the living room.

I sigh and lean back on the sofa as I look down at the necklace. My gaze lifts to meet Stefan's as he sits down next to me. I can feel through our bond that he is worried about me. I decide to put him out his misery by releasing how I feel into our bond. The emotions swirl between us like whisps of gold. After a few moments Stefan nods and he says,

"She was your mother Ever, it's ok to feel confused about her dying right in front of you like that"

I nod slowly before replying,

"I never thought I'd feel bad about her being dead Stef. I'm just glad that Elena didn't have to see it" then I frown and say, "Why do you think they let me go?"

Stefan shakes his head,

"I don't know. Anything that John told Isobel we have to assume that Klaus knows, right"

"Yes, yes, Klausy wousy now knows all our secrety secrets. Great"

"So, he knows that you're not gonna turn yourself into a vampire" Stefan says, "He knows that you have us keeping you safe"

My brows furrow,

"He knows that I'm not gonna run"

"Which is why we need to take some precautions" Damon says as he comes into the room.

Damon slaps a thick load of paper onto my lap. I frown down at it,

"Thanks Day, paperwork, just what I've always wanted"

Stefan and Damon practically attacked me with relief when they found out where I was and came to pick me up. It was almost amusing to watch them try and resist the urge to hug me to death. There was a fire in both their eyes that seared my soul with it's intensity. Stefan and Damon may be very different people in a lot of ways, but they both feel things as fiercely as each other.

"It's the deed to our house" Damon says.

"It's in Zach's name" Stefan adds, "As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name"

My eyes widen and I look between them, just to be sure this isn't a joke,

"You two are serious. Does Sin know about this?"

Damon smirks,

"Yeah, it was his idea actually"

I chuckle under my breath,

"Of course it was"

Stefan smiles and says dryly,

"Well, he is the 'smart' one"

"Apparently" Damon rolls his eyes, but I can tell he thinks it's pretty funny too.

I fist pump the air,

"Hell yeah, I get a freakin' house. And not just any house, but a massive one! First things first, that wallpaper has to go-"

"We are going to regret this" Damon says to Stefan, who just smiles knowingly in reponse.

"So, I'm just supposed to stay here until…" I let my sentence trail off.

"Until it's safe" Stefan says, as if it's just that simple.

It is not.

Suddenly I hear gasping noises, and we all look towards John, who has apparently decided to come back to life. Well, now I'm very disappointed in today's events. One unwanted parents dies, and the other comes back to life. Wow, life really is a rollercoaster ride of fun.

Damon vamp speeds over to John and lifts him up off the ground by his jacket collar. He looks about ready to rip John apart, piece by piece. John gasps once more before saying desperately,

"I swear, I had no idea what she was gonna do. I'm so sorry" he looks at me, his eyes pleading with me to stop my psycho lover from killing him.

I roll my eyes and say,

"Day, let him go. Me and John need to talk"

Damon turns towards me and his expression says he thinks I'm insane, but he still drops John to the ground anyway.

….

"I always knew that she and Katherine were close. I never realised Isobel and her were working against me" John explains, "Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires and yet they were genuinely friends"

I nod and say drolly,

"Yeah, well, even bitches need friends. Haven't you ever seen Mean Girls. Why did you even trust her at all?" I ask.

"Because, I was there when she gave birth to you and Elena" John answers calmly, "I saw how heartbroken she was to give you both up. And because…she was the first girl I ever loved. When she said she would help keep you safe, I believed her" John sighs and meets my gaze, "At this point, I'll do whatever you want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go"

I have no idea what to say to that. If he'd said the same thing this morning, then I would have held the damn door open for him. But, after watching my biological mother die, I feel….strangely different. I'm not sure quite how to explain it, and I'm not gonna try to. But it is the reason I say,

"You screw up everything John. Everything you touch turns to crap. But you're the only parent me and Elena have left, and I know she won't want you to leave. So, maybe I can learn not to hate you"

John nods,

"Ok" he says simply.

There isn't much more to say than that. I could regret this, but I might not, and that's what I'm hoping for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is a little low on romance, but it does mean that next chapter we officially get KLAUS! xxx


	59. The last dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KLAUSY WOUSY!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the fifty-ninth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Klaus would be my badass instructor xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

The Last Dance

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

(flashback)

Mystic Falls-1859

"Damon, watch after your brothers" our father sternly orders my eldest brother, "They are your responsibility"

Damon nods in acceptance and resignation. He hurries us out of the house under the watchful eye of our father. Damon appears to relax once we are a safe distance away. I know that father frustrates Damon at times, and they often have the same petty arguments over and over again, especially lately.

I tug on Stefan's arm, wanting badly to play by the lake. I had just gotten a new ball for my birthday, and I desperately wanted to get outside to make good use of it. I do so hate being cooped up in the Salvatore house, like I am another of our father's special artefacts.

It is mid winter, and the lake is frozen solid. Father does not often let my brothers and I play outside by ourselves. Not without our nanny, or at least some kind of chaperone. So I plan to make the most of this opportunity. 

I know Damon just wants to read his book and be left alone. He is in one of his 'moods' again. Stefan likes to jest that it is because Damon has recently turned sixteen; therefore he is in the awkward stage of no longer being a boy, but also not quite being a man. Father is less generous and often becomes angry with Damon regarding his 'anti-social' manner. 

Stefan is only a year older than me, so he still likes to play the same games. Not always though. Stefan is against my more improper behaviour. He does not like to defy father. I do. I enjoy winding him up. Damon too, but only if he starts it. Stefan is so much nicer than me, I already know he is our father's favourites. The golden boy, as Damon sometimes refers to him.

Damon is the eldest Salvatore. Therefore he is viewed as important because he will one day take on the family estate; and the weight of our family name. Stefan is the middle child, and as I already stated, the favourite. He is well liked by many, and rightly so, as he is kind of nature and pure of soul. 

I know my place, as the youngest of three sons. I am merely an afterthought, and father does not mind telling me so when I do something he deems dishonourable or inappropriate. Although he is never as harsh towards me as he is with Damon. Father seems to take Damon's misgivings and mistakes as a personal insult to our family name and himself.

Damon, in hand, takes every very real insult from our father as a sign of his own personal failure to live up to both his own expectations and father's. Why he cares so much, is beyond me. But then, everything is lain on Damon's shoulders, and I cannot possibly imagine what that must be like for him. 

"Do not go out onto the lake. It may be frozen, but it could easily break under your joint weight" is all Damon says to us before sitting under a tree near the bank of the lake and opening up his book.

I shrug at Stefan and throw the ball over to him. We play for what feels both like hours, and merely minutes. But then Stefan accidentally kicks the ball too hard, and it sails over my head and out onto the lake. My ball doesn't stop rolling until it is almost in the middle of the lake.

Stefan looks immediately repentant and he stutters out his apologies to me. But I am not directly listening. I do not understand Stefan's guilt over many things. I know it was not his intention for my ball to end up on the lake, yet he behaves as if the world is ending because of it. Maybe I shall one day understand my brother's way of thinking, but not today.

Today, I'm getting my ball back.

I turn a childish smirk on Stefan, knowing that he will despair of what I am about to do. Damon only lifts his head every now and again to check on us, and he now seems to be deeply engrossed in his book. 

I step out onto the ice, and Stefan makes a noise of protest behind me. I ignore him and continue to make my way towards the leather ball. Stefan hisses for me to come back, that Damon said it wasn't safe. But the ice feels safe enough to me, and anyway, I can swim well enough.

I am mere feet away from my ball when the ice begins to show signs of breaking. There are only a few cracks of warning before the ice gives way beneath my feet. Once I hit the water every thought flees from my mind. I never anticipated just how cold the lake water would be. It turns my veins to ice inside my body, and I cannot seem to make my limbs work properly.

I am dimly aware of Stefan screaming my name, and then possibly Damon's voice, sounding both angry and panicked at the same time. But that is all secondary to burning pain that consumes my body and my mind. I sink below the surface like a rock, my limbs still won't move the way I want them to. I end up flailing desperately.

My mind is screaming out for help, but I cannot make my mouth form words. Everything hurts as I sink lower and lower below the surface. My eyes stay open, and I know I'm moving. Some invisible force is compelling my body through the water. I can't breathe, my lungs feel frozen. The world becomes dimmer, and my body begins to feel numb. Internally I am still panicking, but physically my body is almost peaceful.

I black out soon after that.

I reawaken to the feeling of choking on water. I have the strength though to sit up and allow the offending water to vacate my throat. There is damp grass beneath me, and the sound of birds chirping flows through my mind like a wave of sensation.

As I blink rapidly, I realise I am not alone. There is a woman, a very old and bedraggled woman, kneeling only a few feet away. For whatever reason I do not feel panicked by her presence, in fact I am somewhat reassured by it. 

The woman has bright green eyes that contrast with the rest of her beaten down appearance. I become wary when she leans forward and opens her mouth to speak,

"Young man, it seems the universe is not quite done with you yet. And neither are the spirits" the woman's voice is dry and eery, as if she were speaking for the universe itself.

I tilt my head to the side, feeling oddly warm, despite the bitter chill of the air, and my recent descent into the unknown numbness of ferocious never ending cold. 

"Thank you" is all I can think of to say.

The woman raises an eyebrow, seeming almost amused by my words.

"For what?" she asks.

I shrug aimlessly, unsure of how to answer,

"I should be dead"

"You were dead" the woman corrects me, "But that is hardly a concern now"

"Why am I not dead?" I ask, and when the woman gives me a stern look, I add, "Anymore"

The woman regards me for what feels like forever, her voice omniscient and even more meaningful when she finally answers,

"You have been chosen"

I frown at the non-answer and try again,

"Why? For what exactly?"

The woman smiles almost grimly before answering in a deeply disturbing way,

"Something you cannot possibly yet comprehend, young Angel"

(End of flashback)

In 1859, my life changed forever.

That woman left me there, in the woods, for my brothers and father to find. I did not tell them about the woman, or her prophetical words.

Three days later, I met James Moore out by the same lake.

In 1847, twelve year old James Moore was horrifically drowned by his mother. In 1847, James Moore died.

In 1859, I learnt the price of coming back from the dead.

Ever's P.O.V

"I cannot believe they gave you their house" Elena says, her expression one of complete astonishment.

I smirk at my evil twin,

"Hell yeah they did. This is my first house, and it's enourmas! Do you think the Salvatore's would mind if I turn it into an ice cream factory?" then I wave my hand in a wild dismissive gesture, "Actually, who cares what they want, this is my house now bitches!"

Bonnie frowns in amusement at me and asks Elena,

"Did she just call us bitches?"

Elena sighs despairingly,

"The power has already gone to her head"

Mwah ha ha ha!

My house. My house. My house.

I signed the papers this morning, and now the Salvatore boarding house is all miney mine mine!

There's a knock on the door, and I know it's the Salvatore's waiting for me to let them in to MY house. I arch my eyebrows suggestively at Bonnie, Jeremy and Elena, who are sitting opposite me with varying looks of amusement on their faces.

I get up to go answer the door, when I open it, the three Salvatore's are standing together side by side. Like trees. Big muscley handsome trees.

I smile manically at them,

"Why, don't you three look lovely today"

Sinbad grins at me and shakes his head,

"I'll tell you what we look like, we look stupid standing here, like three trees in a row"

I nod in agreement,

"I was just thinking that. A few more of you and there'd be a man forest in front of me right now"

Sinbad laughs and replies,

"Fuck yeah, get Jeremy out here, and we'll call Alaric, add in Matt, and we're all set"

"Excellent!" I dance a little on the spot, my excitement bubbling over.

Damon and Stefan are giving each other side long glances that say quite clearly that they think me and Sin are insane. Then Damon says,

"It's disturbing how alike your minds are sometimes"

"Great minds, and all that jaz" I say and Sinbad winks at me.

Stefan smiles at me then, and asks in that tone of voice I've come to associate with him wanting to laugh but not quite letting himself,

"May I please come inside your house Ever?"

I can't help but smile back and say,

"Why yes Stefan, since you called it my house, because it is, after all, my house now, you can come in"

Stefan strides inside and moves to stand next to me. He watches his brothers with that same wanting to laugh look in his eyes. I grin at Sinbad and Damon, waiting for them to ask too. Sinbad moves to lean against the door frame and he says in his most charming tone of voice,

"Pretty please, my beautiful Ever Gilbert, let me in to your house"

I pretend to consider it for a few moments before replying,

"You may come in too Sin, you sexy devil you"

Sinbad grins at me as he comes inside, moving past me and Stefan, most likely to go see Jeremy. Damon raises an eyebrow,

"What are we twelve? Let me in my house Ev's"

I cross my arms and look over at Stefan, we exchange a smile and I say to Damon,

"Right. As for you, I'm afraid I have a series of tasks that I feel you must complete before I will allow you to enter MY house"

Damon narrows his eyes at me,

"Ever, I want to go inside my house"

I shrug,

"Boo hoo. Don't care. And it's my house"

Damon lifts his hands up and then lets them drop to his sides in frustration, he looks at Stefan and nods,

"See, I told you we'd regret giving her our house"

Stefan chuckles under his breathe,

"I'm not regretting anything brother"

"This isn't funny" Damon says in that child-like voice that makes me want to ruffle his dark hair.

I make a mock serious face,

"You're right. You have tasks to complete, there's no time for laughter"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Damon complains.

I shrug again,

"I don't know, I'm just doing what feels right"

Stefan snorts out a laugh, and I can hear muffled laughter coming from inside the house that sound a lot like Sinbad and my brother.

"Shut up" Damon says to Stefan, although there is humour in his pale eyes now.

Finally I sigh loudly and say,

"Fine, you can come in too Day. But I expect your eternal gratitude for this"

Damon rolls his eyes as he stalks inside,

"Yeah, yeah, bossy pants, whatever you say"

I gasps loudly and turn to Stefan,

"Did he just sass me?"

Stefan is now laughing under his breathe, he nods at me,

"Sounded like it"

I glare at Damon,

"Is it too late to revoke my invitation?"

Damon spins on me and smirks smugly,

"Yes, it's far too late to get rid of me"

Now it's my turn to roll my eyes,

"I already knew that"

Bonnie, Elena and Jeremy come through from the living room with their jackets and bags on. Elena hands me my bag. Sinbad is leaning against the door frame that leads into the living room. Stefan immediately asks,

"Wait, where are you going?"

I shrug,

"To that stupid hell hole otherwise known a High school, apparently" I poke my tongue out at Elena, and she just shakes her head and ignores me.

"Huh?" is Stefan's response.

Damon narrows his eyes at me in disbelief,

"No, no, we didn't create a safe house for you to leave it"

"You guys, Klaus is out there, we know that" Stefan says.

I sigh and gesture at Elena,

"Ask her to explain, I'm just doing as I'm told"

"Well there's a first time for everything" Sinbad says with a playful smirk aimed at me. Although the humour doesn't quite reach his eyes. Something's going on with Sin, but I have no idea what. Maybe it's just the impending Klausy wousy invasion. I'd love to know what happened between Sin and the Originals to make him behave this way, he's usually so self assured and confident, bordering dangerously on arrogant at times. But something's definitely shaken him.

Elena does answer for me in the end,

"I'm glad Ever will be safe here, but we don't know where Klaus is, or when he'll be coming"

"Basically, I'm not gonna act like a prisoner" I add firmly.

"Don't worry" Bonnie tries to reassure the Salvatore's, "If he shows his face, I'll be ready"

I notice that Jeremy and Sin shift uncomfortably at that, and I make a mental note to find out why.

Stefan and Damon exchange meaningful glances, something they've been doing a lot lately, and then Stefan says to me,

"Fine. But I'm coming with you"

I smile widely at him, although I try to seem too obviously pleased in front of Elena, as things are still tense and awkward between us when we're around Stefan. I don't think that will be changing any time soon, but at least she doesn't hate me, which is better than I expected.

I walk out I look back over at Damon, who seems to be fighting the urge to come as well. The thought of Damon attending High school is completely absurd though, for many reasons. He could not pull High school student, hell, I don't think Damon could even pull off College student. Damn can barely pull off human most of the time. I wink at him over my shoulder and he appears to relax, if only a little bit.

….

"You have to go to the dance Ever" Bonnie says, she grips my arm.

I make a face at Elena and she shrugs,

"I'm staying home with Jenna, she needs some time to get used to stuff still"

I gesture at Elena smile at Bonnie,

"See, I should stay at home with Elena so I can help Jenna get used to all the vampy stuff"

Caroline shakes her head,

"No way! You can't both stay home. I will not let you. I'm going with Matt, and Bonnie's coming. At least one of you has to come with us"

She seems really happy about it, and I'm happy that she's happy. Finally. I kind of feel bad about Matt though. Hearing that he asked Caroline to make him forget that she's a vampire was harsh. But if Caroline's not letting it get to her, then I suppose I have no reason to start an argument over it.

Also, Alaric's acting weird, like, really weird, almost as if he were another person. According to Jenna he was fine when she last saw him, and their relationship isn't completely over, even though Jenna knows the truth. I hope Alaric can convince Jenna to give him another chance, because he's a really grey guy, despite all the weirdness in class today.

I decide to try and throw them off topic,

"Jeremy told me Sin's asked him out on an official date for tonight"

Caroline immediately grins like crazy and nods,

"I know, Sin told me about it. I can't believe it's taken them this long to go out on a real date"

I'm about to respond when suddenly Sadie, a girl from our year, comes rushing up to our lunch table, she smiles at me and says,

"Ever, there you are, ok, this is gonna sound freaky, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you were going to the dance tonight"

What? No seriously, what? I mean, I'm all in favour of being noticed by hot guys, but, what?

Elena frowns and snort out a laugh,

"Tell him she already has too many hot guy problems as it is"

Caroline and Bonnie snicker under their breathes whilst giving each other amused looks. I throw a crisp at Elena's head, all ready to laugh myself when Sadie adds,

"You could at least meet him. He'll be at the dance tonight, his name is Klaus"

Ah, so this is another of Klausy wousy's groupies.

"What did you just say?" Elena questions with a look of concern on her face.

My gaze flitters around the room, searching for anyone who might be the all mighty Klausy wousy. I'm looking for something obvious, like a name tag that says 'I am the infamous badass Original vampire Klaus. Please take a pin and join my fan club. We meet on Wednesday afternoons for tea and biscuits'.

Shut up brain!

Sadie frowns and repeats,

"I said his name is Klaus. I know the name sounds stupid, but I swear he's hot"

Bonnie is the first to ask,

"Where is he? Is he here?"

Sadie's face takes on an expression of confusion and she shakes her head,

"I don't know"

Excellent, excellent, she's been compelled then.

"She been compelled" Elena says.

I know evil twin, I just thought-spoke that. Honestly she never listens when I speak inside my head.

Sadie suddenly looks excited again,

"He wants to know if you'll save him the last dance. How cute is that?"

Yeah, like a bunny made out razor blades.

…

"So we go to the dance and find him" Damon says after we've explained what happened at lunch with Sadie.

Stefan frowns sceptically,

"Really? How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like"

Damon gives Stefan a withering look,

"Something tell me he's not gonna be sixteen and pimply"

"Apparently he's hot, and if Elijah is anything to go by, then that's very true" I say with a smirk.

Stefan still seem unsure,

"He compelled someone at school. It's not safe there"

"But Sin does" Damon argues, "We'll just bring him with us"

"I don't want Sin involved" I state worriedly, "I don't know if Klausy wousy should even know Sin is here"

Damon scoffs,

"Well, it's too late for that anyway, he'll already know Sinbad is here through Isobel"

I sigh heavily,

"Oh right, yeah, shit. He's with Jeremy, Elena and Jeremy at home right?"

Stefan nods,

"Last I heard, yeah he is"

I'm about to say something else when suddenly Alaric comes in through the front door. My eyes narrow suspiciously, I still think he acted really weird today. Plus, there's just something off about him. I wish Sinbad was here now, he's be able to tell straight away what was wrong, he's good at reading people like that.

"Sorry I'm late" Alaric says as he moves further inside the boarding house.

Damon's eyes brighten and he says,

"Ric, I need you to put me down as a chaperone for the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move"

I run a hand through my hair,

"Rght, so, we find him, and then what? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me" Bonnie says, as if it's obvious, "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, then I can kill him"

Alaric chuckles darkly and says,

"Well, it's not gonna be that easy, he is the biggest baddest vampire around"

Alaric's eyes keep settling on me, more often than they ever have before, like when we were in class. There's something going on with him, I know it.

Damon nods in agreement,

"Alaric has a point, I mean what if he-"

Damon vampire speeds at Bonnie, but before he can reach her she lifts her hand and throws him backwards using her ju ju power. I just about resist the urge to laugh my ass off as Damon lands on his, hard.

I look over at Stefan, and he seems to be fighting the same need to laugh as well. Stefan nods in approval,

"Well, I was impressed"

I punch Bonnie lightly on the arm,

"Nice one Bonnie, you are the ultimate witchy badass. You could kick the crap out of Sabrina and Hermione"

Bonnie gets this confident air about her and she says,

"It doesn't matter that he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me" she looks at me intensely, "I can kill him Ever, I know I can"

I stare at her for a long moment before saying,

"I trust you Bonnie. Klausy wousy's going down"

….

I take two outfits out of the box and hold them up in front of Stefan,

"So, sexy hippy, or slutty hippy?"

Stefan smiles and replies,

"Hmm" then he clocks my look of reluctance and his expression becomes more serious, "You know you can still back out, right?"

I laugh dryly,

"And what, miss out on all the fun times with you guys? No, I need to be there for this. I refuse to cower from the big bad vampy boy. I have Bonnie, and Damon, and Sin, and you, to keep me safe, so, no worries"

Stefan steps forward until only inches separate us, his eyes are all knowing when he says,

"If there are no worries, then why are you shielding your emotions from me?"

I take deep breathe and allow Stefan's presence to calm me before letting a bit more of myself flow through our bond. Stefan's gaze locks with mine and I whisper,

"I guess I kind of convinced myself that this day would never come, that I wouldn't ever have to face a man who wants to murder me. But that's stupid, because I've had all this time to get used to the idea"

Stefan lifts his hand to gently caress my cheek as our bond strengthens between us. Little shocks of heat, fire towards my senses as he touches me. Stefan's voice is solid and reassuring when he says,

"It's not stupid. Nothing about you is stupid Everlyna. It's ok to be afraid of this, but, I won't let him hurt you. I will keep you safe, I will always protect you"

I stare up into Stefan's face, a large part of me feeling comforted by his words, even though I already knew them to be true. Sometimes, you need to hear something for it to become more real. I know Stefan will protect me to his last breathe, and I would do the same for him in a heart beat. I let him know that through our bond.

Stefan's thumb smoothes over my cheek, causing me to shiver as intense sensation travels through my body like a ball of fire. Our eyes are still locked together when Stefan says,

"I wish, that it wasn't like this. I wish you were just getting ready to go to the dance with your friends to have fun, and not because of an Original vampire"

I arch an eyebrow and ask quietly,

"Is that all? You don't wish anything else?"

Stefan smiles slightly, but it isn't exactly a sad smile, he answers,

"Yes. I wish you were going to the dance with me. Or, more likely in your case, purposely doing something else. I know you don't like school dances"

I nod slowly,

"Yeah, I really don't" I grin suddenly and ask, "So, what else would we do? If the whole Klausy wousy thing weren't an issue, and it was just you and me going out together, what would we do?"

Stefan smiles wider at this and thinks about my question for a few moments before answering,

"We'd drive all the way to that little Italian restaurant you love, 'Silvers', and I'd impress you with my Italian speaking ability. And you would be incredibly impressed by the way."

I laugh at that,

"I imagine I would be very impressed indeed Steffy. Then what?"

Stefan seems to enjoy hearing my laugher, so I keep the happy smile on my face as he continues,

"Then I'd take you to my favourite place in Mystic falls, and we'd lie down on the hood of my car to watch the stars. At which point I would doubly impress you by knowing all the constellations; which of course you would ignore, and insist we make up our own names for each cluster of stars"

"I'd call the big round one Harry" I comment seriously.

Stefan arches an eyebrow and says

"By the 'big round one', I think you mean the moon"

I hit Stefan's side,

"I know what I mean, thank you very much sir Steffy"

Stefan barely conceals a chuckle as he says,

"The moon isn't a star Everlyna"

I mock glare up at him,

"Don't talk that way about Harry Dr. Steffy" I drop my voice to a whisper when I add, "He's very sensitive"

Stefan does laugh then,

"You're insane"

I raise my eyebrows suggestively,

"You love it"

Stefan's expression becomes serious again when he says,

"Yeah, I really do. You beautiful, incredible, fire ball of lunacy"

I want so badly to kiss Stefan then, to feel his chest press up against mine as our lips are crushed together.

Stefan looks about to do just that when suddenly his whole body stiffens. I realise why a moment later when I hear Damon's voice say,

"You know, if you're trying to decide what to wear, then, my advice is, always go for slutty anything"

Stefan lets his hand drop from my face and he takes a few steps backwards, away from me. Damon is leaning against the door frame, his intense blue eyes fixed on my face. He seems to be trying to see into my heart, soul and mind again. And he'll probably succeed, Damon always does somehow.

With one final look at me, Stefan leaves the room, stopping only briefly to nod at Damon, a nod Damon thankfully returns, although not without some difficulty.

Damon strides towards me, not at all hesitant to cup my face in his hands, which sends a shockwave of pleasure through my body. God, I've missed my Day so damn much. I feel like I'm going to implode if I don't get to touch him soon.

Damon searches my eyes for a few moments before his mouth comes down hard over mine. My veins instantly fill with a fire I know I've definitely missed like hell. But although Damon's kiss is harsh and claiming, he makes no move to touch me in any other way. If we were still together Damon would have me up against the wall and my clothes half torn off by this point. His self restraint is actually pretty impressive considering that it's Damon.

When Damon pulls away, his eyes shine with desire, and I know he'd like nothing more than to fuck me. Right. Fucking. Now. He practically vibrates with need, and I'm already gasping for air after his passionate assault on my mouth. But again, Damon resists, his lips are still only inches from mine when he whispers strongly,

"We will end this shit with Klaus tonight"

"What was that for?" I gasp, my breathe puffing out against Damon's mouth as we are still so close.

Damon's eyes lock with mine, and our lips brush as he answer with a ferocity I'd almost forgotten Damon possess within him,

"That, was to remind you of how much you already belong to me. You always will, no matter what else changes, no matter what you finally decide"

Damon lets his fingers play across my throat, when they skate over the scar, his mark, I shiver almost violently.

Damn it Salvatore's, you couldn't just make it easy, could you!

Sinbad's P.O.V 

"Now, listen to me Bon, you stay close at all times, yeah" I say to the defiant little witch.

I've been stressed the fuck out for the last few days. Everything seems to be happening at once. What with my past coming back to haunt me, literally, and Bonnie risking her life, the way witches always seem to like doing.

Now…..now….fucking Nick.

He must know I'm here. I faked my own death to escape Nicklaus, and all of it was for nothing, because he's damn well fucking here.

Nick won't come after me right away, that isn't his style. In fact, I'm very surprised that he's decided to show his face tonight. Nick does like his dramatic entrances. I suppose it's possible that he's sent someone else to pose as him, or even had some Sabrina wannabe cast a spell to make him look like someone else. I would believe anything when it comes to Nicklaus.

It took a lot to convince Jeremy to stay home tonight with Elena and Jenna. He wanted to be here for me, Ever and Bonnie. But there's no way in fucking hell I'm gonna let Nick come anywhere near Jeremy. I can't take the chance that Isobel told Nick about my relationship with the youngest Gilbert. He'd kill Jeremy right in front me just to make a bloody point. The Originals can take jealous and possessive to a whole new level, especially Nicklaus.

Bonnie arches an eyebrow at me and places a hand on my arm. We're standing just outside of school, preparing to go inside and meet up with the others.

"I'll be fine Sin, have a little faith"

I roll my eyes right back at her,

"Don't do that my little witch. I know Nicklaus, better than most people, possibly better than anyone. He is not a man who you should underestimate. Not ever. Do you understand?"

Bonnie sighs, but her expression is more sombre when she says,

"Yes, I understand Sin. But I'm ready for him, I promise you"

I know that no matter what I say, Bonnie won't see things as I do. She hasn't met Nick. Then again, most people only ever meet Klaus. Knowing Nick is like watching a falling star hurtle towards you; it's amazing at first and you can pin a lot of your hopes and secret wants on it, but eventually you remember how much destruction it can truly cause if you let your guard down.

I wrap an arm around my little witch and say,

"Alright, I believe in you. By the way, I like the 60's look on you Bon, it takes someone special to make hippy sexy. Save me a dance would you?"

Bonnie laughs as we walk together into the school, she looks up at me,

"What, so you can show me your moves?"

I raise an eyebrow suggestively at her,

"I have moves that'll knock your peace loving socks off sweet heart"

Bonnie is still giggling as she says,

"I don't doubt it Sin"

…..

"I know everyone here" Ever says, her voice betraying her distress.

"Can you see him anywhere?" Stefan asks me, his eyes are alight with tension, and he seems to be almost wielded to Ever's side. Damon isn't much better, he keep shifting his weight, and I know it's because he hates waiting. Damon would rather just find Nick and kill him, job done.

I take a moment to look around once more, then I shake my head,

"Nope, and trust me, he'd definitely stand out. I really can't imagine him actually coming here, it's not his usual way of doing things. It's too risky and stupid. Nick can be petty, but he's not an idiot"

Damon sighs and frowns out at the crowd,

"This is a party people, we have to blend. Let him come to us"

"I agree" Bonnie says, and she hold out a hand to me, "Come on Sin, show me those moves you were talking about before"

Damon see's Alaric and he goes to talk with him, which leaves Ever with Stefan. I take Bonnie offered hand and I spin her onto the dance floor with ease. If there's one thing I can do, it's dance.

Bonnie and me dance well together, and I'm glad to see that my witch has a few moves of her own. I spin Bonnie again with perfect precision so that her back ends up presses against my chest. Bonnie laughs as we sway for a few moments and she says,

"You weren't kidding, you can really dance"

I smirk, my lips close to her neck as I reply,

"I got the brains, the brawn, the beauty and the dancing skills in my family Bon Bon"

I spin her out again and then back so that her front is now presses up against my mine. Bonnie smiles up at me and nods,

"I see. Jeremy's a lucky giy"

I smile sadly at that and say,

"I'm the lucky one. Jer's beautiful and clever and mine. I just…..I want to be good for him Bonnie, but every way I look at it, I'm just gonna end up fucking with his head"

Bonnie frowns,

"But you love him, and I know how much he loves you"

I sigh heavily, a horrid feeling spreading through my chest,

"I'm over one hundred and fifty years old Bon, and the hardest thing I've ever had to learn in life, is that….sometimes…..no matter how much you love someone….it just isn't enough. If it was, my life would be very different right now"

Bonnie tilts her head to the side and regards me for a moment,

"Did you love him?"

I know perfectly well who she means, and by the look on her face she knows that I know who she means. I've balked at all questions about the Originals, especially ones about him, but I see no reason to lie to Bonnie right now, so I answer,

"Yes"

Bonnie accepts that answer and after a few moments she asks,

"Did he love you?"

Now, that's a question I've asked myself, probably over a million times since I met him. But in the end, in my heart, if not my head, I know the answer.

"Yes, in his own way"

Before Bonnie can ask any more deeply meaningful questions, I see Caroline and Matt come into the dance and I gesture for Damon to take over dancing with Bonnie. Damon does so, and I tell them that I'm going to inform Caroline on what the hell is going on.

I make my way over to a dancing Caroline and Matt. When Caroline see's me coming she grins, but there's confusion in her eyes too.

"Can I borrow your date Matt?"

Matt smiles awkwardly at me and nods,

"Sure, I'll just go get us some drinks"

I frown after him as he walks away, and as I start dancing with Caroline, I say,

"I thought you took Matt's memories away"

Caroline's eyes widen slightly,

"Yes, I did"

I blink rapidly, going over that short exchange with Matt where something just felt…off. Although that could be because of the storm of emotions that are assaulting me every time I think of Nicklaus.

"Are you sure?"

Caroline gives me a dry look,

"Of course I'm sure, Sin, now stop avoiding the subject, why aren't you out with Jeremy on your date? You were both so excited about it"

I sigh, deciding to let the Matt stuff go for now, and answer,

"Yeah, well, Nick is here-Klaus I mean"

Caroline's eyes practically pop out of her head,

"What? Where?" she starts to look around frantically.

I shrug,

"We have no idea. I'm supposed to be pointing him out, but I haven't seen him anywhere. Keep an eye out for anything weird though, ok"

Caroline nods,

"Alright, yeah. Are you….?"

I sigh heavily, that bad feeling still awful and painful in my chest,

"I'm…dealing"

Caroline arches an eyebrow,

"Hhhmm, right, if you say so"

I flick her shoulder

"Shut it you. I am perfectly fine. Really. I can handle this, as long as it keeps Ever from being sacrificed like a goat"

Caroline snickers under her breath,

"Did you just compare Ever to a goat?"

I raise an amused eyebrow,

"She's nothing special, I compare a lot of people to goats"

Caroline shakes her head, trying to conceal her laughter against my shoulder.

Suddenly I'm getting shoulder tapped by Stefan, and he looks pissed off, or at least slightly ruffled, as I've said before, it's hard to tell with Stefan. Damon is right behind him and he looks pretty irritated too. They both drag me away from Caroline and off the dance floor.

"Please tell us you did not know that Bonnie was on a suicide mission" Stefan says, his eyes pinning me in place.

I make a frustrated sound,

"Oh, excellent. Don't get pissy with me, Bonnie said she could hack it, and I was gonna stop her before she got too far anyway"

Damon scoffs and shakes his head,

"Yeah, great plan baby brother. Now Ever's angry, she thinks we all lied to her about Bonnie"

Stefan fixes me with another hard stare,

"You know how she feels about being lied to"

I run a hand through my hair,

"I know, it's something we agree on. But, I didn't lie, I just omitted some information"

"Like that makes it better" Stefan practically shouts at me.

Ok, now he's pissed off.

"How did you even find out anyway?" I ask them.

Damon gestures towards me,

"Your little boyfriend rang Ever and told her"

Ah, Jeremy, I should have known he'd crack. Him and Bonnie have become close friends, and I know how conflicted he felt about it considering it was his sister's life on the line as well.

I narrow my eyes at both my brothers,

"I'm not fucking sorry, so you can both stop staring at me like that. Now, where the hell is Ever and Bonnie?"

Ever's P.O.V

"How could you not tell me? You crazy ass witch!" I practically shout at Bonnie.

"Because I knew how you'd react" Bonnie replies, crossing her arms indignantly.

I shake my head with just as much stubbornness,

"No fucking way are you dying for me Bonnie. Or for anyone. Or at all. No dying allowed! Dying is banned! No dying for you whatsoever!"

"It's the only option" Bonnie argues.

"Nope, I do not accept that. There has to be another way" I refuse to allow this to happen. Bonnie cannot die, no way, no how.

"I have the power to save you, Ever. If I don't use it and something happens to you, that would kill me more"

I flick he hard on the shoulder,

"I said no. End of discussion"

Bonnie grits her teeth and stares me down, I stare right back. She is not winning this. Finally Bonnie says,

"Just answer me one thing; if the situation were reversed, would you do it for me"

"No! I'm a selfish bitch, there, you happy, good, now-"

"Ever"

I make a grumbling sound,

"Of course I would Bonnie. I love you"

"I love you too Ever. And that's why I have to do this, to keep you safe"

I reach out and grip Bonnie's shoulders, forcing her to meet my eyes,

"No Bonnie. Just no"

Suddenly Alaric comes running up to us,

"Ever!"

I frown at him,

"What's wrong?"

"He has him; Klaus has Sin" Alaric replies, and he says Sin's name in a really strange tone of voice. But I can't place why it's strange.

"What?" Bonnie and I both shout at the same time.

Alaric nods, his eyes shining,

"Yeah, Klaus has Sin, let's go"

He gestures for us to follow after him, and without hesitation, we do.

Alaric leads in through the back and I ask,

"Where are you taking us?"

"Just a little further" Alaric answers.

Something doesn't feel right about this, but I'm not sure…..

I stop Bonnie with a hand on her arm, and my eyes narrow on….him.

'Aalric' starts to laugh and he says,

"I just had to get away from that dance. The 60's? Eehhck, not my best decade"

Oh shit on a stick.

He turns to us and says,

"I mean, who's call was that anyway. I much prefer the 20s. The style, the parties, the jazz"

"What's going on?" Bonnie snaps, she sounds scared, and I can't blame her.

I pull Bonnie back, trying to sheil her from him. I glare at him,

"So, Klausy wousy, I've been expecting you"

Seriously, where the hell is my evil spinny chair god damn it!

He smiles at me slowly, and it's so strange to see that look on Alaric's face. Bonnie is still looking between us in confusion.

"Don't worry Ever, I'm not here to hurt you tonight" he says in the most unreassuring tone in existence.

Then his eyes shift to Bonnie and my hackles rise, even before he says,

"But you are"

He tries to rush at Bonnie, but she throws him back with her ju ju business. But he just gets right back up,

"Did I mention I know a witch" Klausy wousy says in Alaric's body (which is still creeping me the fuck out by the way).

"Ah, is he part of your fan club too?" I say with a nod.

Bonnie throws him back again, and he hits a glass cabinet. He still gets right back up though, and says,

"Go ahead, fire away"

Bonnie turns to me, her eyes wild,

"Run Ever, now RUN!"

"Not leaving you" I say firmly, and I pull on her arm.

We start running like hell through the corridors.

Damon and Sin come running at us from the other way and we meet in the middle. Damon tugs on my hand, pulling me close before asking,

"What the hell is going on?"

I'm out of breathe, but I manage to gasp out,

"Klausy wousy….is….in…Alaric's body"

"What?" Sin demands, his eyes widening.

"He's possessing him or something" Bonnie answers.

"Go find Stefan and Sinbad" Damon says firmly to me.

I nod once before running off through the corridors again. For fucks sake, I need to start doing healthy shit again. My body is not ok with all this free lance running.

I try to find Stefan inside the actual dance, but instead end up running into Caroline and Matt instead.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asks me, obviously clocking my expression.

"I'm looking for Stefan, have you seen him?" I ask, desperate and worried for Bonnie, Sin and Damon.

"No, but, what's going on Ever" Caroline looks really concerned now.

I shake my head, really not wanting to drag her into this if I don't have to,

"Just….just stay with Matty"

I see Stefan then through the crowd and I break away from Caroline to rush over to him. I practically throw myself at Stefan, and he catches me, his arms encircling my waist to steady mu body.

"Come on, we have to go help Bonnie"

Stefan frowns down at me in confusion,

"What's going on?"

I quickly explain everything, and moments later we're running through the corridors again. It takes us a while but eventually we find Bonnie in the cafeteria. The lights are bursting all over the place, and paper is flying around like a twister's hit just that room.

"Bonnie" I call out.

But she flings her hand towards me and the doors close on me and Stefan. I start banging on it, still calling out Bonnie name. Stefan tries to help me open the door, but it won't fucking budge even an inch.

"No, Bonnie, no, please, stop!"

More lights start explode and Klaus falls to floor, or at least Alaric's body does. He's shouting in pain. Bonnie turns back to the door so I can see her bloodied face. Her eyes hold a silent apology and internally I'm screaming for her to stop.

Suddenly Bonnie's body arches up at a weird angle and she collapses. I really do scream this time,

"NO! BONNIE!"

The room goes black as all the lights go out. Finally the door gives way and I run inside, falling to my knees beside Bonnie on the floor. I lift her into my lap, tears begin filling my eyes and I feel like screaming at the top of lungs.

"Bonnie, no, wake up Bonnie. Please don't be dead, don't be dead, no. You can't be, no, no, no!"

I try to feel for a pulse and Stefan lifts her hand, trying to do the same. I look at him desperately,

"Stefan, she's not breathing Stefan. Oh God, Stefan, please, do something, anything. Stefan please"

But I can see the answer in Stefan's eyes, and I really don't want to. He shakes his head,

"It's too late Ever" he whispers, "I'm so sorry"

...

"I swear, if you ever do that to me again, I'll kick both your sorry asses with my bat you sons of a bitch" I barely contain my anger at Damon and Sinbad.

I thought Bonnie was fucking dead! They let me think that!

"Your reaction had to be real, Ever" Damon says, his eyes showing no remorse whatsoever. He believes he did the right thing, and maybe he did, that doesn't make me want to hurt him any less for it.

I don't hold back, giving it my best swing. I slap Damon, and he fucking deserved it for doing that to me.

"Never. Again." I say, my voice strangely cold and devoid of emotion.

"I'm sorry Ever. All I wanted to do was protect both you and Bonnie, and this was the only way we could think of to do that" Sinbad says, his eyes do show pain at having hurt me, and I know he truly means what he's saying.

I nod briefly at him. I'm not even that angry with Sin, he has enough shit to deal with as it is. Damon, on the other hand…..well, he deserved that hit.

"How could you do that to her?" Stefan snaps at Damon, his voice equally heated.

Damon's jaw hardens and his gaze stays steady on mine as he says,

"I did what I had to do to keep Bonnie and Ever safe. I will always do everything, and anything to keep Ever safe and protected. Always"

…..

Right, I'm about to do something Elena-y, and I know I'll probably regret it, but fuck life, I'm doing it anyway.

I have become Elena. Ew. I disgust myself.

I understand why Damon did what he did, and I've forgiven him for it. But this is my life, and I want to talk to Elijah.

Sneaking down to the cells wasn't too hard, as I told the Salvatore's I wanted to be left alone, and they respected that, considering everything that's happened today.

I kneel down beside Elijah and tug on the dagger embedded in his chest. Eventually it comes free and I sit back, waiting for the inevitable.

Sinbad's P.O.V

I can't help but feel apprehensive and wary about today. Jeremy is with Bonnie in a safe place right now, and I'm glad for that. But I do wish Jer was here for selfish reasons. How I managed not to see Nicklaus once today, is a bloody miracle within itself.

Him taking over Alaric's body is so….Nick.

I really should have seen it coming from a mile off.

I keep expecting him to come after me. Jeremy thinks I'm being too paranoid, he even suggested that maybe Nick doesn't care at all about me being here. But I know that's no true. Nick would chase me to the ends of the earth, if nothing else because he can't stand to lose.

Maybe he will leave me alone for now though, at least until after he's done playing around with Ever. He's such a psycho sometimes, and he likes to play games with his victims. I can imagine him doing all sorts of things just to get to Ever and the people she cares about. We used to have that in common, all those years ago when we first met.

When I get inside my room, something instantly doesn't feel quite right, but I don't know what it is. Not until I see the note folded neatly on my pillow. I frown at it, wondering how the hell someone got into my room to put this here. The window is locked, and no vampire can come in without Ever's permission, and it's unlikely this note is from my brothers.

I move slowly towards the bed and pick up the note cautiously. It's thick expensive card, the old fashioned type, and instantly, I know who this is from. Damn it Nick! I unfold the paper with reluctance, having little to no idea of what to actually expect from this note, there are a hundred different things Nicklaus could say, most of them just to provoke me.

But on the note, there are only three sentences written in black ink, one underneath the other:

Hello beautiful,

I've missed you.

Try to run again, my Angel, I dare you.

~N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated early, and I really hope you like this emotionally charged chapter. Next chapter, Klaus and Sin come face to face. Get ready for fireworks folks! Xxx
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xxx


	60. Klaus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The frik frak?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixtieth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself.
> 
> Please review! xxx

Ever's P.O.V

"You're looking pretty good for a guy who was semi dead yesterday" I comment tentatively.

Waking up Elijah is either the stupidest thing I've ever done, or the bravest. Possibly both. Most likely both. I know which the Salvatore's would it was though. I have no idea what I'm actually doing, all I know is that I need a way to deal with the Klausy wousy situation. A way that does not involve one of my best friends frying her brain ju ju style.

So, yeah, I'm putting it all on the line for once. And I do not like it. It's completely ridiculous and irrational. Is this what it's like to be Elena? Is this how she feels all the time when she's making those moronic decisions?

How the hell does she manage it? I already feel like I'm going insane.

Ha, ha, going insane, right.

Elijah had a mini freak out when he came back to 'life'. I had to give him the dagger to prove that he could trust me, at least not to stab him.

His hair is all messed up, and I really want to run my fingers through it. If there's any time left after we've finished talking, maybe he would let me…NO! Bad brain, think normal thoughts for once in your life!

Or at least don't think stupid things. I think that's the best we can all hope for.

"Where did you get the dagger?" Elijah asks me.

I turn to the man sitting in my passenger seat and answer,

"I'll tell you everything….that's relevant. But I need you to work with me, otherwise there's really no point in any of this"

Elijah seems to tense next to me,

"You're ability to make demands has long past"

I shrug,

"I'm not demanding anything Elijah. I'm asking. I would like your help"

Elijah raises a delicate eyebrow at me,

"And why should I even consider this?"

I smile at that,

"For the same reason that you haven't killed me yet. You need my help too"

Before Eijah can reply my phone starts to buzz. I momentarily think about ignoring it, but then decide that would be too cruel of me, especially since I know they'll all be losing it by now.

I pick up the phone and answer.

"Where are you? Are you ok?" Stefan asks, he sounds like he's not sure whether to feel angry or anxious. I'm pretty sure I know which one Damon is.

"I'm fine Stef, don't panic" I answer quickly before he can work himself up any more.

"Where's Elijah?" Stefan's voice is only slightly less frantic.

"He's right here" I look over at Elijah.

"Where? We'll come get you"

I shake my head even though he can't see me,

"No, Stefan, I need some time alone to talk with Elijah. But I'm fine, and there's nothing for Damon to smash things over"

There's only a hint of humour in Stefan's voice when he says,

"Too late, a vase already bit the dust"

Then I hear Damon's voice,

"This isn't fucking funny Stefan….give me the damn phone"

There's a loud scuffle and a lot of shouting from what I assume is all three of the Salvatore's. Finally someone takes a deep breath on the other end of the phone and I recognise Damon's voice, or more is yell,

"What is wrong with you?! Get back here right now! You insane wo…..fuck-"

And then there's even more scuffling and shouting.

I'm immensely relieved when I hear Sin's voice say, surprisingly calmly,

"Listen to me, Ever, I love you to pieces, and I trust you, so if you think this is the right thing, then fine. But you can't trust him completely, not when it comes to Nicklaus. Be careful, promise me that, and I'll keep both our pet idiots at bay for a while"

I smile gratefully, and reply,

"I promise Sin. Love you to…shards"

"Shards? That's the best you could up with? I am ashamed of you right now"

"I haven't had my morning Ice cream yet, lay off me"

"Say hi to Eli for me, and tell him that….Nick has made his first move. He'll understand what I mean, alright"

"Got it….I really do wuv you Sinny"

"Shut up you prat, and go away, I think Broody and Pissy are about to wake up"

"What did you do to them?" I ask, concern now alight in my voice.

"Never you mind loony" Sin answers suggestively before hanging up.

My eyes meet Elijah's as I drop the phone away from my ear. He appears to be trying to read me, and it's very uncomfortable to be stared at like that by someone who could kill you in an instant. Although by now I'm kinda used to that feeling, which is wrong on so many levels.

"Sin wanted me to tell you that…Nick has made his first move" I say awkwardly, not at all sure what that could mean, especially between to people who seem to know each other as intimately as Sin and Elijah.

For his part, Elijah's eyes only widen in surprise for a few moments before his expression is once again schooled into a mask of indifference. Once more I find myself wondering what the hell happened between Sin and the Originals to make them behave this way towards him. Something damn special I'd wager.

Elijah doesn't reply, he merely gestures at my phone and then holds his hand out. I sigh, and reluctantly I hand over my phone to him. I really am turning into an idiot these days. I should just live in a hole. A small dark hole where I could hurt no one with my level of recklessness.

"You know….Klausy wousy is here" I say after a weirdly long pause.

Elijah nods,

"I gathered"

"He's taken over Alaric's body somehow. My favourite teacher has been body snatched. I'm very upset about it"

"Of course he has" Elijah says, "Its one of his favourite tricks"

I frown in contemplation of that,

"Oh great, so he likes to make an entrance. We're dealing with another ego-driven vampire. Oh goodie. What are his other magic tricks? Can he pull a bunny from a hat, because I like that one"

Elijah laughs slightly, although it's a humourless laugh,

"Yes, Nicklaus does like to cause a stir"

Again, allow me to express my feelings of happiness at this turn of events. Yay, freakin', yay.

…

"So, you really are a family of Orginals then?" I say, almost to myself. Sinbad told me that Elijah and Klausy wousy are related, but I didn't think they would actually be full on brothers, or that they would be part of an actual Original family.

Elijah does up a few buttons on his shirt, or actually Mr. Lockwoods shirts. After he compelled Carol Lockwood, she brought him a new suit, as his old one was pretty mangled from the whole stabby stabby incident.

"My father was a wealthy land owner in our village in eastern Europe. Our mother bore seven children"

"Your parents were…human?"

Elijah turns to face me and answers,

"Yes, our whole family was. Our origin as vampires is a very long story Ever"

"Is that code for, 'this is family business, butt out puny human girl'?" I ask, only hinting slightly at humour. Elijah is a very serious looking person, half the time I think he's about to begin a lecture on Quantum mechanics. The other half of the time I think he needs a cupcake of some sort to bring him out of his Gunk.

A.k.A. Guy funk.

Elijah tilts his head and regards me for a moment before replying,

"Just know, that we are the oldest vampires in the world. We are the original family, from us almost all vampires were created"

I nod, again mostly to myself,

"Right, but Klausy wousy is your brother. Is this why Sin said not to trust you? There's no way you'll actually kill your brother, no matter what he does. I don't know you that well Elijah, but Sin says you're a noble man. Noble men don't conspire to kill their brothers. What type of man are you really?"

For a long moment I think Elijah might never answer my questions. When he does finally speak, what he says surprises me.

"I need some air. Join me outside"

Without waiting for a response Elijah walks past me. With a sigh I follow after Elijah and his gorgeous hair.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Hello Katerina" I say.

Damon leans against the wall next to me as we look into Alaric's apartment. Katerina stares back at us in confusion.

After getting off the phone with Ever this morning my brothers had another mini freak out session. I ignored them. It's just easier that way. Eventually they calmed down enough that we could formulate an actual sort of plan type thingy. Although neither of them are happy about Ever being alone with Elijah. To be honest, I'm not completely comfortable with it either, but if Ever is willing to do something this drastic, then she must have a good reason for it. I trust her enough to back off. For now anyway.

Stefan is meant to be over at the Gilbert house, keeping Jenna, Jeremy and Elena safe from 'Alaric'.

That stupid note keeps circling around and around in my mind. I'm sure he intended it that way. Nick rarely does things without a reason.

"What are you doing here?" Katerina demands, or at least that's the tone she uses. It seems even when trapped by her greatest enemy, she's still just as irritating.

I exchange a look with Damon, and then smirk at Katerina,

"We're here to see if you deserve to be rescued Kitty kat"

"We figured you might still be kicking" Damon says, "Alaric-Klaus was blending way too easily"

I produce the bottle of vervain from my jacket pocket and hold it up for Katerina to see. Her eyes widen,

"Is that-"

"Vervain. Your Salvation"

Katerina shakes her head,

"It's not gonna undo anything"

"There's always a loophole, you more than anyone should know that" I reply with a shrug.

Damon narrows his eyes at Katerina and asks,

"Did he tell you not to stay in this apartment until he said it was ok to leave?"

Katerina tries to speak, but when nothing comes out, I can't stop a bark of laughter from escaping.

"You can't say. Did he tell you to do everything he says until the end of time?"

Kateirina frowns at me,

"No"

"Ah, and there's your loophole" I hold up the bottle, "Drink this and you can't be compelled to do anything else Nick might desire"

Katerina walks forward and tries to take the bottle of vervain from me. I hold it out of her reach. Katerina glares at me,

"Hand it over"

"Nope" I wink at her, and her glare deepens much to my own amusement.

"Answer one question first" Damon says, his eyes not wavering from Katerina's face, "You double crossed us with Isobel, why?"

"I didn't think you and Stefan could stand a chance against Klaus" Katerina answers, then her eyes flicker to me and she adds, "And I didn't think you would want to kill Klaus. Not in the end"

Before we can get into that kind of conversation I toss the bottle into Katerina's open hand. I nods at her,

"Look after that Kitty, if Nick finds out you have it, then there's nothing any of us will be able to do for you"

Katerina opens the bottle and chokes down the vervain.

"You owe us" Damon says, "And we will come to collect"

Damon moves away from the wall and slaps me lightly on the shoulder, gesturing for us to leave. I nod and turn to follow after my brother. But Katerina stops me by saying,

"He asked about you Sin" it isn't her words that stopped me. It's her tone. She isn't teasing or trying to get a rise out me. She sounds worried, concerned even.

I turn back to her, a question in my eyes, one I hopefully don't have to ask out loud. Kateirna seems to understand because she continues,

"Just…be careful Sin. We both know that a determined Klaus is practically unstoppable. He gets what he wants. Always"

I jaw hardens and I reply coldly,

"Not this time"

Ever's P.O.V

"So as you can see, nothing can kill an Original" Elijah says when I catch up with him on the steps outside, "Only the wood from one tree can kill us. A tree my family made sure burned"

My brows draw together as I say,

"That's where the white ash for the dagger comes from"

"Yes" Elijah replies as we continue to walk across the garden, "The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness to maintain the balance"

"Sounds like a pain in the ass" I mutter, and then something dawns on me and my head snaps round to look directly at Elijah, "What's the real reason for the big spell sacrifice thing then? If the sun can't kill your brother, why does he care about breaking the curse? Unless the curse itself isn't actually anything to do with the sun and the moon stuff"

Elijah turns in surprise to look at me, he raises an eyebrow and says,

"You're a very clever girl. More clever than I first thought"

I feel patronised. Is this what parrots feel like?

I nod and make a broad gesture with my hand,

"Yeah, yeah, I get all the gold stars. But, please, Elijah, tell me what I'm actually meant to be dying for"

Elijah pauses for another agonising moment before he says,

"We planted the idea of the sun and moon curse all over the world. It helps to find a moonstone and the doppelganger if two warring species are constantly on the look out for them"

"So it is something else then? What's the real curse?" I ask, now almost frantically wanting to know the truth.

I feel like I'm on a weird soap opera where I'm about to find out if the baby is mine or not. That's the level of tension we're talking about here people.

"The real curse is so much worse. It's a curse placed on Klaus" Elijah says.

"What do you mean?"

"Klaus has been trying to break it for a thousand years" Elijah answers, his eyes are fixed on mine, "And you are his only hope"

Awww, I don't wanna be someone's last hope. I'd be rubbish at that. First hope, maybe, but not last.

"Well, what is this curse?" my tone is harsh now, and I think Elijah notices.

"My family was once quite close" Elijah says, "But Klaus and my father did not get on too well. When we became vampires we discovered the truth…Klaus was not my father's son"

"You mother had been with someone else" I supply when it seemed like Elijah would not continue.

Elijah nods,

"It was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different blood line. Of course when my father discovered this, he hunted down the…..he killed my mother's lover, and his entire family. Not realising of course that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day"

"Shit. All that just because your mother did the frik frak with someone else?" I say, shocked by what I'm hearing.

The frik frak? Ok, not the most sensitive way I could have said that.

"Wait the species? You mean the vampires and the….werewolves right?" my eyes widen with the realisation, "So, Klaus is a….werewolf? He can't be a werewolf and a vampire…can he?"

Oh please God let him say no.

Elijah's expression saddens sympathetically when he answers,

"Nicklaus is indeed both"

Damn. That's the last time I wish upon a star.

"A hybrid will be deadlier than any werewolf or vampire" Elijah continues, "Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power, therefore the witches saw to it that my brothers werewolf wide would become… dormant"

Excellent. Thanks for that witches.

"So Klausy wousy wants to break a curse that stops him from being a vampire?"

"Yes, he wants to trigger the part of himself that is a werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He's create his own race"

"Ohhhh no, that's not good"

"I agree, it would not be good at all. For anyone"

I narrow my eyes at Elijah,

"But you helped him"

"I helped him because I loved him" Elijah says. Yeah, I get that.

I have to imagine what it would be like if Elena wanted to sire her own bloodline….aaaaahhhhhhhhh, that would be even worse than this!

"We have the dagger now Elijah, can't we just use that to stop him?"

I'm feeling a wave of 'no' coming my way.

"It won't work. There's only one way to kill any supernatural species…at the hands of the servants of nature themselves"

"A witch. If they can channel that much power" Damn, damn, damn!

"The curse must be broken during a full moon" Elijah says, "When Klaus is in transition he will be at his most vulnerable. A witch who can channel that much power can kill Klaus"

Oh, goodie. This solves nothing, Bonnie still seems to be the only option.

I arch an eyebrow at Elijah,

"What if I told you I know a witch you can channel that much power"

"Then I would tell you that there's one more thing that you should know" Elijah adds criptically.

Ah, not more stuff!

"I found a way to possibly spare the life of the doppelganger all those years ago" he says.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise,

"You did?"

Elijah's eyes bore deeply into mine as he answers,

"Yes, I did Ever. But unfortunately Katerina took matters into her own hands first. I believe you already know how that played out"

I realise something else then that almost makes me smile,

"You cared about her. You cared about bitchzil-Katerina"

Elijah smiles self deprecatingly and he moves slightly closer to me when he says,

"It's a common mistake I'm told"

I sigh heavily,

"Some might say that, yes"

Elijah eases away from me again. I catch hold of his arm, fast, wanting to ask something else, but not sure exactly how to phrase the question.

"Can I ask you something Elijah?"

He raises an eyebrow sceptically, but answers,

"Yes, you can ask"

'But I might not answer', is what he doesn't say.

I nod in acknowledgement before asking,

"Is Sinbad in as much danger as me?"

There are a thousand things I want to know about Sin, but that questions seems the most important. And it's something I think Elijah will actually answer.

Elijah takes in a deep breathe, his expression seems to be hiding emotions he doesn't want me to see.

"No" Elijah frowns, "Sinbad Salvatore is in more danger than you could ever possibly imagine"

I knew he'd say something like that. I'm so worried about everyone I love, and obviously for my own life as well. But…I just get such a bad feeling about all this stuff with Sin and the Originals, especially Klausy wousy.

"Why?" I ask desperately, even though I'm pretty sure Elijah won't give me a straight answer.

But to my surprise, he does say,

"Sin is truly special. And that comes at a price"

Everything does these days.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Would you two stop tizzying around. You're giving me a headache"I snap at my two prowling brothers.

That's the only way I can describe it. It's like they're both lions trapped in a cage. A cage of their own stupidity.

"Ever is fine" I add with meaning behind my words. More for Jenna's benefit than anyone else's, as she keeps sliding worrying looks around the room from her seat next to me on the sofa.

"You don't know that" Damon practically snarls at me.

I roll my eyes,

"Ever Gilbert is more than capable of making her own decisions. I trust her. And so should you"

Stefan sighs and stops pacing. He runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"He's right. We should trust Ever"

"Shut up Stefan" Damon says, but there's not much heat behind it.

"Have you heard from her at all?" Elena asks, equal concern in her eyes.

"Not since this morning" I say.

Suddenly the woman herself comes stepping into the living room with Eli right behind her. I feel both of my brothers tense, and I prepare myself to stop them from doing something ridiculous before we know what's actually going on.

"Ever, are you alright?" Stefan asks. Damon is just staring at her like he wants to tear the world apart. He's pissed. I see an argument coming swiftly on the horizon.

Ever looks between Stefan and Damon before turning to Eli and saying,

"I'm fine guys, seriously, there's no need to stalk or glare at the carpet. I've made a new deal with Eli"

"Oh good, that makes everything so better" Damon snarks, his face like thunder.

Ever's expression faulters for a moment, and I see Stefan wince in sympathy, almost as if he can feel exactly what she's feeling. He looks like he wants to go to her, and i can't help but wonder who Ever wants to comfort or touch her right now.

Eli steps forward, his gaze fixed intensely on me when he says,

"I mean none of you harm. But, there is one thing I would like"

Stefan arches an eyebrow at that and asks,

"What do you want from us?"

Eli smiles slightly and answers,

"An apology"

I take one look at Damon's face and I just know that there is no way in fucking hell that he will apologise to Eli. Not in this lifetime.

"I'm sorry for what we did to you, I was just trying to protect Ever. I will always do everything I can to protect her" Stefan says with a determined look in his eyes.

"I accept your apology, and I quite understand the urge to keep the one you love safe" Eli says with another pointed heated stare at me.

Damn him. Now i feel like I'm being torn apart by the fire inside my body.

"You know how I feel Eli" I all i say, and he nods mutely at me in acceptance.

We all look to Damon, who is probably about two seconds away from killing someone right now. Damon narrows his eyes at Eli and says in that drawling pissed off voice of his,

"I'm not sorry. And just because this lot are stupid enough to trust you, doesn't mean I am"

Ever moves forward, pain in her eyes,

'"Day, please-"

Damon growls under his breathe and he fixes her with an accusatory glare,

"You want to make your own decisions, fine. Just don't expect me to pretend I'm happy about you pushing me away"

With that Damon walks out of the room. Ever is left looking stricken, and Stefan seems torn. Jenna and Elena look con used, Eli seems slightly amused, and as for me...I want to go to bed where a gorgeous uncomplicated Jeremy is waiting for me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! xxx
> 
> Please comment! xxx


	61. The last day-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KLAUS AND SIN!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-first chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I wouldn't be worrying about my A level exams! xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

The Last Day-part 1

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I'm surrounded by idiots" Damon exclaims as he downs the rest of his drink.

Eli explained the ritual to all of us in detail and revealed his plan to give Ever an elixir that might save her life. Key word there being might. I don't like this any more than Damon does, and I can tell Stefan is just putting a brave face on it for Ever's sake.

I exchange a glance with Stefan, who sighs heavily before saying to our brother,

"You know, you're not helping"

Damon turns a fierce glare on us,

"Elijah is an original vampire, one we tried to kill, but now suddenly you two are both willing to just believe whatever he says"

Surprisingly Stefan lets out a frustrated growl and snaps at Damon,

"What do you want me to do, Damon? Ever's made her decision, and she's chosen to trust Elijah. I'm putting my faith in her"

Damon's glare doesn't budge an inch,

"Why? She's gonna end up dead!"

Stefan's expression becomes more open than I've seen it in a long time, his green eyes searching out Damon's as he answers,

"Because Ever put her faith in me when I desperately needed it. She chose to help me with my…..my blood issues instead of turning her back on me like most people would have. She chose to trust me, Damon, and so now I'm choosing to trust her, completely"

Damon shakes his head in clear disdain,

"Then that makes you the biggest idiot of them all little brother"

I roll my eyes,

"Come on Damon, you know Ever is just trying to keep every one safe. She's not stupid, you know that" I meet his eyes when I add, "She chose to trust you too remember, even after all the shit you've pulled, she still trusts you"

Damon looks like he might be about to give in just a little, but then a hardness comes over his face and he scoffs loudly,

"Well then that just proves how wrong she can be then doesn't it"

Damon storms, there's no other word for it, back inside the boarding house.

Bloody big brother with his knickers in a twist.

I arch an eyebrow at Stefan and he shrugs in response. We both stand there like that, in silence for a while, then quite out of the blue Stefan asks quietly,

"How are you feeling about Klaus being here? I know you two shared a….history of some kind"

I almost want to burst out laughing at that, but I stop myself, instead replying,

"That's putting it mildly"

Stefan's brows furrow,

"So….are you willing to talk to me about it? Or….look, Sin, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but you obviously know Klaus better than-"

"Nick" I correct.

Stefan looks confusedly at me,

"What?"

I sigh and shake my head,

"Nick. I know Nick."

Stefan's eyes widen slightly and he says,

"You know…Nick…there's a difference?"

"Yes" I say without hesitation.

There is a difference. I met Nick. I liked Nick. I loved Nick. I ran from Klaus.

"You're saying they're not the same at all?" Stefan asks me curiously.

I shrug at that, and then pause for a moment before answering reluctantly,

"Sometimes they were the same. Sometimes Nick blended with Klaus. I just didn't quite…realise…..how much of Klaus there was in Nick."

Yeah, because that makes perfect sense.

Stefan's wild green eyes narrow on my face and I fight back the urge to snap at him. He's only trying to help, to be a good brother like he always.

"What the hell did he do to you Sinbad?"

I let out a strangled laugh, but there's not even a trace of real humour in it,

"I'm not a thing, Stefan"

Stefan doesn't seem to understand what I mean, which is fair enough. I'm not even sure I understand it all the time.

"A thing?" Stefan prompts me carefully.

I nod in his direction, but I don't look at him as I say,

"Yeah. I'm a person, not a good person, maybe even a really awful one, but a person nonetheless. I'm a murderer, a vampire, an assassin, a brother, a creature of dark magic, a Guar-" Nope, not going there right now, "I am all those things. But, I am most assuredly not someone else's possession. And I never will be"

I wait for Stefan's response, and when it comes it is decidedly anit-climatic.

"Oh, right" is all Stefan says.

I laugh for real this time, and Stefan gives me a strange glance like he thinks I've lost the plot. He's not exactly wrong. But honestly though; my big brother, good with the written word, not so much with the spoken.

Ever's P.O.V

I pick up the bottle of elixir. I look it over with some distaste. This could either save me or….God, I really don't want to think about the chance that I might die during this bitch of a ritual.

Elijah looks down at me almost speculatively and I meet his gaze unflinching. My hear still aches from Damon's harsh words last night, and the fact that he's been ignoring my every attempt to talk to him. I know he's hurting, and I'd do almost anything to stop that, but the one thing he wants from me is something I just can't make myself do.

I've done plenty of selfish things in my life, and to be honest, this whole completely selfless thing is new to me on a few levels. But I cannot let Bonnie die for me, I can't even fathom the idea of allowing that to happen.

Damon does understand that, despite what he's saying. He's just blinded by his love for me. But he's not stupid or ignorant. Damon would die for me, so he understands, at least to some extent, how I feel. But my Day is a stubborn bastard, and I know he won't ever simply admit that he would do the exact same thing it was me he had to protect.

Or maybe not the exact same thing, but at least something pretty damn similar. And he's do it to protect his brother too, even though he'ddefinitely never admit that this side of the grave.

Sinbad supports me….reluctantly. I mean, I can tell he doesn't like it, at all. But he won't turn against me. I have always felt as if Sin and I are….what's the right way to describe it? Kindred spirits? Yeah, I think that's it. If it were Sin, then I'd support whatever he felt was right, because I trust him, the same way he trusts me.

It's definitely been awkward for him with Elijah, and I know Sin is dealing with his own issues about Klausy wousy. I wish I could make that better for him somehow, but from what Jeremy's told me, there isn't much to be done but wait for something to happen and for Sin to lose it.

Stefan on the other hand…my heart squeezes just at the thought of Stefan. I know he's trying so hard to be ok with this, but I can also see quite obviously that he'd much rather behave the way Damon is. Or actually, he would rather do what Damon seemingly wants to do, and take me away to some isolated place where I'll be safe from crazy vampy people.

But he won't, because he has far too much respect for my decisions. My friendship with Stefan is like nothing I have with anybody else, even Damon. We trust and respect each other enough to be honest, and I think at some point Stefan will make his real views clear to me. Until then though he will support my choices without fail, just as I did with him when he was having a hard time controlling his blood lust.

I can feel through our bond that Stefan hates the fact that I'm in so much danger, and would do anything to protect me. He's trying to shield his feelings from me, but I can still pick up traces of them. Our bond just keep getting stronger, and I have no idea how to feel about that right now.

Elena and Jenna seem wary of what I'm doing, and I'm almost positive that Elena would do anything to take my place. Jeremy went back to be with Bonnie early this morning though, so at least I have one less person here who will keep giving me sad or angry looks.

Elijah's expression is searching, and I decide to end the silence between us by saying,

"They all hate that I'm doing this"

"Why are you willing to do it?" Elijah asks me with obvious curiosity.

I frown at that and try to come up with the right words to describe how I feel, but nothing seems adequate.

"I'm the key to breaking the curse. Klausy wousy is here because of me, I can't let the people I love suffer because they want to keep me safe"

"I don't want to mislead you Ever. You know there's a possibility that this elixir won't work" Elijah states plainly.

See, I'm surrounded by optimists.

"I know Elijah. But I just don't see any other option. I can't fight if I have nothing to fight with. And killing Bonnie is out of the question"

Elijah is about to reply when I hear a door slam and my aunt Jenna's voice saying,

"Get out"

And then Alaric's voice trying to placate her.

I exchange one glance with Elijah before moving towards the front door where Jenna is standing with a cross bow in her hands. The cross bow is aimed directly at Alaric. Uh oh, not good.

"Jenna put the cross bow down, it's me" Alaric tries to say.

But Jenna isn't having it and she snaps,

"Stay the hell away from me"

The Salvatore's and my Elena come out of various rooms to join me and I ask,

"What's going on people?"

"It's me, I swear. Klaus let me go" Alaric says pleadingly.

"Prove it" Damon orders irritably.

Alaric seems to think hard for a moment, and then his eyes fasten on Jenna,

"Ok, uh, the first night you and I spent together, Jeremy walked in right as I was about to-"

"It's him!" Jenna interrupts before he can go on.

There's an awkward moment where we are all forced to wonder about Alaric and Jenna's bedroom activities. But then Stefan saves us all by asking,

"Why did he let you go?"

"He wanted me to deliver a message" Alaric explains, "The sacrifice happens tonight"

Fuck! Is it too late to hide under my bed?

…

"So, you don't remember…anything that happened?" Stefan questions Alaric.

He shakes his head,

"No, it's like I blacked out and woke up three days later…..Katherine was there"

Ah, bitchzilla. Sin told me about giving her the vervain. Personally, I hope Klausy wousy kills the almighty bitchfoot, but I don't care enough to worry about it right now.

"Me and Damon snuck her some vervain" Sin says to Alaric.

I look around the living room, everyone is here except….

"Where is Damon?" I ask out loud to….everybody.

"I saw him go upstairs" Jenna says to me.

Damn, I really need to talk to him.

Figuring that they all have this handled down here, I get up to go find Damon. I feel Stefan's eyes on me as I leave, and I resist the urge to look back at him.

One Salvatore problem at a time.

I find Damon in his room, looking suspiciously broody, although I refrain from pointing that out as I don't think he'd find any part of it funny with the mood he's in right now.

"You disappeared" I comment casually.

Damon makes a grunting sound and replies,

"I didn't want to hear any more"

I move further into the room, my heart clenching painfully in reaction to Damon's closed off tone. He used to trust me more than anyone, and now he's being more standoffish than was even when we first met. Did I do that? Is it my own fault that he no longer feels like he can be open with me?

I brush those unhelpful thoughts aside for now and I say,

"I need you Day. I want you to talk to me, please"

Damon whirls around and stalks towards me with a determined fire in his eyes,

"Why?" he demands harshly, "it clearly doesn't matter to you what I think"

I grit my teeth for a moment, and I hold back a flinch at his words.

"I'll be alright Damon. I'll take the elixir. Bonnie will kill Klausy wousy. And then all this will finally be over"

Damon gives me an incredulous look,

"If it works. Key word there beingif"

"It will work" I say with all the conviction I can muster.

Damon shakes his head at me, his pale blue eyes pierce my skin and I suddenly feel hot all over,

"You think it will work. You want it to work. Why am I the only one convinced that it won't? There has to be another way, Ever"

"There isn't" I say firmly.

Damon's jaw hardens so much that I think it might just break, he moves even closer towards me,

"You'll die Ever"

"And then I'll come back to life-"

"That is not a risk I am willing to take" Damon snaps passionately, he steps closer to me until only inches separate us, "My brothers may be willing to just go along with this stupid plan, but I'm not"

"But it's my choice Damon" I grip his fisted hands in mine.

Our eyes meet and they lock, hard.

"This is my life Day. Mine. I can do whatever the hell I want, and it's not up to anyone else but me." I try desperately to convince him of what I'm saying.

Damon's mask cracks open, and I see the painful devastation in his eyes. It makes my heart hurt to see all that vulnerable pain waiting there just beneath the surface. They bore into mine with a ferocity that, in a strange way, I've missed.

"I can't lose you, Ev's" Damon whispers brokenly.

My grip tightens on his hands and I whisper back meaningfully,

"You won't. We're both way too stubborn to let me die"

We stare into each others eyes intensely for a few more moments. Then I let go of his hands and turn to leave him alone so that he can think over what we've talked about.

But I only get a few steps towards the door before Damon vamp speeds in front of me. His eyes now have that wild quality in them that I know means one of two things, either we're about to have crazy anger sex, or Damon is about to do something insane and Damon-y.

And I'll be honest, I don't think it's the sex thing.

"There is another way" Damon says dangerously.

My eyes widen, seeing his intent before he can even react. Damon's face goes all vampy and he bites into his wrists.

I shake my head and move backwards,

"No Damon, don't do this-"

But he ignores me and presses his bloodied wrist against my mouth. I try to struggle away, but Damon holds the back of my head in a firm grip and my strength is no match for his. I have no choice but to swallow the blood that comes gushing out of his wound.

Instinctively I reach out for Stefan with our unique bond, conveying my feelings to him through it.

Within seconds Stefan is ripping Damon away from me. I fall to the ground from the impact and Stefan throws Damon across the room. Stefan moves towards me, complete blind panic in his eyes. When he see's the blood around my mouth, Stefan turns on his brother whilst still standing protectively over me,

"What did you do? What the hell did you do Damon?!" Stefan demands, his tone conveying with absolute certainty that he is furious.

I'm choking a little on the blood, and Stefan kneels beside me, his hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"I saved her life" Damon answers Stefan's question harshly. His gaze burns into me. "You're so hell bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back"

"As a vampire" Stefan practically snarls at his brother, "She'll come back a vampire"

Stefan stands up straight again just as Damon growls back,

"Better than nothing at all"

Stefan shakes his head incredulously at his brother,

"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?"

Damon's gaze still burns like a blazing fire on my skin,

"Go ahead, promise me an eternity of misery, believe me, you'll get over it"

Son of a fucking bitch!

Stefan seems to feel the same way. I wince at the pure fury that rolls off him in waves, and it's all directed at Damon. Stefan snarls, sounding more vampire than human, and he grabs hold of Damon, only to throw him against the wall.

"Stefan!" I try to say, but it comes out rather weak.

Damon gets right back on his feet and snaps a table leg, the uses it to hold Stefan up against the opposite wall. There's uncontrollable anger in Damon's voice as he snarls back at Stefan,

"Admit it, you just wish you had the balls to do it yourself!"

The roar that comes out of Stefan's mouth almost makes me pass out, because the level of fury that fires through our bond is so damn fucking intense.

Stefan hits the makeshift stake away and then hits Damon in the face. Damon hits back, and then they become a blur of motion, I can't see exactly what they're doing, although I know it's something close to killing each other. They crash all over the room, and I try to clear my head and my voice enough to shout at them to stop.

Luckily, Sinbad must have heard all the noise, how could he not have, because he suddenly appears in the door way looking really pissed off. I can't exactly blame him, I'm pretty pissed off too.

He glances quickly at me, and with one sweep of the room Sin seems to understand exactly what happened. His eyes harden, the look in them like steel. Then he shouts loud enough for the whole house to hear,

"What the FUCK is wrong with you two?!"

Sin strides forward purposefully and in one swift motion, he grabs hold of both his brothers. Now that they've stopped vamp speeding around like mental, I can see that they both look pretty beat him. They're both still snarling at each other like two predators fighting for dominance. Then I remember that's exactly what they are.

They're also idiots. But right now Damon takes first in the place in the whole 'people I'm pissed off with' awards.

He's such a fucking…DAMON!

When I'm back on my feet and breathing properly I am so gonna kick his vampy ass!

He's going to get so many fucking Kevin's to the head that he'll become human again by the bloody force of it! I'll hit him so hard that his fangs will fall out!

But I can't do any of that if Stefan kills him, so it's just as well Sin is here to control, as he calls them, our pet idiots.

Broody and Pissy. Ha! More like Lord Fury and Master Moron.

Sin somehow holds them apart, and he manages to stop them from going at each other again by sheer will power alone. He releases Stefan first, dropping him to the ground. I move over to Stefan, wrapping an around his shoulder, both of us leaning on the other. Stefan's anger hasn't depleted much, but at least now he's out of murder territory.

Stefan pulls me to his body, holding me protectively. He looks into my face and his eyes ask me if I'm hurting. I shake my head, although I'm sure he can that that isn't true through our bond. Stefan just holds me tighter in response, a silent apology on his face.

Damon struggles against Sin, and eventually with a growl of disgust, Sin shoves Damon to the floor. He looks about ready to kick Damon's head in. But as usual, Sin doesn't act like an idiot just because he's angry. He does give Damon a filthy look though.

A look Damon deserves right now.

Sin's gaze shifts between Stefan and me, and a still indignantly furious looking Damon, though all he says is,

"So, the other shoe has finally fucking dropped. Surprise, surprise, but hey, who doesn't love a good sequel"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I sit down next to Damon at the bar and order us both a drink. I decided to take Damon out to Grill. First of all, because I'm still pretty sure Stefan is one remark away from putting a stake through Damon's heart for what he's done to Ever. Secondly, because I want a fucking drink. And thirdly, because if I stay at home with Damon to have a drink, then I might shove a stake through the bastard's heart.

I just want to shake him to death. My brother can be a real ass sometimes, but this is taking it to a whole new level. I know that, for Ever, it won't be about the whole vampire thing, it'll be about trust. He's just smashed to pieces Ever's trust in him.

Bloody idiot.

I sit there with Damon, both of his leaning on the bar, as I wait for the pin to drop for my eldest brother. It doesn't take as long as I thought it would.

"I screwed up" Damon says.

I nod slowly at him,

"Yes. Yes you really did"

There's a pause where Damon doesn't say anything and I realise I'll have to continue. I fix my gaze steadily on my brother, and after a while he actually turns to look at me, those eyes of his that are almost exactly identical to mine, are filled with self loathing and regret. Good. That's a step in the right direction.

I lean forward and sigh heavily, my eyes meeting his, before I say dryly,

"You know brother, Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. So, next time you decide to do something stupid, Damon…..just….think about that, think about it hard"

Just then my heart starts to pound like crazy, and I feel dizzy, like I've just woken up from a very interesting dream. I recognise the symptoms too late, and only moments later I hear his voice say,

"Gentlemen, I do hope those long faces aren't because of me"

My whole body stiffens, and I have to fight the urge to….to….fuck, I don't even know what I want to do right now.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

And fuck some more!

Fuck a duck, some hedgehogs and a freakin' panda!

This can't be happening. Oh, but it is.

I don't turn to face him. I can't.

I want to. Maybe. Sort of. Oh God, I don't know.

I am dimly aware of Damon saying,

"So, Klaus I presume"

All I can really comprehend is his white hot gaze on me. It scolds me from the inside out, and my heart hurts. It hurts so fucking bad that I can barely stand it.

"In the flesh" he says in that smooth tone of his that is somewhat similar to Elijah's, but also completely different if you're used to hearing them both speak.

The accent is the same, but the tone….the tone is different. They mean things differently, and their voices convey everything.

But only if you listen in the right way.

"Any reason you've stopped in to say hi" Damon asks, with a hidden edge of cold hard steel to his voice. I feel it then, Damon placing himself between me and…him. He's trying to protect me, even if he's not consciously thinking about it.

"Well, I've been told you and your brother fancy my doppelganger. Just thought I'd remind you not to do anything you'll regret"

Damon laughs self deprecatingly,

"Yeah, thanks for the advice. Is there any chance I could talk you into a postponement?"

I don't see it, but I feel his smirk,

"You are kidding, right?"

"Oh, come on, what's one month in the whole grand scheme of things" Damon says.

He clears his throat, and I feel him move closer to Damon. I swallow hard, but I still can't move, or even flicker my eyes over to see him.

"Let me make this clear" his voice holds that knife edge threatening tone I remember so well, "I have my vampire. I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight, so if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up"

I can still feel his eyes on me. God, it still hurts. I don't know what to do, I feel like I'm losing my shit. There are too many emotions for me to handle all at once. I'm digging my nails into my hands so much that I know there's blood dripping from my fists.

He clears his throat again and says,

"So, is there anything else?"

Damon takes a step forwards, his body still angled to protect me. Damon's voice drops a few levels as he says,

"Yeah, actually, just one little thing" his voice gets even sharper, "Stay, the fuck, away from my baby brother"

I almost gasp out loud in response to the obvious venom behind Damon's words. There have not been many times in our lives when Damon has played the big brother card, not since we became vampires anyway. But its times like this that I know both my brothers are worth all the other shit they put me through. Because, in the end, they'd die for me, just like I'd die for them.

I already died for them once. And I'd do it again in a heart beat. Even though Damon and Stefan can be complete asshats sometimes.

He laughs darkly, and I can't help the powerful shiver that ricochets up my spine. Damn it! I should have known he'd still affect me like this. He always has been able to somehow.

My worst nightmare moves past Damon and trails one hand over the back of my neck. Causing all sorts of fireworks to explode inside my body, making me feel like I'm being ripped apart. I still haven't looked at him, but I don't need to, I'll remember his face for as long as I exist. His words are a whispered caress when he says to me,

"I'm glad you haven't run my Angel. I didn't want to have to drag you back like last time. I meant what I said in that note, I have missed you. Stay safe my Angel"

With that, a man who was the center of my universe, walks out of the Grill.

I can still feel his fingers on my neck. I know ten thousand showers won't wash that feeling away.

I feel like I'm burning to ash from the inside out, and there's nothing I can do to control it. Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

With all my battered soul.

With all my black heart.

My love.

My Angel.

Always.

Promise.

Promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, Sinbad was obviously deeply affected by Mr.badass Original. Let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see happen between Sin and Klaus. Should Sin give in to his past? Do you want to know more about his developed relationship with Klaus? Please do let me know, it would help me a lot! Xxx
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	62. The Last Day-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BIG CLIFFY AND SURPRISE ENDING!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-second chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd probably kill off Tyler, I'm sorry, but it's true xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

The Last Day-part 2

 

Ever's P.O.V

"Where are we?" I ask Stefan as I trudge along behind him.

Ugh, I hate walking. I am against exercise as a concept.

"It's, uh, a surprise" Stefan answers without looking back at me.

I huff out a breathe,

"I'm not a vampy person yet Stef, my legs still get tired from all this walking rubbish"

Stefan smiles back at me, a teasing glint in his eyes,

"Stop whining, Everlyna"

I cough indignantly,

"Hey, hey, look at all this…free lance walking I've been doing. You better appreciate it, I wouldn't just do this for anyone"

Stefan shrugs,

"I could carry you on my back"

I almost take him up on that, but then I shake my head,

"No. That's too Twilighty, even for us"

Stefan barks out a laugh and slows down a bit so I can catch up. He looks me in the eye and asks,

"Are you ready to talk about how you're feeling about…everything?"

I almost trip over a flaming twig.

DAMN IT TWIGS!

I'M TRYING TO DO SHIT, GET OUT OF MY EFFING WAY!

I kick a twig a bit too aggressively and Stefan raises a questioning eyebrow at me, when I glare at him he just shakes his head in amusement.

I gasp dramatically at Stefan and place a hand over my heart,

"Ha, I knew this was a trick. You're gonna make me talk about my feelings aren't you"

"We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about" Stefan says reasonably, but then his gaze meets mine again and he adds, "But I think it would help if you told me how you feel about becoming a vampire"

I shrug and reluctantly reply,

"Honestly Stefan, I don't know how I feel. I woke up today thinking I was probably going to die. Now I know I'll be a vampire. In some ways I suppose I feel worse, but in others I feel kind of relieved. It's confusing as hell"

Stefan stops suddenly and I frown at him. I follow his line of sight, and my eyebrows raise when I see the massive waterfall. It makes me smile, as I can feel it means something to Stefan through our bond. Stefan seems content just to stare at it, and because of his feeling of contentment I feel more content too.

It's strange to be bonded to another person like this. Stefan's wants and emotions are becoming intertwined with my own, and the more time we spend together, the harder it is for me to distinguish between which feelings are his, and which feelings are mine.

"This is beautiful Stefan. I think I remember you telling me about this place before" I say, awed by the creation of nature in front of me.

Stefan turns to face me, his eyes boring deeply into my skin as he says,

"I think you do know how you feel Ever. I just want you to know that it's ok to tell me"

"And I think you already know how I feel, you just want me to say it out loud" I counter with a small smile.

Stefan looks at me seriously in contemplation,

"Maybe. But today is about you, and…..it's a long way to the top"

"We could talk about a lot of things" I suggest thoughtfully.

Stefan nods in agreement,

"Yeah, we could. Whatever you want Ever, it's yours"

I arch an eyebrow suggestively at Stefan,

"Sounds like a plan. Lead the way Dr. Steffy"

Stefan holds out his hand to me, and I take it without any hesitation or words of encouragement from him. He's right though, I do know how I feel, about a lot of things actually. I'm just finding it hard to figure out how to put it into words that Stefan will understand. Then again, if anyone could understand me even when I don't understand myself, then it's Stefan.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Are you trying to get me killed?!" Katerina shouts accusingly.

"Tempting, but no" I say as Damon shoves Katerina up against the wall of Alaric's apartment. Alaric invited us in. Now, technically, I should point out, that the whole being locked out/'needing to be invited in' thing doesn't work on me. Just like vervain doesn't work on me. Not that I'm about to tell Damon that. I'm not completely insane.

Anyway, the question of my sanity aside, it's now Damon's bright idea to mess with Nicklaus's plan by dognapping his werewolf so he'll have to postpone the ritual for another month. He thinks Ever might forgive him for being a first class noob, if he stops the ritual from happening tonight.

Why do I let him drag me into these things? I must be smarter than this, right. I always thought I was. But, now, here I am, still in Mystic Falls when I should have run at the mere mention of Nicklaus's name. I should have been gone. I ran from him for a God damn fucking reason. Many reasons actually.

He affects me like….no one else in the world ever could.

I can still feel his fingers on my neck, and his commanding words inside my head. I can sense that he's been inside this apartment.

I fucking hate how easily he can get under my skin. It's not even fear like most people would think, it's just…..mine and Nick's relationship is complicated. Very, very complicated. I don't even know how to describe it. What we had, or at least what I thought we had, was…..fuck, there just aren't words in existence to do it justice.

I remember when I tried to run. The first time, I mean.

He came after me, all guns blazing. I didn't stand a chance in hell. It was brutal. I should have known how he'd react. I really should have. But I'd just gotten my humanity back and wasn't thinking straight at all. All I knew, was that I needed to run, to escape, so I could clear my head of all the crap and start over.

But I didn't tell him that. Maybe that's where I went wrong. Maybe if I'd explained it…..no, fuck, he's getting inside my head already. None of that was my fault, it wasn't. I should have been able to leave whenever I wanted. Just because he thinks he owns the world, doesn't mean he does damn it.

"We gave you vervain" Damon says to Katerina, his hand wrapped around her throat, "Now we're here to collect"

"I think we've got it from here Ric" I say to Alaric who is still hanging out by the door.

"Are you sure?" he asks, darting an uncertain gaze towards Damon.

I nod and gesture at my brother,

"Yep, I'll control Pissy over here, no worries"

"I need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf" Damon snaps at Katerina impatiently.

She pushes him away and takes a few steps forward, her eyes flicker over to me, and I smile weakly.

"Why?" she asks, "What are you going to do?"

"Dead werewolf equals no ritual" Damon answers simply.

Katerina shakes her head at my brother,

"No Damon, you can't interfere. Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met. Sin, tell him, you know how Klaus can be"

"I just need to delay this thing" Damon says, ignoring her words of warning just like he ignored mine.

"No, no way" Katerina says, and she walks past Damon as if to say that the matter is closed.

Oh, please let it be closed.

"You should like this, it'll buy another month of your pathetic life" Damon tries to argue.

"Nice Damon, really convince her with those kind words" I say, nodding in mock approval.

"You agreed to help" is all Damon says to me.

I shake my head and sigh,

"No, actually, I said I wouldn't stop you, and that I'd come to make sure you don't die. That's not helping, that's misplaced brotherly loyalty"

"Yeah, and plus, I'm not the vampire Klaus is planning on sacrificing" Katerina says smugly.

Why have I still not killed her?

"Who's he sacrificing then?" I ask in irritation.

Of course he wouldn't sacrifice Katerina, he'd be more dramatic than that and choose someone who could hurt Ever. So, what, that means one of my brothers. No, he wouldn't hurt them. At least, he promised he'd never hurt my brothers once. But then I promised to stay with him forever, so maybe he considers his promise void as well.

No, wait…..oh shit…oh fuck a…..so that's why I haven't heard from my new blond bestie all day. Damn it Nick!

"He's got Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood" Katerina says, confirming my thoughts, "Which means, I'm in the clear"

Ok, way too smug for my liking.

Damon must think so too, because he says.

"What makes you think that?" and stalks towards her full on predator style.

Katerina holds her hands up,

"Hey, hey, I'm just trying to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here"

Damon stops, and he seems to struggle with his next words for a long time. Finally, he says,

"What if I told you, Ever has vampire blood in her system?"

Katerina's face is so full of shock that I almost laugh out loud.

"What?" she snaps.

I jerk my thumb at Damon,

"Yeah, this idiot thought it would be a good idea to force feed Ever some of his blood. Because, you know, forcing women to do things is world renowned for being incredibly romantic"

Damon narrows his eyes at me,

"Shut up Sinbad, I know I fucked up alright"

I nod earnestly, and say like I'm talking to a stupid child,

"Yes, yes you did fuck up. You fucked up a lot. Like really, seriously, a lot." And I add just to piss him off, "Now Ever might choose Stefan because he's not as much of an idiot"

Damon growls at me,

"You don't know that"

I raise an eyebrow back at him,

"What, that Stefan's less of an idiot than you. You're right, I don't know that for sure, we haven't completed the official testing. But I'd say, based on today's events, that we can safely assume that Stefan is definitely proving himself to be decidedly less of an idiot than you, purely because he didn't try to turn the woman he loves into a bloody vampire against her bloody will. You complete and utter nit wit!"

Damon takes a deep breathe, which suggests he's trying not to lose his shit at me,

"Are you done?" he asks in a fake calm voice.

I shrug nonplussed,

"Who can really say? Life is a complicated thing. I believe it was Mark Twain who said-"

Damon grits his teeth,

"SHUT UP SIN! You're so God damn annoying sometimes. I'm starting to feel bad for baby Gilbert"

"Good, at least now we're on a level playing field, because I always felt bad for Ever" I say unaffectedly. Before Damon can say something useless, I turn to Katerina and continue, "Just think how fun it would be to compete with Ever for my affection for the rest of eternity"

Katerina scowls, but she answers anyway just like I knew she would,

"The tomb. He's got them in the tomb"

"Thank you Kitty kat" I say to her with a smile.

Damon smirks at me,

"I knew you'd help in the end"

I roll my eyes at him,

"I hate you so much"

Damon's smirk just gets wider,

"I know baby brother, I know"

Idiot.

Ever's P.O.V

"Bonnie's gonna have to make me a day ring thingy" I say to Stefan, then I make a face, "Oh, she's gonna be so pissed when she finds out another one of her friends is a vampire"

"You're not a vampire yet" Stefan says, as if that's actually helpful.

I give him hard stare,

"I KNOW Stefan, I kind of realised that since I'm not out hunting peasants-"

"Humans"

"Yeah, them"

Stefan's shoulders shake with silent laughter and I hit him lightly on the shoulder. Then I stop suddenly and say,

"Holy shit! Do you think I'll become all evil and stuff? Will I eat Jeremy or Jenna? Or, like, Abbi Wilder?"

Stefan stops too and arches an eyebrow questioningly,

"Who's Abbi Wilder?"

I make a flipping gesture with my hand,

"She's this girl I kinda hate. She sits behind me in maths. If I do go mental, I hope I eat her first"

Stefan frowns and asks,

"Why, what did she do?"

I shrug,

"She breathes really loudly"

"And for that you think she deserves death" Stefan asks incredulously.

I cross my arms and shrug again,

"No, but, like, it's really, really, really loud. I already suck at maths, I don't need some thunderous monster practically snoring in my ear the whole time"

"That's it?"

"Sometimes she kicks my chair too"

Stefan shakes his head, and says with an amused look on his face,

"I would have thought your first victim would be John"

I gasp and start dancing on the spot,

"I don't need to be evil for that Stef. No, I'd just compel him to take my insults as intended for once. He pretends I'm being nice to him all the time. I don't like it. How am I meant to make him go away if he refuses to acknowledge my outrageous behaviour towards him? I mean, if I told you to piss off because I don't like you, you'd be upset about it, right?"

Stefan nods in that way I know means he's humouring me,

"Very upset, yeah. I'd probably cry."

I smirk at him,

"Piss off Stefan, I don't like you"

Stefan stamps his foot like a five year old and actually storms away from me. I chase after him calling,

"Stef! No Stef, I didn't mean it!"

Stefan flings his hand up and without looking at me calls back in a mock upset voice,

"No, that's it. I know where I'm not wanted! I'm leaving"

He's not going that fast really, so I eventually catch up to him and tackle his back. Most guys would probably fall over, but because of Stefan's vampyness, he just grabs hold of my legs as I wrap them around his waist. My arms go around his neck. The whole thing happens with a lot more finesse than I expected to be honest.

We don't say anything for a while as Stefan walks and I cling onto him, more and more casually by the second. Eventually though Stefan says,

"I thought this was too Twilighty for us"

I shrug even though he can't see it and reply,

"Yeah, well, I'm lazy. Just don't call me your spider monkey and we'll be fine"

We lapse into a comfortable silence again for about ten minutes, until a question strikes me, and I decide to go ahead and ask it,

"What's the best part about being a vampire?"

I tried asking Damon that once. I regretted it.

Ah, Damon.

I really hope he's alright, and not doing anything insanely stupid just because he thinks that I hate him. Sure, I'm pissed that he did something like that without my permission, but it's not like it takes away everything that's ever been good between us. One bad thing doesn't wipe away everything else. But I'm guessing Damon won't think about it that way. Because he can be a real dummy when he's upset.

Sin's with him though, so he should be fine. I trust Sin to look after his brother.

Stefan takes a while to answer, but eventually he says,

"The ability to do anything, to be anyone. Everything that's beautiful becomes even more beautiful, because everything is heightened. You live more intensely."

Oh crikey, I don't think I can take much more intensity in my life.

"I don't have to ask about the worst, do I?"

Stefan shakes his head,

"No, I'm pretty sure you already know the worse"

I nod,

"The bad emotions could destroy me if I let them"

Stefan pauses for a second, and I frown down at the back of his head,

"What's wrong Stef?"

Stefan shifts me up a little higher so we'll both be more comfortable and says,

"Nothing. I just think you're strong enough to handle the bad emotions. If anyone can, then it's you"

Then I ask a question I know we both want the answer to,

"Do you think our…connection will become more intense too?"

Stefan keeps on walking, but his whole body stiffens,

"I don't know Ever. Maybe. I don't know any more about it than you do"

I nod again in acceptance,

"Yeah, I know you don't. But, hell, I can't imagine being any closer to you than I already am emotions-wise"

"You can't?" Stefan asks, a strange quality to his tone now.

"Maybe we could be closer on a different level….like…if you and I were…."

"Together" Stefan supplies nervously.

I clear my throat,

"Yeah I….if we were…together….then we'd share a different level on intimacy than just being friends"

"Do you want that?" Stefan asks, his voice now definitely careful and guarded.

I sigh heavily and my arms tighten around Stefan,

"It's not that I don't want to be close to you Stefan. I do, you have no idea how much. But, I need to sort out everything in my head before I make some drastic decision"

"Even after what he did today, you still love him" Stefan says, he doesn't sound angry though, more thoughtful if anything.

"Yeah, I do, which probably makes me the biggest moron in Mystic Falls" I say.

Stefan laughs at that,

"Not really. After all the things he's done to me, I still care about him"

I laugh as well,

"True. I guess we're both morons then"

"Yeah, or maybe we just both know he's better than that" Stefan suggests firmly.

I smile and kiss the back of Stefan's head, causing a happy buzz to travel through our bond,

"I hope so Stef, I really do"

…

We get to the top just as the sun is setting and Stefan lets me jump down off his back.

"Ah, God, finally we made it. I was starting to get really worn out"

Stefan slides an ironic look my way and I smirk at him.

"This is nothing" Stefan says, "I climbed mount Everest"

I roll my eyes and poke him in the stomach,

"No one likes a bragger Stef"

I look out over the view then, and another wave of awe envelops me,

"Wow" I say.

"Yeah" Stefan agrees. Then I feel his eyes on me and he says,

"You can say it you know"

I frown at him,

"What?"

Stefan gives me a knowing look,

"The thing that you think makes you a bad person"

I take a deep breath, and the heat of tears starts to build up behind my eyes. I turn to fully face Stefan and I say,

"It doesn't matter Stefan"

Stefan nods, but he says,

"But I think it would make you feel better"

I release some of the pressure off of my heart and mind before admitting something I didn't even know was true until today. My eyes lock with Stefan's and I shiver at the intensity of his gaze.

"I….Stefan I…"

Stefan moves closer to me, he cups my cheek in his hand gently,

"I know you've thought about it before, you can tell me anything Ever, I won't judge you for it. You've seen me at my worst, and you've heard all the stories from my past, and you still want to be around me. How could I ever turn away from you after all that? Just tell me"

I bite my lip for a moment, but I lean into his touch, and our bond starts buzzing like crazy with heat and anticipation,

"I don't mind being turned into a vampire Stefan…maybe that's why I'm taking this so well. My future…..has always felt so uncertain to me. I never felt like there was something I truly wanted to do, or be. Like, Elena, she wants to be a writer, and she wants to have a family. I know that she does, even though she doesn't say so. I know I'm only seventeen, and that I haven't experienced life enough to have made up my mind about everything. But, I want to live my life differently. I don't want to live a normal life like everyone else, which I know sounds stupid, but I've always felt like I didn't quite fit. I don't really want to go to college. I don't really want to have a normal family where I know I'll never feel like I belong. I feel most at home with you, Sin and Damon at the boarding house these days. My house just doesn't even feel like my home anymore, not since my parents died. I love Jeremy and Elena and Jenna, but I don't…I don't think I'll ever be part of their world. But when I'm with you and your brothers at the boarding house, I feel like….maybe I could finally fit. When I found out you were all vampires it was like….this whole new world opened up to me that I could maybe one day be a part of. I can't imagine ever not having you and Damon in my life, it would just be so wrong"

I pause before saying the last part, as tears are already streaming down my face, but Stefan encourages me,

"You can say it Ever"

I nod and resolve to be completely honest,

"I didn't expect to become a vampire so soon, and I'd rather of waited, obviously, but I really do think it's something I would have chosen to do eventually"

"I know, I could always see that. And there's nothing wrong with it Ever, there really isn't. You don't have to feel guilty about thinking you might have one day chosen to become a vampire" Stefan says, his voice firm and understanding.

I fling my arm around his neck and Stefan pulls me into a tight embrace.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Damon and I reached the tomb in record time, although we got interrupted by manly Sabrina. He tried to use his witchy ju ju on us, or more accurately Damon. My brother fell down in pain and I just stood there for a moment wondering why wasn't on the ground as well.

Manly witch looked at me and said, '"I'm under orders not to hurt you"'.

Apparently Nick's protectiveness is still firmly in tact. Goodie for me. Back when we were….well, us, he wouldn't let anyone hurt me, not even in a fight for fun. I feel bad for the whole Kol situation, that really was my fault.

Rebekah was my best friend, no, actually, she was like the sister I never had. Kol was the one who I felt was my best friend. Back then. It feels like a thousand years ago now, so much has changed. Most of all me, I'm different. I am not the same man I was when I had Nick, or Eli.

I looked manly witch in the eye and said, '"Well, then, this should be much easier"'.

Before he could even think about revising his plan not to hurt me, I vamp speeded over to him and snapped his neck.

Damon got up off the ground just in time to see Matt come through the tree's with a GUN! He shouldn't have a gun, he's, like, ten or something.

Little Matty blue eyes. He looked a lot less innocent with a gun in his hands. A lot hotter though too.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked, looking just as confused as I felt right then.

Matt countered with,

"Where's Caroline?"

Then Damon knocked Mat out with his own gun, quite rudely actually.

We went down to rescue Caroline, and reluctantly fluffy Jr.

As we come out of the tomb, Caroline runs over to Matt, she kneels down next to him. She turns back to me and Damon in anger and snaps,

"Did you hit him?"

"Nah, he slipped and hit his head on a rock….a very…Damon shaped rock" I say flippantly.

It's fucking dark and fluffy Jr. should be go all ninja fluffy on us soon enough.

Speaking of….

Fluffy Jr's hand flies to his heart and he goes down onto one knee with a sound of pain erupting from his mouth.

"It's starting" he gasps.

Excellent.

Damon groans,

"Great, grab boy wonder and let's go"

I help Caroline get Matt back up on his feet and we follow after Damon.

As we move through the forest I get a call from Stefan,

"Bad time now brother, we're on a bear hunt" I say.

"Where are you? Klaus has taken Ever, the rituals happening" 

He sounds really upset and pretty damn frantic. As he should be, the girl he loves is about to get murdered by my ex. God, I hate living forever, the world is too small.

My hear clenches at the thought of Ever being hurt by anyone, let alone Nick.

"We're in the woods-" I start, but then the phone cuts out. He hung up on me, the bastard.

Damon looks back at me and asks,

"What's going on?"

I tense and reply,

"He's got Ever"

Damon's eyes widen in pain, anger and absolute panic. But he manages to get those emotion under control somehow and he says through gritted teeth,

"We'll handle it"

I nod,

"Right yeah, we will"

How you ask, well, uh, we're still working on that.

Just then though Stefan comes out of nowhere. I really should have sensed him. The thought of Ever hurt and Nick being here is turning my head to mush. My senses are going haywire.

"Hey brother, we're just…doing….stuff" I say awkwardly.

Stefan looks just as distressed as Damon does, they both seem to be about two seconds away from losing it completely.

What doesn't help is Fluffy Jr. falling to the ground and starting to change into a wolf. No, that does not help at all thank you very much universe.

"I can't hold it off" Fluffy Jr confesses to us most unhelpfully.

"It'll be fine Tyler, just hold on, it's only a little further" Caroline tries to say.

But Fluffy Jr just growls, like proper growling I mean,

"Just go!"

And then he tries to attack Caroline. Stefan is closest so he tackles Fluffy Jr before me or Damon can.

Fluffy Jr tries to eat Stefan by the sounds of things, but Stefan manages to throw him off. I frown at my brother,

"Stefan-"

"I'm fine" Stefan snaps, and I see no reason to argue.

"Get out of here" Fluffy Jr snarls, his face already changing.

"Well you heard Fluffy Jr, lets bloody well go. We have a ritual to crash people" I say.

Damon hands over some wooden bullets to Caroline and Matt to keep Fluffy Jr at bay, and they ru off, hopefully towards somewhere safer than here, which would be, like, anywhere else.

With an understanding between me and my brothers, we all vamp speed away. Helping Ever is the number one priority for me. I don't want to watch Nick die, I think it would break something in me. I have no idea how Eli will do it, he loves Nicklaus, I know he does. I could never kill Stefan or Damon, no matter what they did, and they've done a lot of shit over the years.

Maybe we really can get Nick to postpone, although everything in me is shouting that nothing we do will stop him from getting what he wants.

Ever's P.O.V

I'm lead through the forest by a witch.

"Where the frak are we going?" I ask, panic starts to rise in me a bit.

It's all so damn creepy. Why couldn't we do this someplace that doesn't remind me of a bad horror flick?

Irrationally I start to think that this reminds me of that episode in The Werewolf diaries where Helena is meant to be sacrificed by an evil Alpha, and the werewolf Stormstrong brothers, Steven and Damien, try to save her.

Yeah, like that's anything like this.

"This way" the witch answers me.

I get a better look at her in the light of the moon and instantly it becomes obvious who she is,

"You're Lucas's sister, right? I heard about you, he and your father were looking for you. Went a bit crazy about it actually"

"They were wasting their time" she says, "I wasn't lost"

I see. So witches can be heartless bitches too, good to know.

I almost trip over a damn rock.

DAMN IT ROCKS!

GET OUT OF MY WAY!

First the twigs and now the rocks?

God, it's a freakin' conspiracy.

Witchy does a ju ju thing though and fire flashes up all around me.

I have decided that I preferred the darkness.

There are circles on the ground made by rocks. My eyes flicker over each one. But then I do a double take of one ring. A body I recognise very vividly. Bitchzilla? Is he killing her as the vampire sacrifice? That would make sense I suppose, she is a vampire. It would be the sort of sick twisted irony I would expect Klausy wousy capable of.

But she isn't moving, she looks dead. And….there's something else off about her too.

I move towards bitchzilla, only when I kneel down in front of her face do I realise who I'm actually looking at. My eyes widen and my heart cracks.

"Elena" I say frantically, "Elena, oh fuck, no, no ELENA!"

I feel for a pulse at her neck….there isn't one…no, no, no, no, NO!

I look back over at the witch,

"He fucking killed her? Why?" I say, my words feeling like led inside my mouth, "I did everything that he asked, he had no fucking right to do this…..why?"

Just then though Elena comes gasping back to life. She bolts upright and I'm helpless to do anything but watch as Elena looks around frantically before her eyes settle on me.

"She's not dead" bitch witch says, "She's in transition"

Yeah, I kinda got that.

Fuck!

Elena looks at me, her eyes wide and confused as hell.

"Ever" she tries to say, but it comes out sounding a bit broken.

I feel anger and pain rip me apart inside as I stare in horror at my twin, I shake my head despairingly. All I can do is choke out the words,

"I'm so sorry Elena"

….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, big shit went down at the end of this chapter. I did promise a while ago that something would happen near the finale of season two that would either piss people off, or….that people would like. Please tell me what you think about my changes. Not just the one with Elena, but also about Ever's view on being a vampire and other stuff that the more perceptive of you might have picked up on. I really hope you didn't all hate it, because I was so nervous about writing it this way. ;) xxx
> 
> There are questions that now need answers:
> 
> Will Elena live or die?
> 
> Will Ever become a vampire?
> 
> Will one of the Salvatore's die, and which one could it be?
> 
> Will Nick be taking his Angel away from Jeremy by any means necessary?
> 
> The next few chapters will be VERY emotional, so get ready for that my peoples xxx
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! xxx


	63. The sun also rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama rama people!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-three chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd be dancing on the tables of the Grill right now! xxx
> 
> Please review! xxx

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

The Sun also Rises

Sinbad's P.O.V

"What is wrong with you?" Stefan practically growls, his eyes flashing with barely restrained anger.

I grab hold of his shoulder, pulling him back from Katherina. My own fury is buried deep, this isn't the time to lose control. Damon is standing near the door, looking about two seconds away from causing serious damage, I can't blame him for that.

There's something wrong with Stefan, I don't know what, but my 'super senses' are picking up something really bad. But then, this is still really not the time for it.

Katerina has just proven once and for all that she is the biggest bitch on the planet. Calling Elena and pretending to be Ever just so Nick could use her in the fucking sacrifice. Now, I'd expect this kind of thing from Nicklaus, so it's not really a shock to me that he actually did it. I just wish I'd paid better attention to my instincts, then maybe Elena would be safe right now.

Apparently Nick did some kind of spell that confirmed that Ever is the official doppelganger, yay for her. Using Elena in the sacrifice is just his way of telling us all to fuck off. He's always has to be the Alpha, the one in control, the one with the most power over everyone else. And fuck that used to turn me on like crazy, especially when my humanity was off.

Still does a little, and yes, I hate myself for that.

"Damon, take Stefan outside and wait for me" I tell to my eldest brother, he raises an eyebrow at me that says it all and I snap, "Now. Just this once, listen to me."

With a clench of his fists Damon moves forward and pulls Stefan out the door, Stefan only protests half heartedly, which tells me he's distracted. I shake my head, I can concentrate on my brother's state of mind later. For now, it's just me and good ol' bitchfoot.

Katerina moves closer to me and her hand lifts as if to touch my arm. I give her glare that very clearly states what will happen to her if she touches me right now. I shake my head at my first love, unsure of what there is to actually say after everything that has happened between us.

"You crossed a lone Katerina. Again. How many do you think you can cross before you fall right off the edge?"

Katerina sighs is frustration, her eyes search mine, pleading with me to understand,

"Klaus made me call Elena to lure her out. There was nothing that I could do, I didn't have a choice"

I scoff incredulously at that pile of bullshit,

"That's the whole reason I gave you the vervain, so that you had a choice"

"It was her or me Sin, I chose me" Katerina says bluntly.

I want to scoff again, but I've honestly had enough of this conversation,

"I helped you Katerina, even after all the shit you've pulled. You owed me. Now when Nick….when he…..dies" my voice breaks, and I hate that, I fucking can't stand the thought of it, "when Klaus dies, you'll walk out of here without a scratch and Elena, Ever and Jeremy's sister, dies. Somehow you're the only one that wins, and that pisses me off"

Katerina shrugs, and I want so badly to kill her for that callous gesture alone,

"I didn't let love get in the way"

I nod in acceptance of that, because, I know it's just the way she is, and I haven't expected anything different since the moment I saw her kiss my brother over a hundred years ago. She broke my heart, but I learned how to be strong enough to endure such things, and I guess I'll always owe her for that.

I brush the back of my hand over her cheek and she shivers, closing her eyes and moving into my touch. I lean in close and whisper,

"Then enjoy an eternity alone Katerina"

With that, I leave her behind and move on to deal with all the other shit in my life.

Ever's P.O.V

Elena makes a hissing sound and she plunges her hands into her hair, griping hard,

"Oh my God. My head. What's happening to me?"

I move closer to my sister and I place a hand on her back in what I hope is a comforting way. Although, I really don't think it's possible for me to comfort her about this. What am I meant to say 'hey sis, you're a vampy person now, and soon I'll be one too. Only problem is Klausy wousy plans on killing you'.

Yeah, that's not gonna work.

I try to get Elena to look at me, when she finally does I ask her,

"Do you remember what happened?"

Elena frowns, and she thinks hard for a moment before answering,

"Uh, you…you called me…and you were so scared. I've never heard you sound so afraid before" Elena's face crumples and she clenches her hands into fists, "I should have realised it wasn't you. Out of all people, I should have known. I'm your twin. The second I walked out of the house, a vampire grabbed me"

I nod, my own expression probably isn't any less emotional than hers,

"Klausy wousy strikes again. I'm really starting to hate this guy. Actually, forget that, I do hate him, I hate him for what he's done to you Elena"

"He made me drink his blood" Elena mutters, her brows furrowing in concentration, like she's trying to hold on to a memory, but it keeps slipping away. "I don't…. don't remember anything after that"

Elena looks around us frantically, she grabs hold of my arms, her eyes wild when she asks,

"Where are we Ever?"

"We're at the quarry" I answer, "He brought us both here"

"Why don't I…why don't I remember anything Ever?" Elena demands in a tone that would usually make me snap back something snarky. But I can't, there's nothing funny about this.

Not even the fact that there are STONES IN MY SHOE!

HOW?!

FUCK YOU STONES!

Ok, I'm over it now…..fucking stones. Fucking earth. Fucking life. You're such a bitch!

I grip Elena's arms tighter, and I try my hardest to explain without saying it outright,

"Elena, you know how someone becomes a vampire-"

"Yeah, they die with vampire blood in their system-….no, God no, Ever please no…..Klaus killed me" Elena starts to freak out, majorly, and I try to pull her closer to me.

Elena resists, but I keep on trying.

"I'm so sorry Elena. But listen, everything's going to be ok. I'm gonna get you out of here….somehow"

Wow, that sounded lame didn't it?

Yep, thought so.

"Is Jenna ok?" I ask Elena, suddenly worried that Klausy wousy is going to throw her into a ring at any moment too.

Elena nods mutely,

"Yeah, she's with Alaric at the boarding house. John's really pissed that we didn't tell him about the plan or the sacrifice"

I shrug uncaringly,

"Yeah, well, that's life. He should stop whinging, it's not like he has to be sacrificed like a goat. I don't even look like a goat. I don't even have a goat-like name-"

"Why are you talking about goats?" Elena asks absently, her face set in a frown.

I slap my hands against my thighs in frustration,

"I'm feeling pressure here Elena, don't interrupt my train of thought. Now, as I was saying, a goat-like name would be something like Gertrude or Walter and I-"

"I'm a vampire" Elena chokes out, tears now running down over her cheeks.

Damn it Elena! One problem at a time!

"And I bet you're hungry" Bitchy witch says from behind Elena.

I scramble to my feet, anger taking hold of my whole body. I see bitchy witch look down at a sharp rock, and I make a beeline for it. Then I'm being thrown back via ju ju power. I land on my ass very uncomfortably. I blame the rocks.

I get to my feet just in time for a circle of fire to light up all around me. I try to size up if I can just jump through the fire or something akin to that without singing myself, but bitchy witch decides that that's her cue to say,

"Don't bother trying to get through. I've spelled the circle"

She says that like I'm supposed to know what it means. Do I look like a ju ju master?

Bitchy witch adds annoyingly,

"You're trapped, no matter what you do"

Optimism folks, always with the freakin' optimism.

My eyes dart to Elena and my heart clenches painfully. I look pleadingly at bitchy witch,

"Please, just let her go" I gesture at Elena, just in case there was any confusion in regard to who I was talking about.

Bitchy witch shrugs,

"Klaus chose her"

I shake my head vehemently,

"No please. Look, bitchy witch is it? Just stop, this isn't about her"

But bitchy witch ignores me and cuts open her wrist with a sharp rock.

DAMN IT ROCKS!

"Drink it" bitchy witch holds her cut wrist out to my sister.

No, no, no, no, NO!

"Elena, please, don't!" I shout to my sister.

"NO!" I scream when Elena is unable to resist and starts sucking blood out of bitchy witch's arm.

I watch, horrified, as Elena ceils her fate as a vampire. I can't stand to watch, but I can't look away either. My sister, my loving, good, kind hearted sister. She didn't deserve this. I did, but she didn't. I hate this so much that is physically hurts.

Eventually bitchy witch pulls away from Elena and moves out of her circle. Elena turns to me and I try not to let the pain show through. Bitchy witch does her ju ju thing, and fire encircles Elena as well, causing Elena to jerk backwards.

"Elena, please, look at me" I ask her. She slowly turns to meet my gaze and I see the fear in her eyes, "It's gonna be ok" I lie.

Nothing will ever be ok again when this is all over.

"How are you feeling?" I ask after a little while of us just standing around in rings of fire.

If you think about it, this is all really stupid. In mean, rings of fire? Really? Whoever comes up with these rituals is a real drama queen and a half.

Elena frowns and places a hand over her stomach,

"I feel like…myself….only not"

Well, fair enough then.

"Everything is brighter" Elena tries to explain, "The fire is hotter. Part of me is terrified, but there's another part of me that doesn't want to feel anything"

I wince at that last part,

"Yeah well, you know about the whole turning off your emotions thing"

Elena's expression crumbles again and she whispers,

"I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

"No" I say forcefully, I refuse to accept that, "Elena, I am not going to let you die, no fucking way"

Suddenly we both hear a scream of pain and I frown at the distance, trying to work out where it came from.

"What was that?" Elena says.

Then bitchy witch leads out she-wolf and I bite my lip,

"She's the werewolf for the sacrifice" I say needlessly.

Bitchy witch throws she-wolf down into another circle.

"What's happening to me?" she-wolf groans.

"I cast a spell" bitchy witch says, "It's slowing down your transformation. You're insides are trying to tear themselves free"

Nice, really needed to hear that before I die, thank you.

Bitchy witch does her ju ju fire thing again. Elena straightens and fixes bitchy witch with a hard glare,

"I thought witches were meant to maintain the balance in nature. That's your duty to keep this curse ceiled" Elena says.

Ah, so even when she's been killed and turned into a vampire, my sister still finds time to add a little bit of self righteousness to our situation.

"My duty is to Klaus" bitchy witch snaps.

I roll my eyes and throw my hands up dramatically,

"Alright, sor-ry, we didn't realise you were president of Klausy wousy's fan club, calm the fuck down bitchy witch" I snap right back.

"Glad to know I still have a dance partner" Klausy wousy drawls as he shows up. Finally.

You know, it's weird, but, for some reason, I didn't expect Klausy wousy to be so hot. Like, sex on legs level hot. Although, I should have guessed that, since he has Sin all messed up. I think of Sin then, and I look Klausy wousy up and down. For a moment I can't help but wonder at the past they must have shared. I hope one day Sin will tell me about it, because I'm really starting to think it must have been insanely wild.

Klausy wousy takes the moonstone out of his pocket and holds it up,

"I have the moonstone" he says and marvels at it or a moment, "I've spent five hundred years looking for this"

I hate that fucking moonstone.

I cross my arms in irritation,

"Yeah, well, I'd spend five hundred years getting rid of the damn thing"

Klausy wousy hands over the moonstone to bitchy witch, and then he turns to me.

"You have quite a mouth on you. I see why Sin has taken a certain liking to you, he always did like the bold ones"

"You better leave Sin alone" I snap angrily before I can stop myself.

"My Angel can take care of himself where I'm concerned, he's always been able to" Klausy wousy says calmly, although I sense the tension underneath his words.

Fuck, looks like Sin messed up Klausy wousy as much as he messed up Sin. Now I really want to hear the story of their 'relationship' or whatever it actually was.

But first…..

"The moon has passed its apex, do you remember everything you need to do?" bitchy witch/madam president says to Klausy wousy.

"I remember" is all he replies.

Good, good, so we all know out parts to play, how thrilling.

Bitchy witch drops the stone into the alter in front of her and a burst of fire lights up within it. She-wolf is still moaning in constant agony, and Elena is looking more spaced out by the second.

Bitchy witch is still doing her thing when Klausy wousy says,

"Shall we"

Uh, is that a question, because, um, my answer is no.

In fact, just to be safe, no times infinity, no backsies.

Are we taking a vote? The rocks don't get a vote, right?

The circle of fire around she-wolf goes out and she makes an attempt at escape. Bad move. Klausy wousy, in full psycho nature, catches her and yanks out her heart.

Ok, now I'm panicking!

Sinbad's P.O.V

We get out of the car and I fall into step beside Eli as he talks,

"The sacrifice is completed in four stages as the full moon sets. First the werewolf is killed, then the vampire, and finally the doppelganger. Once Ever dies, the curse will be broken, Klaus will become hybrid"

The thought alone makes me shiver. He'd be so damn powerful, and there's nothing anyone could to stop him.

"So when do we attack?" Stefan asks.

"Ever's death will activate his dormant werewolf form, he'll be vulnerable during the transformation, that's where Bonnie comes in" Eli answers, his eyes never straying far from me, as if he expects me to break at any moment. I stare right back. Eli has just as much reason to fold as I do. Nick is his brother, and no matter what he says, I know that he still loves him dearly.

"Are you sure Bonnie will survive this?" I ask in concern, I don't want the only witch I've ever liked to die after everything that's happened so far.

Eli nods firmly,

"If she can deliver him to the brink of death, I'll finish the job myself"

I just make a noise of acknowledgement. All I can do is trust Eli to be stronger than me. If there's one thing I'm sure of, then it's that I can't kill Nick. It would be too much for me to handle. I know what kind of man he is, and I know that he's done terrible things, that he will continue to do terrible things if he isn't stopped. But for some reason I can't seem to let go of what he once was to me.

My whole world revolved around that bastard, and I would have done anything for him. Although the part I always forget is that he would have done anything for me too. There were so many things wrong with our…I suppose I have to call it a relationship even though that word doesn't really fit, that I sometimes I forget that there were indeed some good times.

Amazing times. I wouldn't be who I am today without having met him. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I hate that I have to tell Jeremy that both his sisters' lives are in danger. I know he'll take it hard, and the thought of him having to go through even more grief than he's already had to endure makes my heart feel like it might burst.

…

"Why did he take Elena?" Bonnie demands incredulously.

Jeremy is ramrod straight against me, every muscle in his body tense. I wrap an arm around his waist and I pull him closer to me. Jeremy resists for a moment, but when I don't let go, he turns his face into my neck and breathes deeply against my throat, trying to calm himself down.

"A punishment for meddling" Eli answers Bonnie.

"Klaus was gonna use Caroline and Tyler. Damon rescued them" Stefan explains tensely, he's still majorly on edge and I can practically feel it emanating off of him. Damon is standing with that pissed off look on his face that spells trouble for all of us if he loses it in front of Nick.

"Then we need to go, now" Bonnie exclaims, "I can kill Klaus myself, before he sacrifices Elena"

I squeeze Jeremy around the waist reassuringly and he brushes a kiss against my neck as a silent thank you. I've missed Jeremy so much, and I love the feel of his body this close to mine. Even though I can sense Eli watching us out of the corner of his eye.

I meet Eli's eyes for a moment and we hold each other's gaze. I want so badly to reassure Eli as well, I know this is hard for him to even contemplate, let alone actually do.

I make a noise of protest, but it's Damon who says,

"If you use that much power, you'll die. We've already been through this"

"It's not an option" Stefan adds reluctantly.

This must be so difficult for Stefan. Both his ex girlfriend and the girl he loves are in danger and he is powerless to save them. But I'm guessing he's gonna try.

"Neither is letting Elena die" Bonnie says coldly.

"I agree" I say, "Which is why we're offering him another vampire"

"Who?"

"Me"

Jeremy jerks away from me, his expression deadly,

"No fucking way. He'd never take you anyway"

"Yeah well, Damon and Stefan have already offered themselves and he's turned them down, so I'm all that's left. Besides, I have a plan" I say firmly.

Jeremy is still looking like he wants to scream, and my brothers look uncertain. Stefan shakes his head and Damon says,

"We'll offer again, maybe he'll-"

"No Damon, he won't take you or Stefan. He made me a promise a long time ago, and Nick…..he keeps his promises. He knows I'd never forgive him for killing either of you" I explain with absolute certainty.

I wasn't sure before, but the look he gave me when he turned down my brothers said it all.

"And you really think you mean that much to him?" Damon asks incredulously.

"Yes" Eli answers for me, his eyes ice cold and dark in the night.

"Then why would he kill you?" Stefan asks in confusion.

Because he knows I'll come back.

I'm immortal on a whole other level. It's not that I can't die, because I can.

I just know how to fight my way back my out of hell. Or at least, the place where souls like mine linger. The witches taught me how. I could bring others back with me, if I allowed myself to be taken over by my…other self.

But that would be catastrophic for everyone, and I have no intention of becoming the creature I was chosen to be when I was only a child. That day. The day I drowned. The day I died. The day I came back. There have been times in my life when I've wished I'd stayed dead.

What I am, and what I could be, are far too dangerous to be allowed to exist in this world. Giving freedom to the being within me would….destroy everything.

But he knows I can find my way back, so I'm the only one who should be doing this.

Damon, Stefan and Jeremy don't like it, I can tell by the expressions on their faces, but that's only because they don't know the full truth, and they don't need to, as long as Nick does, then maybe I can save Elena and spare both Jeremy and Ever the grief of losing a sister.

"I can do this, trust me"

…

"Bonnie did the locater spell, they're at the quarry" Eli tells me and I nod in response.

Everyone knows their job, all we have to do is not fuck it up.

What can I say, I'm a dreamer.

"I'll head over first and you'll follow with Bonnie when it's time" I say, trying to ignore the searching look Eli is giving me right now.

"Until the moon reaches it's final faze, she has to stay hidden until then, he cannot know that she is alive" Eli says with a certain amount of urgency.

I roll my eyes,

"Well, I was gonna dangle her in front of him for target practice, but now you mention it-"

I'm cut off by Eli grabbing hold of me and slamming me up against a near by tree, his mouth covering mine before I can even think about moving out of his grip. He takes my wrists in his hand and pins them above my head, restraining me quite sufficiently as his tongue delves into my mouth without mercy.

His whole body presses mine deeper into the tree and I groan harshly, unable to conceal it from him. He smiles against my lips and I try to bite him for that. I draw blood, which causes Eli to kiss me harder. The taste of his blood is so damn good, and it fills my body with need.

I try to pull out of his hold so that I can yank him closer, but Eli puts all his strength into keeping me pinned, hard and ready for anything he could throw at me. His blood is sweet heaven and I am unable to control my reaction to it as I rut against him unapologetically.

Fuck, I need this, I fucking need him to just let me take him. I can take him hard and rough and final, and I'll suck his blood slowly, making it pleasurable for both of us until the final second. I could rip his fucking clothes off and have him begging for me to suck him all night long.

"Lije" I desperately gasp out the shortened version of Elijah's name. I haven't used that name in what feels like forever. Not since we were lovers all those years ago. I didn't know he was Nick's brother then, not at first anyway.

"Bebé" Eli growls possessively in response against my neck as he places rough kisses and bites across my neck and jaw.

My blood rushes like mad with heat and want and fury and pleasure. I need it and I want it so badly that it hurts everywhere not to have it right fucking now.

But just as I'm ready to break, Eli pulls away from me and leaves me gasping for breath, leaing against the tree and trying desperately to cling onto my sanity.

I allow myself a few moments to recover, and get my cock to stop fucking throbbing like it might burst out of my jeans any second now.

Damn it Eli!

I fix a glare on Eli, who seems to be having trouble getting over our vampire rated make out session as well and I practically pant out the words,

"What...the ever living fuck...was that?"

"I wanted to" is all Eli says, now looking slightly more composed than before.

I stare at him incrediously,

"You...you wanted to? Is that all you got? For fuck sake, Elijah Mikaelson, you fucking...bastard"

Eli tries to speak but I cut him off,

"No...no really. You. Fucking. bastard. What the fuck? You 'wanted' to? Why...what...is...fuck you!"

"That's the only answer I can give you that's true" Eli tries finally, his voice low and sober, devoid of the passion that flooded it only moments ago.

"I can't deal with this right now Eli, don't make me, please" I say breathelessly.

I screw my eyes shut and try with no small amount of difficulty to not lose my shit.

"I won't fail you" I hear Eli whisper with a finality that sets my head spinng and my heart splinntering.

I grit my teeth and open my eyes.

Eli is gone.

I'm going to hell, and the slide down is going to be painful as fuck.

Ever's P.O.V

I watch as Klausy wousy squeezes she-wolf's heart into the alter. It makes a horrible crunching oozing noise that makes me want to tear my own ears off. The thought that Elena might suffer the same fate sets my teeth on edge. I don't want my sister to die. Again. It doesn't matter that she's a vampire, because I'll be one soon too, we can share the burden and get through it together. I just need Elena to stay alive.

Elena sniffs loudly and she turns to look at me, my eyes catch hers and everything seems to slow down. The world grinds almost to a halt at the expression on her face. Elena hugs herself and stands proudly in her circle, she says to me,

"You know, I remember the first thing you said when you woke up from your coma in the hospital, after the accident. I woke up the day before you, and I asked where I was and what was wrong with me. You asked if I was alive and safe. You asked me how I was. You reassured me when I cried about mom and dad that night"

I make a pained expression and shake my head,

"Why are you bringing this up Elena?"

Elena's eyes are far away now, as if she doesn't really see me,

"You've always put me first, even when I didn't realise it"

I shrug, really not wanting to talk about this,

"I'm your sister Elena, that's what sister's do, we look out for each other no matter what"

Elena squeezes her eyes shut and bites her lip, hard. She says,

"But I didn't Ever. I blamed you for a lot of things, but you never once blamed me for what happened on the bridge that night"

I clench my teeth,

"That's because it wasn't your fault Elena. It was an accident, end of"

"I was the one who snuck out, and I was the one who called saying I wanted to be picked up" Elena argues, her eyes now fully alert.

I scoff in protest, not at all buying into this crap,

"Elena, so what? I did crazy shit all the time, it doesn't mean anything"

Elena hugs herself harder,

"I know. I was grounded for trying to be more like you, for trying to be more fun like you, for trying to do…insane things"

I roll my eyes,

"Elena, you got caught cutting class, like, once. I'm sure the CIA would have let you off with a warning."

Elena sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose,

"Bottom line Ever, is that I screwed up, and because of that our parents are-"

"Don't Elena" I snap, my voice choking up more than I'd like right now, "Just…don't. Mom and dad aren't dead because of you. They're dead because they're dead. Sometimes shit just happens. There's not always someone to blame. I don't blame you, and neither does Jeremy, so just shut up about it, ok"

Elena accepts that, but her eyes still hold so much confusion and hurt when she says,

"Everything has always been so easy for you Ever. Everything. I envied you so much when we were growing up, and I think that was why we weren't as close as we could have been"

I shake my head,

"Come on Elena, that's on both of us. We could have tried harder. It doesn't matter now anyway, because I love you and you love me, so, we're all good"

"I feel like I failed you Ever" Elena whispers brokenly.

I don't know what to say to that, because it's not true,

"No, Elena, if anything I failed you. But, like I said, none of that matters right now, all that matters is keeping you alive"

"I'm already dead Ever" Elena mutters dispassionately.

I clench my hands into fists and bang them against my forehead,

"Really, you want to get caught up in technicality now?"

I turn away from my sister before I say something I'd regret and I do what I've been putting off doing since Klausy wousy vampnapped me. I reach out with my bond to Stefan, trying to get a feel for how he's doing and if he's alright. I connect with him easier than I ever have before, and I'm guessing that's because we're both feelings pretty damn emotional what with all the shit that's going down. Our bond is like a burst of light in the darkness, and it brings me a certain amount of calm, and also complete confidence, I hope he's using it for the same reason.

I frown when I get a strange mixture of feelings coming from Stefan though. He's nervous, which feels like a soft wind against my skin. And he's in pain, which feels sharp, like needles pinning my forehead. Stefan's also feeling anticipation and worry for everyone else, which is what I expected, and an incredibly intense fear of what might happen to me. Both those things mixed together feels like a hot wave of sea water crashing over me, his feelings for me specifically feel more like sunlight on a perfect summers day.

My bond with Stefan is definitely becoming more than it ever was before, and I still have no idea why or what it actually is. But for some reason….I trust it, and I trust Stefan. Just like I trust Damon to keep me safe, despite his tendency to do stupid things out of fear or anger.

I hope Sin is ok, I can't imagine what he must be thinking. Actually I can, and that must makes it so much worse.

"Hello Elena" Klausy wousy says, moving closer to my sister.

"Let her go" I plead harshly, "I understand that I have to die….I really do. But she doesn't" I try to move towards Elena and the fire around my flares up dramatically.

"Ever, don't" Elena says shaking her head at me.

"No, I can't let you die Elena" I look to Klausy wousy with renewed strength in my eyes, "Please, I did everything that you asked. I didn't even run Klausy wousy, I stayed. Please"

He raises an eyebrow at me and repeats,

"Klausy…wousy?"

Whoops.

"So not the point right now Klausy wousy. Please don't kill my sister, she doesn't deserve to die like this"

Suddenly Klausy wousy's aw tightens and I think for a second that I've just messed it all up by being….me. But then he says,

"Well, well, this is a surprise my Angel. I didn't think you'd come here by your own free will"

I look up and see Sin standing not that far away on top of a small mountain of large rocks. I can only just make out his face, it's illuminated by the moonlight. His expression is set in determination and he says,

"I'm here to talk"

Klausy wousy's jaw tightens and he replies tensely,

"Very well then"

Sinbad's P.O.V

Nick vamps up to meet me and he saunters close enough that I feel the urgent need to back away. But I don't, I won't give him the satisfaction of that. He used to hate it when I acted afraid of him, and he used my every flinch as an excuse to start a fight. That was only when I had my humanity back, before when I was full on rogue, I wasn't afraid of anything, especially not Nicklaus. I eventually got over it though, and now I am fully capable of facing down Nick, no matter how much every breathe feels like a stake to the heart.

"What can I do for you, my Angel?" he asks, an undeniable edge to his tone.

"You don't need to kill Elena….I'll take her place" I answer stonily, not allowing any emotion at all to leak through.

Nick's whole body stiffens and I can practically feel his anger towards the idea. But then he shrugs casually and says,

"Oh, I don't know. I quite like the fact that I'll be using twins for my sacrifice. Makes it more dramatic"

My jaw hardens and I snap back snarkily,

"Yeah, because you're all about the drama Klaus"

In seconds Nick has his hand gripping my hair tight enough to hurt, and my head yanked back so that my neck is exposed. I feel one of his fangs graze my throat and that's all it takes to make me shiver with pleasure.

"What did you just call me?" Nick demands in a snarl that is more playfully dangerous than deadly. I know what deadly sounds like, and it isn't this. Not even close.

I shiver again uncontrollably and reply,

"I'm sorry…..Nick" I hate to say the words, but if I want to save Elena, then I'm gonna need to play his game. For now.

"That's better Angel. Don't forget again, or I'll have to remind you exactly who I am. I spared your brothers because I know you love them, you're more loyal to them than they could ever be to you. More loyal than they deserve. I should have killed them a long time ago" Nick whispers into my ear darkly.

I struggle, panic hitting my system hard,

"Please don't hurt my brothers Nick, they're fucked up, but they're mine"

"They hurt you" Klaus growls surprisingly softly.

"A lot of people have hurt me. You can't kill them all" I say equally as gently in response. My heart warms in a way that it has no right to.

"I could, very easily. You're too forgiving my Angel" Klaus murmurs against my jaw, "But then, that's one of the things that I love best about you. You always forgive me"

"That's not out of choice" I mutter deliberately.

Nick's fangs brush my throat again in warning, causing yet another shiver of pleasure/pain to run down my spine.

I'm breathing heavily again now, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it,

"Just make the trade Nick, you know it doesn't matter if I die" I say, desperately trying to hold on, and failing miserably.

"It matters to me. In fact, you dying would put quite a spanner in the works of my plans for the future" Nick drawls casually as if this is a normal discussion between spouses.

There is something seriously wrong with me. I can practically hear my father cackling in the background from his own special place in hell. He told me leading a life of sin would get me in the end. I just didn't expect it to come around quite like this.

Ever's P.O.V

"No, no, no, this can't happen" I say to myself as I pace Stefan style around my circle.

I got Elena to tune in using her vampy skills, and apparently Sin is trying to take Elena's place. Now, I don't want my sister to die. But I also don't want one of my best friend's to die. I know it would destroy Stefan and Damon, even if they'd never admit it until it was too late. Plus Jeremy would be devastated, he really truly loves Sinbad.

"Quite the predicament" I hear Klausy wousy say as he comes striding back over to us, with Sin in front of him,"You know it's funny all this talk of preserving family….and here's my Angel, your Sin, here to grant your wish"

I make eye contact with Sin, and I see how hard this is for him to even be this close to his former lover. I shake my head and whisper,

"Sin"

Oh God, I hurt all over and I have no idea what the fuck to do.

I'd offer myself if I could, but I can't because I'm already dying tonight anyway.

"It's ok" Sin says in resignation.

This is so far from ok that it isn't even funny.

"So, who's it gonna be Ever" Klausy wousy says to me.

I shake my head and state firmly,

"No"

Klausy wousy smiles at me then and replies,

"Don't worry love, it isn't your decision anyway"

With that Klaus wousy snaps Sin's neck, which he only managed to get away with because Sin was so surprised by it.

I gasp and shout,

"No, shit, Sin!"

Klausy wousy lowers Sin gently to the ground, with care that I'm not sure what to make of. He stands back up and moves closer to my circle, his eyes meet mine as he says,

"I have other plans for him, despite what he may think"

Woah, Sin is going to be so pissed off when he wakes up.

"Whenever you're ready Greta" Klausy wousy says to bitchy witch.

The fire around Elena dies down until it's completely gone, just like with she-wolf and my heart lurches painfully in my chest. No, this can't be happening, no.

"No" I say out loud, "No Elena" I try to go to her again, but the fire just flares up in my path.

Elena turns to look at me, her eyes shockingly steady,

"It's alright Ever" she says, "I know what I have to do"

People really need to stop saying these things are ok and alright. They most definitely neither.

Elena shocks both me and Klausy wousy by vamp speeding over to Greta and biting savagely into her neck. But with moments Klausy wousy is yanking her away and throwing my sister to the ground.

I bite back a scream and shout,

"No, Elena, please….Elena"

I grip my head tightly, unable to comprehend what is about to happen. And I'm standing. Right. Here.

Elena looks over at me and our gazes lock for a few precious seconds. Tears start forming behind my eyes and I can feel the heat of them trying to escape. I hate this. Absently I wonder if Stefan can feel my pain and if he knows why I'm feeling it.

Klausy wousy flips Elena over and stabs her in the heart, it all happens to fast that my brain barely has time to register it. But I know I'm screaming out my sister's name and falling to my knees. Grief and a pain so acute that I don't think I'll survive it, is already swamping my heart and mind. I can barely breathe with the agony of it.

…..

I see Sin waking up and my eyes flicker to meet his as he looks around, taking in Elena's body, with a stake still through her heart.

Pain flickers in Sin's eyes, and I know he understands at least in part what I'm feeling right now. There is no way to really describe it. Just like when my parents died. There are no words for this feeling of complete and total loss.

I squeeze my hands into fists, trying to push the pain out physically instead of emotionally.

"It's time" Klausy wousy says, and the ring of fire around me dissipates.

Klausy wousy offers a hand out to me, but I get up off my knees and walk right past him. I see Sin get to his feet and he looks about ready to tear people apart. Or more likely Klausy wousy. I shake my head at him, there's no point any more. I need to die so this can be over. I want so badly for it to be over.

I stop in front of the alter and he follows after me, stopping by my side. Klausy wousy grips my chin in his hand and forces me to look at him.

"Thank you" he says to me and I can honestly say I've never wanted to knee anyone more in my entire life.

I glare openly at him,

"Burn in hell you son of a bitch"

Klausy wousy merely smiles at that, as if I've passed some sort of test. He tilts my head and bites into my neck.

By now I'm used to the sensation, but it still hurts like fuck when everything in me wants to fight him off. I catch sight of Sin moving towards us, and I try to tell him with my eyes that there's nothing he can do to stop this.

Eventually the pain turns to numbness, a dull ache that I know is probably agony for my more conscious mind. My world starts to go dark and my mind fogs over until I can't think of anything clearly. My last thought before the lights go out completely, is that I want Damon and Stefan.

Sinbad's P.O.V

Son of a fucking bitch!

He killed her. He fucking killed her even though he knew he didn't have to.

I watched him drain Ever, and it took everything in me not to rip her away from him. I hated him in that moment, I truly did.

I rush over to Ever's body, lifting her head up onto my lap, stroking her hair softly, willing her to wake up and crack a joke about her not being a dog that needs petting.

I barely pay attention to Nick at all as he begins to change into a wolf. Only moment later he's thrown through the air, by what I assume is Bonnie's magic. I look over at Elena and wince at the sight of such a young and kind hearted person, murdered by a monster she did nothing to provoke.

Damon snaps Greta's neck and he looks down at me, we share a nod that needs no words to define. Stefan is close behind Damon, and he appears stricken at the sight of both Ever and Elena dead. I pick up Ever and Damon insists on taking her from me with a possessive growl I feel no need to argue.

Stefan runs the back of his hand down over Ever's cheek, the hurt and pure white hot agony in his eyes is almost crippling, like he feels it on another level that I cannot possibly hope to comprehend. With another round of nods between us, Stefan goes to pick up Elena, most likely unable to stand the thought of leaving her here, in this place.

By the sounds of it Bonnie is doing a good job of taking down….Nick, and I can't stand to watch or hear anymore. Damon and Stefan are already striding away with the Gilbert twins in their arms, and I follows swiftly after, sparing one glance towards Bonnie who is in full on witchy ju ju mode.

Bonnie stops suddenly with a satisfied smile, and I look back to see Eli standing over his brother. I am unable to tear my eyes away from them. Eli shoves his hand into Nick's heart and despite everything, I can't help the whimpering sound that escapes my throat at the sight of it.

But then I see him pause, and a different kind of dread envelops me. Bonnie comes stand at my side, and we both watch the two Original brothers as Eli raises his head, his gaze meeting mine as he says,

"I'm sorry"

"No!" Bonnie shouts, but it's too late.

They're both gone. Fuck.

And fuck me to hell for feeling even slightly relieved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought about this chapter, because I really did work hard on it. Let me know what you thought of how things turned out, and what you think will happen next for all the characters xxx
> 
> Oh yeah, and because I'm not that mean, I'll give you three spoilers-
> 
> -Ever is now a vampire
> 
> -Yes, Stefan was bitten by Tyler
> 
> -And yes Elena is in fact dead...but then again, this is Mystic Falls, so, a return isn't out of question at some point in the future ;) xx
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks so much for reading! xxx


	64. As I lay dying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEASON TWO FINALE BITCHES!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-fourth chapter.  
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then life would be more fun right now xxx  
> Really hope you like it and please review! xxx

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR  
As I Lay Dying

Ever's P.O.V

(Memory reclaim flashback)

I can't fucking breathe. Damn it, there's water clogging up my lungs and it burns. 

"It's alright, just take steady breathes" a strong masculine voice urges me, and I strain to do as he says even though my throat and body cry out in protest.

I open my eyes, gasping at the coldness of the air around me and trying hard not to lose conciousness. The darkness looks inviting, and I would love to rest, but I don't know if I'll eve escape the darkness if I let it take me. There are more important things right now.

"Elena-" I rasp desperately.

But I pause when I meet his eyes. They shine brightly in the light of the moon, and I wonder for a moment if they shimmer in the sunlight by contrast. His eyes feel like safety; they feel like home. For a very long moment I'm captivated by those eyes, and even stranger, this man seems to be equally as captivated by me.

I try to grasp at my memories so that I can work out why the hell I'm so cold and panicked and in pain. Where is Elena?

Then it floods back to me in a rush and for an entirely different reason, I can't breathe again. The bridge. My parents. Elena. Our car went over the bridge. We hit the water. I couldn't breathe. Elena struggled next to me. Our parents screamed. I shouted. I tried to undo Elena's seatbelt.

Everything went blank.

Now everything is…unblank again. And I'm up on the bridge. In the arms of someone I feel like I should know, but I don't. I could never forget someone who looked at me like that.

Now I feel like I'm seeing this from two different perspectives. One from me as the girl who almost drowned, and another as me, the me who knows Stefan. The me who knows I'm asleep on my bed in my house.

This is strange. I don't remember this. I mean, I know that Stefan and Sinbad saved Elena and me from our parents car that night. But I didn't know that I saw Stefan, because, then, surely I would have remembered him when we first met at school four months later. Right?

Suddenly I'm back in the perspective of almost drowned me….

I don't know who this person is, but it feel good to be held, and he staring down at me like he's just seen something amazing come into existence. I try to sit up, but it hurts a little, and I still feel like I could slip into the darkness at any moment. I think I hit my head. Is there blood?

"Elena" I croak out again.

Then I see movement behind the man with strangely compelling eyes. It's Elena, and someone else who's standing with her in his arms. The man with blue eyes and wild dark hair turns to me and I see that is stunningly handsome, almost as handsome as the man holding me.

But he frowns at the sight of my open eyes and almost growls out the words,

"Stefan, I'm taking this one to the hospital. Compel your one to forget this and follow after me, alright"

The green eyed man, who's name I've now learnt is Stefan, merely nods in acknowledgement of the other man's words. The dark haired man who's holding my unconscious sister seems to vanish into thin air, and I begin to wonder if I'm hallucinating. Probably. I really do think I hit my head.

I try to sit up again, and this time, Stefan, helps me. He's still got his arms around me though so now we're kind of sat almost pressed together, and to be honest, I feel much better being this close to him. Better than I could ever have imagined feeling. I suppose my parents must have been taken the hospital earlier, because I can't see them anywhere near us.

They'll be alright. And so will Elena. Everything will be ok as long as Stefan holds onto me like this forever. Even just the thought of that is comforting enough that I settle against him. My head hurts, but I can ignore that, and the darkness that still calls to me, promising rest and silence.

Stefan is still staring at me, but to be fair, I'm still staring at him as well.

"Uh, hi, I'm Ever. Have we met before?" is all I can come up with, and my voice still sounds pretty scratchy to my own ears.

Stefan tilts his head to the side, and I feel something burn between us. It's really….I don't actually know how to describe it. I haven't felt this before. It's like there's something linking me to him inside our minds, which is of course insane. But then, this whole situation is insane. The darkness gets a little closer and I try to push it back. I want to talk to Stefan a bit longer before I'm taken by the darkness.

"I don't think so. But….it feels like we should have" Stefan replies. His voice is low and patient, like the constant beat of waves against the sand. I like listening to it. The burning between us must like it too, because it hums pleasantly inside my mind.

"You feel good Stefan. Really good." I whisper, the darkness getting closer by the second even as I try to cling onto the sense of safety Stefan's presence provides.

Stefan moves one arm so that he can cup my face gently, yet his touch is strong and unyielding too. Our eyes are locked intensely as Stefan whispers back,

"You feel special; bright and strong and perfect"

I want to make a joke about how that is not at all true. But I understand what he means by bright. Stefan shines likes a beacon of light inside my mind, battling the darkness that threatens to take me away from him.

"But you have to forget for now….Ever" Stefan says, his eyes changing and shifting in a weird way. Then it's gone. Something strange happens to my mind. It goes hazy and weak for a moment, which gives the darkness time to swoop in and take hold of me. I descend into darkness.

(End of memory reclaim flashback)

….

I am a vampire.

Elena is dead.

And Klausy wousy is still alive.

Those are the headlines folks.

I can't seem to think of anything else but those three irreparable facts. There are times when my emotions cripple me completely, as I knew they would now that I'm a vampire. But, there are moments, moments like this, when I can simply….be.

I'm leaning against the door frame and looking in on Elena's room. I haven't been inside yet. I know I'm not ready for that. In some ways, becoming a vampire has made things more complicated than ever before, which is what I've talked about with the Salvatore's and Caroline.

But in others, becoming a vampire has made certain things more clear and easy to understand. The Salvatore's have helped me a lot with all this, and I'm glad that I haven't killed anyone yet. Not that I never will, because, I really did underestimate how much I'd want to rip someone neck out. I have to be careful around Jeremy and all my human friends now, which is so fucking frustrating.

Blood itself isn't as bad as I thought it might be though. The bagged stuff is….satisfying enough. Although I haven't compared it to fresh blood, so I can't really say which is better. Ha, see, now, that's another on these thoughts that I'm gonna have to get used to. Stefan is adamant that I'll never drink from an unwilling 'victim', as he would be, and Damon just mutters stuff like 'everybody snaps at least once'. Right now I'm really not sure if I'll ever just snap and kill someone. It's not big on my priority list at the moment to be honest. I'll deal with that shit later, if it ever comes around.

Jeremy has spent almost every moment with Sin, and I can't blame him for that, since I've spent all my time with Damon and Stefan really. Jenna is letting us have our space, although I can tell it pains her to do so. I wish I could reassure her, but I can't do that yet without lying. I do feel awful, and there are times when I want to die. Like, properly, not this death-ish state I'm now in.

I think back to the memory that slammed into me only about an hour ago whilst I was asleep. It's lucky Stefan and Damon are grabbing some clean clothes at the boarding house because they've stayed over for the last couple of days, neither of them willing to leave my side for very long.

Even this morning they wanted to go to the boarding house in shifts so I'd always be with one of them. I should have just gone with them really, but at the time I was still trying to get some sleep, and I argued that they were being dum dum's. So I convinced them both to leave me here for a few hours. Now I miss them, which is stupid, but not something I can change.

I don't know how to explain exactly how my feelings have changed towards the Salvatore's. Or, no, they haven't exactly changed, they've just become….more. So much more that it pales into comparison to how I felt about them before I died and became a vampire.

As I suspected, I feel almost satisfied now that I'm a vampire. Not that I don't sometimes hate it, because I do. But for the most part I feel comfortable in my changed state. I spoke about it with Caroline, and she was quite understanding.

I have a connection with Damon that I'm still not sure what to make of yet. It doesn't feel quite like my bond with Stefan, which has now reached new heights of intensity, but there's definitely something there. If my bond with Stefan is that undeniable feeling of beautiful light and the warmth of protection and belonging, then my new connection with Damon is like the fierce fire and strikingly powerful possession.

I don't feel like I'm being yanked in two different directions anymore. I feel like I'm in perfect balance between the two core parts of myself. It's not something I expect anyone else to understand, because they cannot feel what I do. But it the truth nonetheless, a truth that Damon and Stefan seem to be willing to accept for now.

I know that Stefan is hiding something from me. I discussed it with Damon whilst Stefan was asleep, and he agreed that he felt the same way. We said we'd talk to Stefan later today about what he's keeping from us. I'll also have to talk to them about my new memory gain. I wonder if there are other things I've been compelled to forget.

When it comes to me, Stefan and Damon though, I swear, it's like we've bonded together, the three of us, in a way that should not be impossible. I'm almost certain that Damon and Stefan are picking things up from each other, like feelings and sometimes maybe even thoughts. Not that they're ready to admit that right now, which is fair enough.

I've decided to encourage it subtly, but not push them too hard. I want Damon and Stefan to realise what's going on by themselves, because it's not just about me and whoever I choose to be with anymore, we've gone far beyond that now. I don't know exactly what the future holds for the three of us, but, for the first time since I realised that I've accidentally fallen for both Damon and Stefan, I really do believe that there's a chance we could all end up getting what we want. And, just maybe, we might end up with something better than we ever thought possible.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Wanna get up baby?" I whisper into Jeremy's ear.

Jeremy's body instinctively moves towards me even though I'm pretty sure he's still half asleep. That makes me smile, which feels good as there hasn't been much to smile about lately. Elena dying pushed Jeremy over an edge I wasn't even aware he was on the precipice of. It broke me to see Jer spiral into despair like that.

He's better than he was though, and I have hope that he will continue to deal with all of his grief without losing hold of his sanity completely. I have faith in Jeremy's inner strength. I know he's stronger than most people give him credit for.

Jeremy mumbles something that sounds like,

"Five more minutes Sin"

I decide to allow him to stay in bed for now. He'll get up when he feels ready, and I don't want to push him into feeling like he has to do anything he's not comfortable with. I kiss Jeremy's temple, causing him to sigh contentedly and even smile in his half-awake state.

"I love you Jer, so much" I whisper and Jeremy smiles a little wider in reponse.

I head downstairs to get a drink, and to have a much needed talk with Stefan. After Elena's funeral I forced Stefan to tell me what the hell is going on with him, and he eventually showed me the bite on his forearm. The fucking idiot was planning on hiding it from all of us until...until I don't even know, until he dropped dead I guess. The fucking...no, you know what, I'm sticking with idiot.

Stefan is in the living room with Damon, and it looks to me like they're having a heated argument whispery style. Damon looks pissed off and he's gripping Stefan's shoulders in what appears to be an almost painful hold. They're talking earnestly to one another, their eyes intensely fixed on each other in a way that surprises me.

Now that I think about it, they have been acting weird for the last few days. Since Ever came back as a vampire. I just thought maybe they were getting along better for Ever's sake, since the three of them have spent almost every moment together. But now I'm starting to think that there might be more to it than that. They do seem to be behaving strangely with Ever lately, like it's perfectly normal for all three of them to be acting like they're in a relationship of some kind, a very intense relationship.

I've seen stuff sort of like it before in my life. But, I never figured Damon and Stefan would be this comfortable with it...

My brothers finally notice that I've entered the room and Damon turns on me with fury in his pale eyes, he points at me and all but shouts,

"Did you know about this?"

I look over at Stefan, but he just shrugs unhelpfully, so I decide to play dumb for now,

"I know about a lot of things. Be more specific brother"

Damon growls low and threatening under his breathe, saying without words that he is not in the mood for joking around. My eldest brother reaches back to yank Stefan forward and push up the sleeve on his right arm, reavealing the bite wound that fuffy Jr inflicted. I am going to kick that boy's fluffy ass one of these days.

I've seen vampires die after being bitten by werewolves, and there's no way I'm letting Stefan die like that. From Damon's reaction I'd say he agrees with me. Damon's eyes flicker between the bite mark and my face, his gaze questioning,

"So, did you know about it?" he demands, that barely concealed rage still shining in eyes.

I'm about to reply when Stefan sighs heavily and says,

"Yeah. But only because he forced it out of me. I didn't want anyone to know"

Damon gets this strange look on his face that I can't interpret,

"Then why the hell did you just tell me?"

Stefan seems reluctant to look at him or answer his question, but eventually he does,

"Because I don't know how to tell Ever that I'm gonna die. She's just lost her sister Damon, and she's a vampire now. What if it pushes her over the edge? What if her emotions become to much for her to handle and she kills someone?"

Damon shrugs and instantly replies,

"Then she kills someone and gets it out of the way. There are worse reasons to lose control. But we can't hide this from her, she already thinks there's something wrong with you. Ever isn't stupid, she'll work it out by herself if we don't tell her"

Stefan looks for a moment like he wants to argue, but that moment passes by quickly and he bows his head in defeat. He nods and says,

"You're right. We have to tell her"

"Yeah, and whilst you two are doing that, I'll go figure out a way to stop you from dying" I drawl with a tight smile stretched across my face.

Damon nods at me and then grips Stefan's arm again, although this time he seems to be trying to reassure Stefan of something. Damon's voice is firm and strong when he says to our brother,

"We'll find a way to fix this Stefan, no matter what it takes"

"Agreed" I add with a confidence I'm not sure I feel but want desperately to believe in.

Ever's P.O.V

"You know, we're meant to be meeting Caroline in the town square for a movie night... day...picnic...thingy. Even Jer promised to show up with his beloved" I say with a smile at the Salvatore brothers, bar Sinbad.

I ended up giving in and coming over to the boarding house. I know, it's pathetic that I missed them after only a few hours, but you know, screw it, if I can't be pathetic now when my sister's just been murdered, then when can I be. Although, Damon and Stefan have been exchanging weird looks since I arrived and I'm getting this really bad feeling in my stomach. I know they want to tell me something, but at the same time they don't want to tell me, which means it's bad news.

I'm not sure what more bad news there could be, unless Klausy wousy has decided to sacrifice more of my relatives for no other reason than because he's a complete bastard. But I'm pretty sure it's not that because I just left Jenna with Alaric at the house in front of the TV, and Jer texted me right before I came over here to say that he was going to be late for the movie in towns square thing because him and Sinbad were meeting up with Bonnie first.

But now that I'm sitting here in the living room with Damon right next to me on the sofa and Stefan sat directly in front, I'm starting to get really worried. The expressions on their faces are grave, but Damon still manages to say drolly,

"Well then, at least now we have an excuse not to go to that"

Stefan glares at Damon like he wants to thump him over the head and he snaps,

"Really? That's how you want to start this conversation?"

Damon shoots Stefan an unbothered look and shrugs,

"Don't fuss, at least I started the conversation, you would have taken until next year to do it"

I hold my hand up before Stefan can argue back and both the Salvatore's stop and turn to me, I narrow my eyes at them,

"Wait, wait, what are we supposed to have a conversation about?"

Many, many things, my mind whispers. But I ingnore it in favour of staring Damon and Stefan down until they tell me what the hell is going on. I think becoming a vampire has made me more impatient, which is pain in the ass. Actually, this whole 'stronger emotions' thing is really fucking annoying sometimes, it's enough to drive most people crazy, no wonder some people turn it off altogether.

Stefan, instead of speaking, exchanges a glance with Damon and pulls back the sleeve on his right arm. The moment I see the horrible wound I glap and clutch at Stefan's arm, my grip probably too tight, but I don't give a fuck. I'm sure my expression must be one of both horror and confusion, because Damon hastens to explain,

"Steffy got himself bitten by wolf boy"

I gasp again in shock, and my head starts to pound worse than it does when I'm craving blood, which by the way is all the freakin' time,

"But werewolf bites are fatal to vampires! Why the fuck am I just finding out about this? No wait, scratch that, I'll kick your asses later for not telling me, how do we cure you?"

Stefan shakes his head,

"There is no cure Ever" he practically whispers.

I scoff loudly, unwilling to accept that even for a second,

"Bullshit. There's always a way, we need to talk to Bonnie so that she can-"

"Sin and Jeremy are already with Bonnie" Damon tells me, and I realise belatedly that he has taken one of my hands in his, my other is still gripping Stefan's arm tightly, "He said he's call when they find out something"

"If they find something" Stefan says harshly, "You two need to accept the fact that there might be nothing we can do"

I look at Damon and we lock eyes for a moment. I see that we are in complete agreement about this and I turn back to Stefan, meeting his gaze as I state without any humour in my voice,

"You are not dying. No room for arguements alright, it simply isn't going to happen. End of."

"But-" Stefan tries to argue, but Damon cuts him off almost viciously,

"Shut up Stefan. You heard Ever, it's not happening, end of discussion. You're not dying, so get over it"

I can't help but let out a bubble of laughter, even though none of this is funny. I give Stefan a mock glare and say,

"Yeah Stef, get over it, you don't get to die. I died this week already, stop trying to steal my thunder!"

Damon laughs too then, although it's a dry sound, and he adds,

"God Stefan, you're such an attention seeker"

Stefan gives us both a hard stare before breaking out into laughter himself,

"Only you two would make a joke out of my impending doom"

Damon and me laugh even harder and say at the same time,

"Impending doom?"

"Shut up, you both know what I mean" Stefan grumbles in amusement.

Damon shakes his head at his brother,

"Yeah, but, impending doom? Really Stefan? That kind of stuff is ok to write inside your feelings journal-"

"But not to actuall say out loud" I finish with anotehr burst of laughter at the expression of mock hurt on Stefan's face.

"I can say whatever I damn well want, because, apparently, I'm not allowed to die like a normal person" Stefan says with an arched eyebrow at us.

"You, Stefan Salvatore, are not a 'normal' person" I say with complete certainty, Damon nods in agreement with me,

"He's never been normal, the little freak" Damon raises his eyebrows right back at Stefan in a silent challenge, and I see them have one of their Salvatore stare-y moments.

I roll my eyes evenutally though, and I move my hand to clasp one of Stefan's so that now both of them are holding one of my hands each, joining all three of us together. I meet Damon's eyes briefly before meeting Stefan's and saying,

"We've been through so much together already. I know we can beat this too, I refuse to believe that we can't" I think of Elena then and my emotions threaten to take over obnoxiously. I beat them down, unwilling to lose control.

Just then Damon's phone starts to ring and he takes it out of his pocket, seemingly unwilling to let go of my hand or his locked stare with Stefan.

"Sin, what did the witch club have to say?" Damon asks, and I concentrate my new vampy hearing on his phone so I can hear Sin's answer. I have to admit, I'm pretty good at all this vampy shit.

"The witchy folk were being most unhelpful. But Bonnie manged to hear a name"

Sin's voice sounds strained and even a little broken, like he's just heard some news that he's not sure how to take or how to react to it. That does not give me good vibes over here.

"What name?" Damon asks.

There seems to be a pause on Sin's end, but after a few long moments he answers, the word coming out sounding like a curse,

"Klaus"

Oh fuck.

I don't listen to the rest of the conversation, as my mind is spinning with anger and bitterness. I hate it. I hate that we have to go anywhere near the monster who murdered my sister again. I wanted it to be over that night. I died and I thought that would be enough to deserve some peace. But apparently the universe is as much of a bitch as I always suspected.

I try to push away the anger before it can consume me and become rage. I'm not doing very well, until Stefan squeezes my hand and forces me to look at him. I see understanding in his eyes, and I want so badly for him to tell me that everything will be alright. I feel weak for wanting that. It isn't fair. Stefan is the one who's dying, he shouldn't have to comfort me.

But I know he would, because that's just who Stefan is. He consmes me with light instead of rage, and I feel it spread out from our bond and take hold of me. It feels like pure sunlight on my soul. I try to send the same shimmering light back to him, and for a moment Stefan and I are connected in a way that could only be described as ethereal.

Eventually though I pull back, because I can Damon's gaze on us. His expression is not one of irritation or discomfort though. There is a deeper layer of understanding in his blue eyes than there ever has been before, and I welcome the new connection between us. It rages like a city on fire and I allow the flames to lick my heart and my mind.

I realise then that I've stood up from the sofa and that Damon has done the same, our bodies only inches apart. But the connection of our minds and souls and hearts feel more intimate than any touch we could have shared. Stefan stands behind me, and I feel our bond flow through both of us, accepting the fire between Damon and me and even embracing it.

A new level of intensity only begins when Damon and Stefan lock eyes. I feel them both shiver from the pure emotion of it, as their hands are still joined with mine. I know that they don't understand yet, not as much as the bonds that now tie us together do at least. But I feel the connection of the wild uncontainable fire between me and Damon link with the omnipotent light that bonds me and Stefan together, and it creates a path-like entity from Damon to Stefan and Stefan to Damon, striking through me and making me it's centre.

I hear his voice in my head, and it doesn't surprise me as much as it probably should. I'm not sure Damon even means me to hear it, but I do and it's exactly what I needed to hear,

"I will find a way to fix this. We will save him."

I contrate hard on what I want to say back, and by the way Damon blinks in surprise, I know that he heard me.

"I know. We love him too much to let him go"

Sinbad's P.O.V

I check to see if Nick is inside the apartment, when I see that it only the lovely bitchfoot in residence I nod to Damon and we enter Alaric's apartment freely. I hate that I have to come here, and I hate that my brother is dying. I doubly hate that the ony way to save him is to come begging to Nicklaus for help.

Sometimes, life really does like to kick you when you're down.

I had a hell of a time convincing Jeremy that he could not come with me and Damon to see Nick. For many reasons. Mainly that Nick might very well kill Jeremy, his jealousy is definitely a thing to behold when it is unleashed, possibly it is even worse than is desire for vengeance. Although that is debatable.

Katerina huffs at us and I smile beautifically,

"Hello Kitty Kat. So, how are you?"

The mighty Bitchfoot barely manages not to sneer at me in contempt. Damon just glares at her like that will somehow make her magically disapear. Getting Damon to come was a challenge in a way, because I could tell, even over the phone, that he did not want to leave Ever and Stefan. I actually agree, although I think my reasons are different.

I know they can't be left alone together for too long because Stefan will start to hellucinate and might even attack Ever. I'm too worried about it though, as it's not like Ever's human anymore, she can defend herself against Stefan if she has to. But it's still something we should be wary of.

"Two days I've been waiting" Katerina complains, "I'm supposed to be free of Klaus' compulsion by now. He's supposed to be dead."

"Well boo hoo for you Kitty Kat. We've been having some problems of our own, thank you very much for asking" I snap easily, and I enjoy Katerina's answering glare and Damon's bark of laughter.

Then I freeze and the smile on my face slips away. Damn it Nick! A shiver runs up my spine moments before Nick comes striding into the apartment with Elijah right behind him.

"Look who came by for a visit" Katerina says willfully.

Nick raises an eyebrow at me as if he's surprised I came here. Good. He should be. Arrogant son of a bitch.

"Hello my Angel, Damon" Nick says and nods to each of us in turn.

I meet Elijah's gaze for a moment, and even though he betyrayed us, I can't help but show him some undersanding in my eyes. I knew there was a possibility that Eli would choose not to murder his brother, and I cannot condem him for the same loyalty I feel towards my own brothers. I know I could never kill them, no matter what they did or became, and I like to think they feel the same way.

Damon steps forward and says forcefully,

"We need your help" he looks at me, and then back at Nick before continuing, "For our brother"

Nick raises an amused eyebrow that makes me want to hurt him,

"Well whatever it is, it's going to have to wait a tick. You see I have an obligation to my brother" he gestues back at Eli.

I frown at them, what did Nick promise Eli? It has to have something to do with their family.

Nick walks over off, supposedly to get whatever it is he promised Eli.

Eli looks between me and my brother, and I have to grip Damon's arm so he doesn't launch himself at Eli. I may understand Eli's reasonings and accept them, but Damon sure as hell doesn't want to, which fair enough. Damon growls at me, but I still hold him back, because, the despite the fact that I understand his anger, I also don't think it'll help Stefan if we attack Eli.

Stefan is the reason I'm here. The only reason.

"You both understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here" Eli tries to explain, "My brother had promised to reunite me with my own"

"And so I shall"

I see Nick move behind Elijah, but not in time to stop him. Eli turns around and Nick stabs Eli with one of those nifty daggers, causing him to shout and crumple against Nick. I can only imagine the look of betrayal that I know must be in Eli's eyes. I've seen it there before, years ago, when life seemed so uncomplicated.

Nick lets Eli's body fall to the floor and he looks up at me. I shake my head at him and say,

"You are such an arsehole sometimes Nick"

Nick just smiles wickedly at me, and before I can blink twice, Nick is shoving a very long stake-like weapon into Damon's stomach, pining him to the wall behind us. Damon practically snarls in pain and I move to help him. Nick holds a hand up to me and says,

"I meant what I said. I won't kill him. But I need him out of the way for now. Tell me what it is you need"

I glance desperately at Damon, wanting badly to aid him. He's groaning in anguished pain now, and the sound of it makes me want to cringe. But if I don't do as Nick says, he may not help me save Stefan. Nick might not actively kill my brothers, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting them die.

"The witches said you can cure a werewolf bite. Make me a deal Nick, just give me the cure, and I'll do whatever you want" I say honestly. I came here today expecting to give into Nick if that's what it took to save Stefan.

Nick tilts his head to the side and regards me for a moment. I feel so damn exposed when he looks me over like that, but there's nothing I can do but bear it for now.

"You know what I want Sin. I want you back"

"You can have me" I say earnestly, if that's what it takes to keep Stefan alive, then I'll do it, even though my heart aches to think of leaving Jeremy.

Nick laughs low and deep at that and shakes his head,

"No Sin. I mean, I want my Angel back. I want the you I first met"

No, no he couldn't possibly mean-

"I want you let your monster loose Sinbad. He's in there somewhere, I know it. You just have to let him out of his cage"

I want to be sick, to scream at the world and destroy the universe for putting me in this position. I clench my hands into fists and say without thinking,

"I can't do that Nick. Please, please don't make me. I'll do whatever you want. Just not...that"

"But that's what I want from you Sin" Nick says simply, and I wince at the obvious statement in his tone.

He won't settle for less. It's this or nothing.

Nick backs away from me then and moves into the kitchen. My gaze darts over to Damon, still staked against the wall, and I start to move towards my brother. But Nick calls to me,

"If you get him down, this is over, and I will not save Stefan no matter what you give me"

I pause midstride and meet Damon's pain filled eyes. He nods slightly at me, a silent agreement passing between us. This is all for Stefan, and we'd both do anything for him.

Anything. Even what Nick wants from me?

Yeah, even that.

I move into the kitchen just in time to see Nick take a blood bag out of the fridge and break it open. He squeeze most of the contents into a glass and then holds the glass out to me with anther wicked smile aimed my way. I shiver at the intensity of it, and the realisation that the blood is not human. It's vampire blood. Ha, of course Nick has vampire blood ready for me. God, I really hate this.

My head swims with need, and I want so badly to take that glass from Nick and down the contence. Then I want to rip into every supernatural creature I come into contact with and drink their blood until they die. But most of all I want to become so consumed with power that blood, even supernatural blood, isn't enough anymore. I'll want something purer. Something more powerful and strong, like a drug that changes my very being.

Souls.

At heart of me, that is what I crave. Souls.

If blood is like cigarettes, then souls are like heroin. To me anyway. I can suck out someone's soul, usually through a kiss, although that's just my prefered method, which kills that person, no matter who or what they are. In fact, it doesn't just kill them, it means they cease to exist completely in any part of the universe.

That is the path I started on when I drowned in that lake over a hundred years ago. It started with just speaking to spirits, touching them and helping the spirits move on to their next stage of existence. James Moore, the first spirit I ever met, was a witch. I helped him, as I did so many others. It was a distrubing, and wonderful gift. I was told by the same strange woman many years later that I was, what the 'masters of the universe' called, a Guardian. A Guardian of the dead. There are different types of Guardians. Guardian's of love. Guardians of nature. But the most powerful and dangerous are the Guardians of the dead.

My own kin, other Guardian's, call Guardians of the dead 'Soulshifters'.

That is what I am.

But when I died and decided to become a vampire so that I could be there for my brothers, my own soul was changed yet again. Some may say it was damaged, but that's really based on opinion rather than fact. The woman by the lake, the spirits and other Guardians warned me against becoming a vampire, but I arrogantly dismissed their arguments.

I, was an idiot.

Becoming a vampire changed me into a soul craving monster. A new type of vampire you could say. I am stronger and faster than any ordinary vampire, even the Originals. My senses are enhanced and I have a sixth sense that I can only describe as ghosts whispering things into my unconcious mind. That's why I can feel peope coming, and sense when something is wrong. Vervain and stakes through the heart are pretty damn useless against me. Pulling my heart out just means a trip to the land of the dead before it practically spits me back out again in disgust.

I never truly gave up my humanity, I should admit, I just let the soul stealing monster take over control of my mind and body.

The witches who captured and tortured me were only trying to contain the monster they knew I could become, and maintain the balance of nature. A vampire Guardian had never existed before, and trust me, there was a good reason for that. It wasn't until the Originals' mother herself came to those witches through her magic and told them to use me as a weapon instead of trying trap me as a monster, that I escaped.

They agreed to free me, but only if I used my soul sucking gift to kill the Original vampires. I let the monster in me loose for the first time after they released me. I was half out of my mind by then anyway. Years of physical and mental torture will do that to you.

Obviously, I failed in my mission to kill the Originals. I'm sure the 'masters of the universe' are out for my head on a spike. Or at the very least the coven who captured me probably still are.

I shake my head at the glass of blood,

"Please Nick...at least prove to me that you can actually save my brother first"

Nick sighs, but his smile brightens terrifyingly, and he calls out to Katerina. She comes willinging, giving me a careful glance that I return with a trepadatious one of my own. Nick holds out his hand to her and she frowns and places her hand in his. Nick immedietly bites into her wrist, causing Katerina to all but scream in protest. Nick releases her and to bite into his own wrist and force Katerina to drink his blood.

The bite mark on Katerina's arm disapears instantly and understanding dawns on me even as I try to ignore the need that claws at my soul in response to the sight of Nick's blood.

I could bite him, and drink him dry, so painfully and slowly, it would be so sweet and fun and perfect, and then I could do the same to Katerina and Damon and every other speck of insignificant existence that I can find...

NO!

I shut the monster back into his cage and cover the fucking door with chains and padlocks. He's so...I hate him. He whispers to me every fucking moment of every fucking day. It drives me mad sometimes. I can't escape him. He wants to rip the soul out of every single person he see's, but not before torturing them with the slow pull of a soul stealing kiss. He can make it painful as all hell for them, he can make it feel like he's cutting out their heart with a butter knife and scraping out their brain with a spoon.

He is evil, and I hate him. He finds me amusing, and exasperatingly boring.

I hold control over him, and yet he is still sure he will win. In the end.

And sometimes...I think he's right.

"You want your cure. There it is" Nick says to me, his own blood still dripping deliciously from his mouth.

"Your blood is the cure" I mutter to myself in frustration. Oh, of course it is.

"Gotta love mother nature" Nick recites with a smirk I know all too well. The smirk of triumph.

...

"There it is" Nick says as he fills a bottle with his blood.

I look over at Damon to see that he's staring at me strangely, and I'm not sure what to make of his expression, so I don't even try None of it will matter soon enough.

If I can just resist the monster...maybe I can pretend...but no, Nick isn't stupid, and I'm not that good an actor. Neither am I strong enough to keep that cage bolted shut if I start drinking vampire blood. I know I won't be able to stop, and I hate myself for that, but, there it is all the same.

"I have big plans for you when we leave this town" Nick tells me, and I see the anticipation in his gaze.

It makes me shiver again, but out of pleasure, horror or fear I can't be sure.

Nick slides a blood bag full of vampire blood towards me and he says,

"Drink it my Angel, and everything will fall into place."

I stare woefully at the bag of blood. I want so badly. But there are a million reasons why I shouldn't, not least of which is that I truly do not want to leave my Jeremy. I love him so damn much, and it hurts to think of him now. He would hate me as the soul devouring monster I could become the instant that blood slides down my throat.

Nick continues to watch me as I tare open the bag of blood. My eyes flash, I know, without having to see them. Even Damon, who can't possibly know what's really going on, must feel the change in the room, because he makes a sound of protest. I ignore him. I have to. I have to do this to save Stefan. I'm loyal to my brothers. I always have been, and I always will be.

I press the bag to my lips, the blood touches my tongue, darkness and desire swirl together in a dance of wild death, and everything changes.

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this scene- 'Broken Hallelujah' by 'The Afters')

"Ever" Stefan just about manages to get the whispered croak out of his mouth, and instantly I'm by his side with a cold towel to hel with his fever.

I lean over him and say,

"It's ok Stefan, I'm right here"

"Ever, get out of here, I don't want to hurt you" Stefan groans in pain and our bond crackles like lightening. I want to take away his pain, but the best I can do is share it through our bond to leviate ome of it.

"Nah, Stef, we already did that part when you tried to escape the house earlier, remember. Called me Katherine any everything, which by the way, I am still deeply offended by" I reply.

Stefan did lose his shit a little before, but Sin warned me about that, so I was prepared. It would have been a lot harder if I was still human, but, luckily, I am now a vampy person, and so restraining him wasn't that difficult. Now he's so exhausted that even if he wanted to attack me, I doubt he'd be able to.

I stamp down the panic over where the hell Damon and Sin are with that cure. I don't want Stefan to pick up on my worries, he's already trying to deal with the pain we can both feel coming from Damon. When I first felt I wanted to go to him, that was my first instinct, and Stefan wanted to go too, I know he did. But I couldn't allow that. Sin is with Damon, and I know he won't let him die. Although it hurts me to so badly to know that Damon is in pain.

I hate that both Damon and Stefan are in pain and there's nothing I can really do to help either of them. Being helpless is really shit, I can tell ya that right now.

"It's not safe Ever" Stefan complains stubbornly.

I just snort derisevely,

"Fuck that Stef. I'm not leaving you"

Stefan chokes on a cough and starts to choke almost violently. I climb into bed beside him and slide an arm under his neck, my whole body is pressed against his. I brush some damp hair off Stefan's forehead and let my hand rest on his chest as his breathing slowly becomes normal again.

"Shhh, Stef, it's ok" I whisper gently.

Stefan shakes his head in distress,

"It's not ok, it's not ok Ever. I hurt Sin when I kissed Katherine. And I hurt Damon when I made him become a vampire. I hurt him again when I fell for you. He loves you, more than anything. You should be with him Ever, you should be with Damon"

"Shhh, Stefan, you don't have to-"

"Tell Damon I'm sorry for being too weak to be a vampire by myself. Tell him that, and love him Ever, he deserves you, even if he thinks he doesn't" Stefan cotinues without pause, his voice strained with love for his brother and hatred for himself.

Oh, you deserve so many things Stefan Salvatore, and Damon knows that too. I know that he does, I can feel it. I hope one day Stefan will let himself see how much Damon feels for him, and that Damon will one day understand his brothers unrelenting love for him despite all that they have endured. I feel so damn lucky to be loved by both Damon and Stefan, I don't know if I deserve how much they love me. But I am glad for it, and I'm too selfish to give that love up.

I shift so that I'm led next to him completely and I lift my hand to cup his face gently, lovingly, and I force him to look directly at me as I whisper,

"I'm not sorry Stefan. I probably should be, but I'm not. I'm not sorry that you and Damon ended up here, in my life. I want you both to be part of my life forever. I know that's selfish of me, but it's still true"

Stefan's eyes widen slightly, as if he wasn't prepared for that admission. He smiles at me then, and our bond fills with light once more, even though the pain that we share. Pain that we are sharing three ways. All of our pains mixing together and strengthening the paths that link us as one. Stefan manages to lift a hand and brush the back of his fingers over my cheek, seemingly in awe of me for a moment. His wild green gaze is fixed on mine as he whispers back,

"I'm not sorry either. I could never be sorry for meeting you Everlyna Gilbert. I feel like I've spent my whole life drifting, but just knowing you has changed everything for me. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to meet you Ever, and, even if I do die tonight, I want you to know that meeting you...was worth every damn second"

Something tugs at my mind from Damon's side of the path, but I push it away. This moment is for Stefan and me. I lean forward and brush my lips against his. Both of us sigh into the most beautiful kiss I have ever experiences. Our bond flood with light, and it overwhelms me for a good few moments as our emotions become almost living things between us. When I finally pull back my eyes instantly connect with Stefan's and he smiles openly at me,

"I love you" he whispers.

My breath hitches and I open my mouth to reply,

"I-"

But I'm cut off by Damon in the doorway saying,

"Yeah, yeah, you love each other to death. We all get it. Seriously, though, can we have this beautiful moment after I've given Stefan the cure?"

I sit up immedietly and my gaze locks with Damon's penetrating blue eyes. He steps forward with a bottle of blood in his hands and hands it over to me. I don't hesitate, trusting Damon completely. I open the bottle and tip the contents into Stefan's mouth. Damon climbs onto the other side of the bed and helps me get Stefan to swallow what looks like blood from the bottle.

I run my fingers through Stefan's hair, pushing it back lovingly, a touch I now know calms Stefan. I look up at Damon though and smile at him as the wound begins to heal. Damon smiles back at me, but there's something in his gaze that makes me feel uneasy. I get a flash of anger and horror from Damon's mind and his other brother name. I frown at Damon and ask,

"Where's Sin?"

Damon's whole body tenses and his gaze flickers between me and Stefan rapidly. He sighs heavily and meets my eyes as he answers reluctantly,

"Sin's...gone"

For a horrible moment I think he means that Sinbad's dead, and a wave of new grief threatens to overwhelm me. Both Stefan and Damon feel that grief, Stefan manages to sit up, resting on his elbows,

"What?" Stefan demands, and his voice is firm despite the fact that he's still weak from the bite wound.

We're both looking at Damon with stricken expressions and Damon hastens to explain,

"He's not dead. Sin is just...gone. His humanity or...whatever it is that makes Sinbad Sin... is gone. Just...gone"

Sinbad's P.O.V

(Song for this scene and theme song for Sinbad's character- 'Animal' by 'The Cab')

"So, did Damon and Katerina make it in time?" My hybrid asks me when my phone buzzes, no doubt with news from radio Ever. She's so pretty. I could slit her throat and give her to Elena. I smiled manically at Elena's ghost when I saw her. She's upset. I bet her tears would taste of bitter regret and innocence. Her soul would have been so beautiful to destroy. I could have had so much fun with that one.

I tilt my head to the side and with a smirk I reply darkly,

"I should have killed her. I wanted to taste her blood, to feel it run down my throat. I wanted to rip out her sweet, sweet soul. It would have tasted so good."

"There are plenty more where Katerina came from my Angel, she doesn't matter" My hybrid declares, and I smile slowly.

I'm bored. I want death. I want blood. I want to kill someone, to feel their life drain away second by second. I laugh gleefully at the very idea of it and my hybrid smiles lovingly at me. I want him to smile like that all the time. He's like to watch me kill. I really want to. It's been so long, and that cage was so small and dark and boring.

"I want death. I can feel a vampire that is watching us. Can I kill her? Is she a gift?" I get excited. My hybrid is kind to me like that, he brings me gifts that I can torture and destroy for as long as I want.

Oh, I have missed him, and I have missed his bite and his fury and his pain. A soul so damaged and delcious that I want to wait before I steal it. There are so many others that I want first.

My hybrid smiles dangerously, like the predator I desire, and turns to call out,

"Come here Rose, I want you to meet someone"

His friend Rose moves around the corner relctantly, her gaze defiant. I can fix that. Although, I like it when they fight, that's so much less boring. My hybrid smirks at me and I return it as Rose moves towards us.

"Sin" she says His name, "What's going on?"

I laugh and it's a dark and scathing sound, making Rose flinch. As she should. I turn to my hybrid and say,

"Time to play and steal and rip and destroy. I want her soul. It's mine"

I laugh again when Rose gives me a scared glance of betrayal and uncertainty. Ah, so she is loyal to Him. I will pick apart her soul until it screams and screams and screams.

My hybrid knows what I want. He forces Rose to look at him and says simply,

"Run"

Rose takes off a second later and my laugh rings throughout the world of the dead. I chase her soul until my need to cause death takes over and I shove her against a wall, my lips are cold and they cause so much death. I laugh still as she screams. Her soul flows through me and it twists and screams and sobs and it's oh so good to be in control again.

I will destroy. I will have all the souls I want in the world. They are all so sweet. I am death, and your soul, is mine.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, well, there's quite a lot of stuff going on in this chapter. First of all, yes, I think there are a few of you who will be reading about Stefan, Damon and Ever's new...'thing', and thinking 'what the fraking hell is going on?!'. Well, let me start off by saying that this was not my original plan, and, to be honest, I'm having to change a lot of stuff for the next season because of other choices I've made. But, in regards to the love triangle, for now at least, it's going down this path, because I enjoy writing Dever and Stever scenes equally. So, I figured, screw it, I'm gonna do this. So, please don't hate on me for it, because I love you, my dear readers, and I don't want you to hate my story as it exists to entertain you people ;) xxx Let me know what you think though.
> 
> Also, obviously, we have scary badass Soulshifter Sinbad now, I would really like to know what you think of that as well. Basically, season three is gonna contain a lot of badass Sin action, so, yeah, be prepared for that xxx
> 
> I know I've so far stuck quite close to the plot of the vampire diaries, but, the next few seasons might stray a bit to more 'me ideas' than the 'show ideas' if you get what I mean. Not that it's gonna change completely, I just mean a lot of stuff is going to be different, for obvious reasons. xxx
> 
> Please, my peoples, I would really like reviews on this chapter because it is the season finale and there's a lot of stuff I'd like your opinions on. Let me know if you're interested in a season 3! xxx
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! xxx


	65. The Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter in season three!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-fifth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then life would be coming up rosy ;) xxx
> 
> Really hope you like it and please review! xxx

Ever's P.O.V

"Get. Up." I shout at Jeremy. When he doesn't even stir I throw a heavy object at him. I'm not sure what it is, but it looks expensive enough to be used in a game of Cluedo. 'Lady Gilbert killed Lord Gilbert with the antique plate/vase/fancy pansy bowl'.

Jeremy has slept in Sin's bed every night since he fucked off with Klausy wousy. I'm really worried about him. Actually, I'm really worried about both Sin and Jeremy. I knew Sin had a secret darkness within him, and that it wasn't quite the same as Damon's and Stefan's, but, I had no idea it could change him so dramatically. And from the way Damon described what happened that night, the Sin I knew and loved really is gone.

But that doesn't mean we can't bring our Sin back. He came back before, so he can do it again with his brother's, mine and Jeremy's help.

Damon is less optimistic, although I can tell he wants Sin back just as much as the rest of us. Stefan seems oddly resigned about it all, and I know that he's blaming himself just like he always does. I keep trying to reassure him, but it's obvious he still feels at least partially at fault since he's the one who got bitten in the first place.

I've told him over and over again that he would have done the same thing if it had been the other way around. But Stefan's being stubborn. I think helping find Sin and bringing him back would ease the guilt he feels, which is just one more reason to find Sin.

Jeremy groans at me and sits up, his hair a tangled brown mess. I shake my head at him and he makes a frustrated noise,

"What-it's too early to get up" he argues.

I scoff incredulously and point at the alarm clock,

"It's not early you lazy creature. If it was early, I wouldn't be standing here. Matt called, you're gonna be late for work"

Jeremy runs a hand through the birds nest on his head,

"Since when do you care about being late for things like work" Jeremy accuses as he blinks the tiredness away from his eyes.

I shrug, a wave of grief suddenly assaulting me,

"Since Elena isn't around to do it anymore. I mean, someone has to go around being a killjoy"

Jeremy's expression hardens for a moment and he grumbles under his breathe. He rolls his eyes at me and says,

"Fine. I'm getting up" he then proceeds to lie back down again.

I look around for another object to throw, then, failing that, I use mine and Stefan's bond to shout,

"STEFAN!"

He won't exactly hear the word, but he'll get the sense that I need him.

More and more lately I can feel our bond changing into something more like a living entity between us, like sunlight under my skin. It keeps me strong, and the love within our bond makes all the worst times worth suffering through, as I know I can share every burden with him.

Within seconds Stefan is by my side. I would have called Damon as well, but for one, he would more than likely just yank Jeremy out of bed, which would lead to law suits and the like. In all it's not worth the pissed off whinging (Jeremy) and the snarky complaining about teenagers and their antics (Damon).

Also, Damon's in the shower right now, and I know that because he told me through our connection. Over the summer break we've both gotten used to our new ability of passing messages to each other like that. In fact we've probably gotten far too used to it, as sometimes we forget to actually talk, which freaks other people out a little.

Except for Stefan, obviously. Although I think that's just because he can feel when I'm speaking to Damon that way. I'm not sure how this three way bond thing works, and to be honest I don't know if I want to find out just in case there's anything sinister about it. I really hope not. Maybe after we've got Sin back I'll start to look into it more, there's got to be someone out there who knows what the hell is going on between me and the Salvatore's.

Stefan looks down at me with concern etched into his features and I give him a reassuring smile along with a wave of similar wary happiness through our bond. That seems to settle Stefan and he asks,

"What's going on?"

I point at Jeremy dramatically,

"Jer is being a lazy shit. He is defying me and that cannot be allowed. Do something vampy to him, please Stefan"

Stefan raises an eyebrow at me,

"Something…vampy? Like what? And, if you want something vampy then why don't you do it?"

I make a face and consider his questions,

"Uh, well, um, I forgot"

"You forgot what?" Stefan asks in confusion.

I mumble,

"I forgot that I'm a vampire"

Stefan laughs then and I poke his bicep, hard. He shakes his head at me,

"How can you forget such an important event?"

I shrug and throw my hands up,

"I don't know. I drift. I'm old now. Old people forget things."

Stefan just gives me a 'yeah, right' look and says,

"You've just turned eighteen, that isn't old Ever"

"It is" I argue, "Just because you're, like, a million years old, doesn't mean that I'm not also old. On the inside."

"You're old on the inside? Right, I'll be sure to write that in the card" Stefan pretends to make a mental note and I narrow my eyes at him playfully.

"You've been spending too much time with Damon and…..wait….you got me a CARD? Where is this mysterious card? Does my card have a comical animal on the front with a joke on it about turning eighteen?" I rock on the spot, doing a little dance Damon and Stefan have come to call 'Ever's insanity hop'.

I resent that.

But anyway….I get A CARD!

"Yes there is a card" Stefan admits with a half smile on his face.

I do the evil finger thing and ask,

"Does it have money in it?"

"Nope" Stefan says confidently, as if I'm meant to be happy about that.

I stop bouncing and lean coolly away from Stefan,

"Well then, what in the world is the point? That's it Stefan, you've ruined my birthday. You may go now" I make a dismissive gesture with my hand and I cross my arms.

Stefan rolls his eyes and leans in close to me, his arm braced on the doorframe above my head, his voice intimate when he says,

"I'm sorry Ever, what can I do to make up to you? It is your birthday after all, you get whatever you want"

My mock scowl turns into a grin and push forward until my chest brushes Stefan's, I meet his bright green eyes as I say,

"Oh, I can think of a few things I want from you Stefan Salvatore"

Stefan's grinning dangerously now too, and it's the closest thing Stefan does to smirking. He leans in even closer so that his lips brush mine, causing a wave of pleasure to wind itself around our bond.

"Yeah, like what?"

"But it's so much more fun if I show you" I say teasingly, my voice almost sounding breathless to my own ears. Now that I'm a vampire everything feels heightened, like I'm really truly feeling the world for the first time. Sometimes that can be a bitch, but other times I wonder how I could have lived my whole life without this intensity.

Just as Stefan leans in to kiss me properly and complete the spell that binds us, I hear Jeremy say grouchily,

"You two know I can hear you, right?"

"So?" I ask, a smirk on my face now.

Jeremy groans in annoyance,

"I don't want to hear this stuff Ever, you're my sister"

"Too bad" I say back, "You're meant to be at work anyway, it's your own fault if you stay and listen to something you don't want to hear"

Jeremy groans again, but this one sounds more resigned than anything. Jeremy gets out of bed and heads into the bathroom muttering on his way,

"I'm up, I'm up, go away"

"Hurry Jer, or even my Matty will have to dob you in" I call out to him, still smirking.

Jeremy calls back,

"Yeah, well, maybe they'll fire me"

"Aim high bro, aim for that glass ceiling of bar work and smash your way through it like a Boss" is all I say in response to that.

I turn back to Stefan who is now smiling in amusement at me. Even so I twine my arms around his neck and in immediate response Stefan covers my lips with his. He's gentle at first, and it always seems to start out that way with Stefan.

But eventually he coaxes my mouth open and slides his tongue along mine, tasting, desiring, claiming. I groan when he pushes me up against the hallway wall. My back presses harshly into the hardness of the wood. The loving passion of Stefan's kiss consuming my every thought.

Since he's so damn tall, Stefan ends up lifting me up off the floor slightly, his tongue still exploring my mouth with almost fierce intensity. Every kiss and every touch from Stefan feels like a blazing inferno, a fire that can never be satisfied. I have become as addicted to Stefan's touch as I've always been to Damon's.

I'm completely lost in Stefan, until a familiar darkly amused voice speaks into my head,

"I'll have what he's having"

I can't decide whether to laugh or take him up on that offer. Stefan senses the change in mood through our bond, and he pulls back slightly, although his hands do not move from being wrapped around me. Stefan quirks an eyebrow questioningly and I say,

"You don't want to know Stef"

Stefan lets out a throaty laugh and smiles, understanding in his eyes,

"Yeah, I figured. Tell him to wait a damn minute" Stefan kisses me again and I melt into it with a smile against his lips.

Between mind blowing kisses I manage to get out,

"Stef..."

Stefan kisses me once more, but it lasts for so long that it takes my breath away and I forget what we were even talking about, which I'm guessing was the point.

"Come on Stef" I mumble into to his mouth, my voice sounding thick.

Stefan pulls back and says, his own voice deep with arousal,

"Fine. Tell him we're coming now"

I relay the message to Damon, who, in response, merely snickers, or at least that's what it sounds like inside my head. Stefan allows me to move away from the wall, but he slides his arm around my shoulders as we make our way to Damon's room, keeping my body close to his.

We walk in just in time to see Damon pulling a black t-shirt on. His black hair is still wet and messy from the shower. I quite like it; it reminds of how wild he really is under all that charm and snarkiness. Although I do enjoy the snark at times, it compliments my own.

Stefan removes his arm from around me and leans against the door after he closes it behind us. Damon pulls me against him and kisses the corner of my mouth, nipping my bottom lip for good measure. I can't help the shiver that courses through my body in response to his sensual touch. The heat from our connection flames a little hotter and I can feel the desire pouring off of him.

"I talked to Caroline this morning, she said there's been an animal attack in Memphis, that's the third one this week in Tennessee. Sherriff Forbes thinks it's definitely a vampire attack" I say to both of the Salvatore's, angling my body so I can see their reactions.

Damon scoffs dismissively and shakes his head,

"That doesn't mean it's him"

"But it could be" Stefan argues.

Ah, that's what I can always count on with Stef and Day, two conflicting opinions; like an Angel and a mini Devil on my shoulders. I run a hand through my hair thoughtfully,

"We might as well look into it. If it's a dead-end then at least we'll know"

"It's a waste of time" Damon says in a dissmissive tone of voice.

"Yeah, well, we've got to do something soon. I think Jeremy's losing it a little" I say with a heavy sigh.

Stefan's eyes soften with concern for both me and my brother, I can feel it through our bond like a blast of pure light, I smile at him in thanks.

"Have you told Jeremy about this 'new lead'?" Damon asks, drawing my attention back to the scepticism on his face.

I can feel that both Stefan and Damon want it to be Sin, so that they can go and drag him home. But Damon's not exactly wrong to be sceptical, we've been looking for signs of Sin and Klausy wousy for months and have pretty much nothing to show for it. We've been tracking him, but, from the looks of things Sin is trying to throw us off, or Klausy wousy is.

I shake my head,

"Nah, I didn't want to get his hopes up again. We'll wait and see it pans out before we tell him"

"Good" Stefan says, "We don't want him rushing off to God knows where in search of Sin"

"Yeah, especially as Sin might not hesitate to kill him the way he is right now" Damon adds with a strained smile.

"I don't think that's true" I argue firmly, "Sin really loves Jeremy. I don't believe he'd really hurt him"

"You didn't see him that night, trust me, he'd have killed anyone" Damon says, and the hint of disgust in his voice surprises me as Damon's not exactly against killing people. He looks between me and Stefan and tries to explain once more what he saw that night, "His eyes…when he stared at me….they were just so….cold…..and disturbingly vicious…and…..not Sin. That man was not our brother. It was a monster" his eyes lock with Stefan's and a knowing look passes between them.

I don't like that look, it gives me chills.

God, Sin, where the hell are you?

….

"I feel bad about not telling Jeremy" I say to Caroline as I help her and Tyler set up for my birthday party.

"I'm sure you're doing the right thing. Besides, maybe Damon, Stefan and Alaric will find something there" Caroline suggests with a hopeful smile that is all Caroline. I've never met anyone who can stay so happy and optimistic at all times. I really need that right now.

I shrug,

"Maybe. I hope so. Damon and Stefan are starting to get frustrated with our lack of progress. But, Damon's pretending he's not bothered, and Stefan is feeling so guilty about what happened, even though it really wasn't his fault. I want to be there for both of them, but they're not making it easy"

Tyler lifts a few boxes of beer on to the table and gives me a questioning look,

"What's actually going on with you three anyway?" he asks.

Caroline hits his shoulder and gasps,

"Tyler!"

I smile slightly at the incredulous tone of her voice and the stunned look on Tyler's face, as if he has no idea what she's being so shrill about. I remember from dating Ty that he can be clueless as hell sometimes about what comes out of his mouth. Luckily he asked me this question and not Damon or Stefan, otherwise it would be going a lot differently.

Even though Caroline is still giving Tyler a harsh look, she also seems secretly intrigued. I can tell by the way she's leaning towards me with interest in her eyes. I know my friends don't really understand what's going on between me, Damon and Stefan, which is fair as I know it must appear rather strange from the outside.

Jenna has expressed her concern on multiple occasions about how much time I've been spending at the boarding house. So I try to stay at my house at least a few nights a week. Even then, the Salvatore's come over to stay the night with me. It doesn't matter much where we are, home to me these days is where they are, and I know they feel the same way.

John also expressed his concerns, but I shut him down easily enough. He left a week ago and hasn't been in touch since. I know he'll come back at some point, he always does, so I'm not really worried.

I think about my response to Tyler's question for a moment before saying,

"I'm not sure how to explain it really. It's...complicated. In fact it's probably the very definition of a complicated relationship. But we're working it out"

Tyler and Caroline seem to be absorbing that for a while, but then Tyler asks just as bluntly,

"Yeah, but, are you just, like, dating both Stefan and Damon, or are you actually with them"

"Tyler!" Caroline practically shrieks, causing me to laugh for some time afterwards.

"Like I said, it's complicated, and we don't know exactly what's happening between us right now. But I guess I am sort of 'with them'" I try to explain, and I know it doesn't sound like much, but there it is anyway.

"But, like, at the same time?" this question comes from an open mouthed Caroline.

I frown slightly at that, not sure what she means exactly,

"We...no. I...sort of...but not...um...it's complicated and...different and...you know...special"

"Sounds like it" Tyler comments with a nod at me, "but then, you always did like to do things your own way. This is the kind of insane thing I expect after all these years of knowing you"

I wink at him and he laughs.

"Don't they get jealous of each other? I mean, that's their thing" Caroline says with a small frown.

I let out a harsh breath and consider that for a few seconds before answering,

"Not really. They used to before...before I turned. But, now, it's not as bad. They do get jealous, but it's more playful jealousy, they even joke about it with each other, so..."

"Do you think that'll last?" Caroline asks me curiously.

"I think that Ever can make it work. Somehow. She's the only one who could" Tyler says seriously.

Caroline snorts out a laugh,

"Yeah, that's true"

I smile at my two friends as they grin stupidly at each other. I really need to concoct some sort of evil plan that will manipulate Ty and Care into getting together. They so obviously want to make out in a closet somewhere. Could I lock them in a closet? Nah, they'd just bust out of it all macho supernatural style. Hmmm, I must retreat to my evil lair and ponder this. This calls for the EVIL SPINNY CHAIR. That's where I ponder best about such things.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You're kind are very hard to come by" my hybrid says warningly to the werewolf.

My hybrid wanted to go to this bar so we could find him some werewolves. I don't know why, and I don't care much either. But my hybrid is the ambitious sort, and I suppose I have to put up with that for now. Plus, I get to steal as many souls as I like, and drain my playthings of blood as well.

It's been so much fun. I feel free at last from the cage He kept me in for so long. I can hear him now, oh so faintly, shouting and struggling against chains I've wrapped around his body, restraining him within my head.

He won't get free so easily this time. But it is fun to watch Him beg for release. To watch Him plead for me to stop torturing people. It just makes it more amusing for me. I hope He doesn't realise that though, then he might stop and I'd be deprived of his pain.

I enjoy His pain. He deserves it after all. We should have been united, as a team. But He betrayed me; and he betrayed our hybrid, when all our hybrid ever did was love us for who we really are.

The werewolf turns and tries to run, but he bumps into my chest. I give him a calculating look that causes him to flinch. I smile darkly at that. I do love it when they flinch. It's so amusing to watch all the emotions play across their features. Fear is the best one, but there are others I like too.

"I wouldn't do that little wolf" I say in a sing song voice that causes the to wolf flinch again.

I push the wolf back against the bar. I want to take his soul, to tear it from his body and watch it writhe and burn to ashes. But my hybrid catches that look on my face and he mutely shakes his head. I pout for a moment, and then dismiss my annoyance. I trust me hybrid, and I want to know what he'll do to the little wolf.

"Vampires" the wolf breathes, he tactfully avoids looking me in the eye. Smart. Interesting. This could be fun after all.

"Swifty swift Ray" my hybrid says as his gaze flickers over the bar surroundings, "Yes, my friend is a vampire…of sorts. I wouldn't look at him for too long if I were you, he tends to take that as an invitation. He's also compelled everyone in this bar, so don't go looking to them for any help"

I tilt my head to the side speculatively as I watch the wolf. He's scruffy and plain. But he smells of the woods. I wonder if he'd taste like nature, like bark and fresh air and earthly scents. His soul might swirl and twine like nature itself. I wonder if I could restrain it. I think about that as my hybrid talks to his new wolf.

My hybrid gestures at me at some point and I take that as my cue to play a little bit with his new wolf. I look the wolf dead in the eye and am delighted when he winces almost violently away from me. They all hate the look of controlled madness in my eyes, it makes them feel wrong all over. I like that.

"Angel…" my hybrid prompts and I nod without looking away from the wolf.

"Lets my play a game" I say to the wolf, a slight lilt to my voice, "I call it, truth, or wolfs bane. You're gonna love it little wolf"

"Well this is going to be fun Ray" my hybrid says with a small smirk. I want to taste that smirk, but I know my hybrid will give that to me later, so I decide to wait until my games are over with the little wolf.

...

I twirl the dart around in the glass of wolfs bane. The little wolf is howling in pain. I watch him abstractly. People make strange inhuman noises when they hurt, or when they're scared. I find it interesting to hear each individual sound, and then compare them to each other. Hey, everyone needs a hobby, even psychopathic monsters such as myself.

I smile at him as I throw the dart with exact precision. I know where to aim. The witched taught me a thing or two about torture. Causing agony can be an art, trust me. I'll have to make sure I pay their descendants a visit some time soon. Oh those witches will scream and curse in the land of the inbetween as they watch their blood heirs die in a mangled bloodied mess. Something to look forward to.

Little wolf shouts and grunts, the torment in his eyes makes my smile widen. I move closer to him, sparing a glance for my hybrid who is sitting back and watching me approvingly. I brush some of little wolf's hair away from his eyes, blood matts it to his forehead, a congealing smell rising off his mangled flesh already. I raise an eyebrow, my touch light, as I say,

"You can stop this any time little wolf. You just have to tell me where your pack gathers for the full moon"

Little wolf is breathing heavily, and I pull a dart out of his forhead just in case I need it later.

"I can't" little wolf barks.

I flick his forehead and snap sharply,

"Play nice little wolf. I don't want to get rough with you...or actually, I do. So I wouldn't push it. Little wolves who misbehave get into all kinds of trouble"

"I can't tell you" little wolf grinds out.

Good, more fun for me.

I brush my fingers gently over little wolf's cheek and lean in close to whisper,

"Know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy" Thomas Hardy said it best.

I hear my hybrid talking to a young girl about my brothers, and He struggles even harder against his restraints. Ah, yes. Our brothers by blood and rage and misplaced loyalty. They were the reason I lost control of our body and our mind. It was upon seeing our brothers fighting that He took over once more.

They needed Him, and the strength of that familial loyatly, that strange ever present type of love that only brothers can evoke in each other, was too much for me to fight. He won that round. But not again. Our brothers no longer need Him; they have the special doppleganger to keep them in line and bound together by a love He cannot comprehend. I can though. I know what it is to love against all logical reason.

But then, I am mad. And madness needs no reason but its own. Thats what makes it so much less boring than sanity.

I leave little wolf to speak privately with my hybrid. He places a hand at the back of my neck, a claiming hold if ever there was one. My hybrid often likes to touch me in that way. I think it reassures him of my presence. I know it's His fault that my hybrid is unsure of me. But I don't want to leave my hybrid. Unlike my other self, I know where I belong. And who with. I'm his. I've always been his.

"Are my brothers still searching for Him?" I ask.

My hybrid sighs heavily and brings my forhead closer to his, bumping them together lightly.

"Yes, they're getting closer" my hybrid pulls away from me and says, "I'm going to have to deal with that"

I contemplate that for a moment, but then reply,

"Maybe I should handle my brothers-"

"No" my hybrid says firmly, his tone much like steel.

I shift my stance, and prepare myself to handle his stubborness,

"They won't trust that you're not forcing me to stay with you unless I tell them-"

"I said no my Angel" my hybrid's eyes are flashing with barely controlled anger right and now. I love it when he gets angry. I soak in his rage like fresh air to my lungs.

"But-"

"You can go to your brothers...if you kill them on sight" my hybrid offers, his expression harsh and all-knowing.

I grit my teeth at the thought of ending my brother's live. Of taking Stefan's blood, or draining Damon's soul. A shudder racks my body and my hybrid's hand tightens in response. I nods in understanding,

"See. You still care for them. It was your love for them that tore you away from me. I will not allow that to happen again" he kisses my jaw and runs one fang across it in warning, "I've just got you back my Angel. Nothing will ever take you away again, I won't let it. You're mine, do not forget"

I shake my head instantly and lean in closer to him,

"Yours. I promise I'll remember this time"

My hybrid's claiming hand tightens even further, and I welcome the pain such a punishing hold brings,

"You'd better, or there will be consiquences"

My other self is quite inconsistent and frustrating with His lack of ambition in life, but, there is one thing He won't shut the fuck up about; a name He won't stop calling out into the darkness, no matter how much agony I force on Him.

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

Jeremy.

...

Ever's P.O.V

(Song for this scene- 'Let's not pretend' by '16 Frames')

As I stand in front of the mirror in my black and red lace party dress, I look at the necklace Sinbad once gave me so long ago, and then at the blue stoned bracelet from Damon. The only other bit of jewelry I'm wearing is the ring Stefan gave me when I became a vampire. Technically it's my daylight ring, but Stefan didn't give it to me just because of that. The ring has a silver band, the blue and green of the Salvatore crest graces the middle. It's a clear statement that I am tied to the Salvatore's completely. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I close my eyes for a moment and take a few deep breathes as one horrible fact hits me for about the millionth time today. This should be Elena's birthday too. She wouldn't want a big party, and I'm sure, despite what Caroline keeps telling me, that the part down stairs is big. My twin should be standing by my side. We should be arguing over how to handle Sin's personality disfunction and Jeremy's grief over losing the man he so obviously still loves with all his heart. We should be talking awkwardly about my relationship with Stefan and Damon. We should have had that special birthday dinner with Jenna and Alaric together, not just me. There are a lot of things that should be, but aren't.

There's nothing I can do to change what happened. Elena is dead, and that's just...it just is. And torturing myself about what I could have done differently isn't helping anyone, least of all Elena.

When I open my eyes I see Damon and Stefan in the reflection of the mirror, and despite my dark thoughts, their presence makes me smile. I can feel my bond with Stefan humming contentedly and my connection with Damon tempting me with it's wild fire.

"Don't worry. I won't lose my shit. There's gonna be cake" I say with what I hope is a genuinely happy-looking smile, "Cake solves everything"

Well, most things anyway.

Damon shrugs,

"It's your party, you can cry if you want to"

His words are flippant, but I feel the underlying caress of "I love you", inside my mind.

Stefan smiles tentatively at me. He's nervous, I can feel it. They're hiding something. I already know that they're pretty sure it was Sin who killed those girls when they went to check the house out with Alaric, so that can't be it. I haven't told Jer yet, and I'm not sure how to have that conversation with him without hurting my brother even further.

I raise an eyebrow, a real smile forming on my face,

"What is it? You two are shuffling. You always shuffle when you're hiding something from me"

Damon's eyebrows arch in response,

"We don't do anything" Damon jerks a thumb at his brother "He shuffles. I move gracefully from side to side"

I nod slowly, exchanging an amused glance with Stefan,

"Ah, right, how stupid of me to even suggest that the great Damon Salvatore could ever be nervous enough to shuffle"

I can tell that Stefan is fighting off laughter. Damon just gives me a sardonic smile and moves forward, Stefan close behind him. They stand on either side of me, and I feel like I have two bodyguards. I am very capable of looking after myself, even more so now that I'm a fully fledged vampy person. But it's nice to have them there just in case I do need help or support.

"We...want to give you something" Stefan says, and that nervous edge to his voice is back.

I blink rapidly at both of them for a few moments before saying,

"You didn't have to get me anything, I'm already practically living here and-"

"We want you here, Ever" Damon states firmly, his gaze flickering to Stefan's for a second as if inviting him to add something

"If you left then we'd follow you" Stefan confirms with a slight nod.

"So, really, to save time and effort, it just makes sense that you stay here. With us." Damon says with a casual shrug that I know isn't really casual at all.

I know they mean it, because I can feel it through the paths that bind us. Still, it's nice to hear the words said out loud. More than nice actually, and a full on grin lights up my face.

"Alright then, gimmie my gift. And it had better be good, half assed efforts will not be tolerated" I tease them.

Stefan and Damon actually look a bit tense, and I almost want to take it back. But before I can say anything else, Damon produces a small back velvet bag from his pocket, he hands it over to me with only a hint of hesitation. I frown down at the bag and Stefan says,

"If you don't like it, then that's fine. We just thought that, since you have something from me and Damon jewelry wise, that you might want something that's from both us given our new..."

"Mind fuck-worthy relationship status" Damon supplies with a smirk, earning him a hard look from Stefan and a smile from me.

I hold my hand up a moment, as if asking them to pause,

"Wait a second, did you two get this together? As in a team effort? Where from?"

Damon laughs darky and answers drolly,

"I know a guy"

Stefan rolls his eyes, but there's more affection in the gesture than scorn.

I open the little black bag and reach inside, my fingers lift out a bracelet. Not just any bracelet either, a very, very, expensive looking charm bracelet. I laugh as I look over the charms they've chosen, and my heart jumps around like crazy inside my chest with happiness.

There are seven charms on the gold chain bracelet, and I'm guessing it's real gold. There's a half black and half white heart, an ice cream cone, a vampire fang, a baseball bat, and the individual letters 'E'(Red diamond), 'D'(Black serendibite, pretty much a black diamond ) and 'S'(Pure diamond). All the real thing too most likely.

I love it so much that I'm not sure how to put how I'm feeling into words. I try to convey through our bonds everything that I'm feeling, but even that doesn't seem like enough. I feels tears start to form behind my eyes, and for once I'm not afraid to let them come. I look between both Salvatore's and say, my voice a little choked up,

"I really love this, and...fuck, I love you both, so much that it hurts sometimes. I never thought I could love anyone like that, let alone two people, but I do, I really, really do"

I know some people might think it's cheesy or stupid, but it's not to me. I can tell they really put a lot of thought into this bracelet, and I don't think I've ever loved a gift this much in all my life. I doubt any other present will ever compare to this one either. Damon and Stefan are smiling down at me, so much love in their eyes that it takes all the breathe from body in one big intense rush.

"I love you too Ever, more than anything else in existence. I just want you to be happy. You mean everything to me, baby" Stefan whispers, his own voice is deep and incredibly intimate, causing me to shiver pleasurably in response.

Damon brushes the back of his hand down over my cheek gently in a silent caress,

"I love you Ev's. Knowing you has made everything I've ever suffered worth it. I'd do it all over again a hundred times just to meet you." Damon's pale blue eyes are fixed on me with a fiery passion that I could not control even if I wanted to.

"Glad to hear you say that out loud for once" Stefan says, breaking the almost too much intensity of the moment.

I bark out a sudden laugh and Damon replies,

"Why? Feeling left out little brother?"

Stefan shakes his head and offers to put on my bracelet, I smile and nod at him in thanks. I hold my wrist out as Stefan fastens on the truly beautiful charm bracelet.

I stare down at the bracelet for a few long moments, reaching out to run my fingers over it gently. I look up at the reflections of me, Stefan and Damon in the mirror, and after a charged few seconds, they both take a hand each, linking their fingers with mine. I meet their gazes in the mirror and say with as much strength as I can,

"We'll get through this. We will find Sin and bring him back to us. I will get through the pain and grief of losing my sister." I squeeze Damon's hand, "You will admit to giving a damn about all this, out loud, at least once", I squeeze Stefan's hand, "And you will stop feeling guilty about things you cannot control. We will do all these things. Together."

Because we can. Because we want to. Because I love them, and they love me. Because we're all far too stubborn to give in just because the universe is against us in almost every way possible.

Fuck the universe, we have important shit to do. Simple as. End of.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please people, I need feedback so I know if you like what I'm doing or not xxx
> 
> Thanks so much for reading.
> 
> Spoiler-Sexy times ahead ;) xxxx


	66. The Hybrid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the woods and far far away.....xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-sixth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then I'd be a happy duck xxx 
> 
> Really hope you like it and please review! xxx

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

The Hybrid

 

Sinbad's P.O.V

"Are you ok? Is Ray getting heavy?" My hybrid asks, the concern in his voice light, yet very real. Although he'd never admit that, and I'm not in the mood to force him to. Yet.

"Don't tease me Nick, or I'll leave the little wolf with you and go make my own fun somewhere else" I say with a smirk. I know that should put a chink in his armour. It's funny to watch my hybrid get angry. I like to do it on purpose, slowly, that way it builds up into a massive explosion. We have the best sex when he's trying to prove a point.

Nick grunts his displeasure at my reply and says,

"But if you leave then you won't see the outcome of today. I know what a curious nature you have my Angel. It was your curiosity that caught my interest when we first met"

I give him a half-smile in response, one eyebrow raised as I say,

"Really? I thought it was my ass"

My hybrid laughs deeply and shakes his head,

"Yeah. That too." His expression becomes more serious when he adds, "I remember thinking that you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my entire life. I thought you must be an Angel because no one of this earth could look so...completely ethereal. There was never anything human about you"

Not since I was a child. Not since I died and was brought back to serve a higher purpose.

That higher purpose is lost to me now, and I hope it dies a slow death whever it is inside my mind.

"Tell me what you remember of our first meeting" my hybrid demands, although there is enough playful pleading in his tone to make me smile once again and answer honestly,

"I remember...wondering why the witches wanted you dead so badly"

"And..." my hybrid promts.

I latch on to his penetrating stare and say,

"And then I got to know you a little and realised exactly why they wanted you dead. I fell for you right then and there. Their hatred of you and your all consuming beautiful darkness intruiged me in a way nothing else ever had"

Before my hybrid can respond we turn a corner that reveals a camp full of little wolves. My hybrid smiles in satisfaction, he nods at me and declares,

"Thanks to our pal Ray, we've found ourselves a pack"

I can feel the excitment eminating from my hybrid, he's been waiting a long time for this. His excitement makes my blood run like fire through my veins. I'm glad he's happy, because, now the real fun can begin.

The little wolves notice our presence at last, and they all seem to become instinctively on edge. Good, then this should be even more interesting. It has been such a long time since I saw my hybrid truly take control of a situation, and I've missed watching him. We've been drifting for so long, and although that has given me a freedom I did not expect from him, I am excited to see my hybrid initiate his plan.

I drop the scruffy half dead wolf down to the ground and immediately a dirty-looking female wolf runs to him and kneels at his side, saying,

"Oh my God Ray" she looks up at us in abject fear, as she bloody should, I don't smirk like this just for the fun of it you know. I have an image to uphold, or to claim back actually after all He did to fuck it up.

"Who are you?" the dirty little wolf asks warily.

My hybrid steps forward and says,

"The important question is; who am I. Please, forgive the intrusion, my name is Klaus"

I shiver a little at the politely vicious tone of his voice. I always loved the Originals ability to make even the most deadly request sound almost...pleasurable. My hybrid especially has a talent for it. I never met Elijah as me, he only met Him after He ran away from my hybrid. I would be lying if I said I don't still miss His Lije in a strange abstract way.

But then, Elijah would never love me, not the way my hybrid does. He loved Him, and would always. I can never let my hybrid know, he was hurt enough the first time he found out my other self had betrayed him. It had been agony to watch Him cause my hybrid pain, and I'd hated Him for it.

Now He's paying the price. I could shut Him out, lock Him in a lightless cage and watch Him lose himself to the madness that awaits in the dark pit of despair. But I want Him to see this, to watch it all and know there is nothing He can do to stop it. He has no choice but to shout and struggle as I unleash our inner monster, our beast for chaos and destruction. Ripping people apart, watching their bones snap like plastic and their skin tear apart at the seams, making them scream for death right before I steal the very essence of them and consume it with ferocious intent.

I have to keep reminding my other half who's in control this time, because pieces of Him keep on leaking through, grasping for any stray bits of control that He can reach. That is surely the only explanation as to why I found myself calling the brown eyed Hunter, for I know that is what he will one day become, last night. I hid from my hybrid, lied to him, just so I could hear the Hunter's voice.

It must be His influence, what other reason could there possibly be?

I don't know how to stop these...well for fucks sake, these stupid 'feelings' from engraving themselves onto my own black soul. I don't understand His fascination with the Hunter. He isn't anything like my hybrid, or even anything like His Lije. For whatever the reason my other half has fallen for the doe eyed pure of heart Hunter boy, and there's nothing I can do at the moment to destroy that. As our father would have said, I am pathing the way to my own destruction by not acting in the most logical sense.

But my father was an arrogant egotistical bastard, much more like Damon than either of them would ever have been willing to admit.

Dirty little wolf slowly rises to her feet and back away a little in fear, another little wolf gripping her arm protectively. I smirk viciously at them, and get the desired of affect of all the wolves backing up a few steps.

"You're the hybrid" dirty wolf breathes, her eyes fixed on my hybrid.

My hybrid raises an eyebrow, satisfaction once again gracing his features,

"You've heard of me. Fantastic."

...

"It's fascinating actually" my hybrid speaks casually to the little gang of wolves and I fain attention. It is not that I think what he says is uninteresting, I just find myself getting easily bored. There isn't much that can retain my interests for long. My hybrid entertains me for quite a while when we're alone, or when we hunt together. But it is these situation I often find tedious if forced to observe them with nothing else to occupy me.

I remember Kol used to be the same. If my hybrid was busy doing something I didn't want to take part in, or something that I knew I would destroy with my need for chaos, then I would go off with Kol and we'd cause chaos all of our own. We did have some fun times, Kol and I. He wanted me in a way that my hybrid would never have allowed, and I wanted to take Kol's desire and wrap it around my need for the forbidden, tugging us both together in a savage dance of danger and the most exquisite deception.

It was all a game for me. I knew it was not quite so for Kol. It definitely was not to my hybrid. I was punished dearly for it, but Kol arguably paid the higher price when his brother locked him away inside a coffin with a dagger plunged into his heart. I have no regrets as it is not within my nature to feel such things, but Kol understood my yearning for trouble in a way even my hybrid cannot comprehend.

Suddenly the scruffy little wolf gasps quite over dramatically and comes back to life, although I sense that will not last long. As a Guardian of the dead I feel death and view it in a way no mere mortal ever could. I can see people's deaths in their eyes if I allow myself. It is haunting, even to me. But I have learnt to revel in my knowledge and connection to he very essence of death itself. I had no other choice, otherwise my madness would extend far further than it already does. No one can stay sane with the power I posses, and I do not wish to, for that would surely scar me to the bone far worse than anything insanity could inflict.

My time to shine. My hybrid gestures at me and I move forward so that the whole pack can see me clearly,

"Are any of you human?" I ask in a low tone of voice, as if it's a secret, which it really should be. I gesture vaguely at the scruffy little wolf and explain, "Little wolf here needs human blood, to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it...he will die"

Assuming that matters to them...because it certainly doesn't to me.

"It doesn't take much...just a sip" my hybrid intones suggestively.

His eyes scan the gathered wolves, "How about a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, some who came along for the ride"

My eyes immediately fix on a human man, looking shiftier by the second. A smile graces my lips and I nod at him when my hybrid looks to me. He smiles too and within seconds he's bitten into the human's arm. My hybrid practically throws the human at me and I slam him down into the ground, holding him close to scruffy so that he can take what he needs.

A greedy part of me, a purely selfish part, wants to bite the human myself, to drain him dry along with every wolf here. Human blood does not appeal to me as much as supernatural blood, but their souls do. Any soul. They all scream in the end. I do so look forward to that part. But my hybrid would be upset if I ruined this, and I do not want to argue with him here. I could hurt him if I got angry enough, and death knows I have enough rage to spare.

I look into scruffy wolf's eyes and he flinches when I flash him a savage smile,

"If you don't, I will little wolf"

Little wolf hesitates for about half a second before clamping down on the human's wound. I look round to see my hybrid snapping the neck of the dirty female wolf. His eyes have gone all golden, wolf-like, completely predatorial. A shiver travels up my spine in response. My hybrid's hungry gaze travels over the remaining wolves and he says,

"Ok, who's next?"

Ever's P.O.V

"In a couple of hours the moon's gonna rise" Alaric calls back to us, he points at a mountain, "Just over that ridge, if Tyler's right, that's where the pack will be"

Damn it, I hate walking!

I hated it as a human, and I hate it as a vampy person.

Ever+exercise=ME NO HAPPY!

I've spent most of my life avoiding exercise, even faking gym notes and skipping classes whenever I could. And now, after all that hard work, Sin goes and ruins it all by running off with Klausy wousy, resulting in me having to freakin' HIKE up a freakin' MOUNTIAN. He is gonna get such a flick in the face when we get him back.

As soon as I told Jeremy about Tennessee, there was no stopping him. He dragged me along to Alaric and demanded every bit of information the poor man had. Jeremy then insisted that we find Sin, and after a lot of being irritatingly stubborn, I took him to Tyler and got him to tell us about this pack where there's a good chance Sin might be.

I was fully willing to come, for Jeremy's sake as well as Sin's.

Now, convincing Damon and Stefan was a little harder. Ok, a lot harder. But they came in the end because I refused not to go. Damon wanted to lock Jeremy in the cellars, and then keep me tied to a bed, preferably his, until after the full moon. But between us, me and Stefan managed to convince Damon how that would not end well for him. Especially once I escaped.

"Thank you ranger Ric" Damon mutters, he glowers at me "I maintain that this is a stupid idea"

I roll my eyes at him,

"I maintain the notion that you should shut up"

"Seconded" Alaric calls, raising his hand.

"I'll vote for that" Jeremy says, raising his hand mockingly.

Damon cuffs Jeremy on the back of the head,

"Watch it boy toy wonder, or I'll feed you to Sin myself"

I snicker behind Stefan's hand, and he squeezes my hand tightly for a moment, kissing my forehead with both amusement and worry in his eyes. I can feel all the way through our bond that he's conflicted about how to feel in this situation. On the one hand he desperately wants to save his baby brother, and on the other foot, he really doesn't want me, or Damon, put in harms way. The last thing we need is to get bitten by werewolves, especially as Sin might not care enough to save us this time.

From my connection with Damon I'm mostly feeling anger emanating from him. He's such an pissy ninja bunny sometimes. Through our connection I speak into his head, as is more natural for us now,

"Everything will be ok Day, there's no need to sulk"

Damon doesn't even look at me when he replies into my head,

"I'm not sulking, I'm just not an idiot, like you"

Stefan nudges me and narrows his eyes at Damon,

"Would you two stop acting like children. I may not be able to hear you, but I can feel it well enough"

Damon grumbles in annoyance and glares at his brother,

"You can't possibly think this is a good plan, not even you're that idealistic"

Stefan sighs and shakes his head,

"It is risky" he admits diplomatically, "but as long as we leave before nightfall, then we'll be fine"

Damon makes an indignant sound of protest, but then sighs in semi-defeat, he points as us,

"If I die in these mountains, then I'm gonna haunt Sin for the rest of his life, I'll make sure he never has sex again" Damon snaps irritably, but I can feel the hope seeping in through our connection. He wants to find Sin just as much as we do.

Well, there's chance Jeremy wants to find him more than anyone else, but he's head over converses in love with him, so that's fair enough. I know if it was Damon or Stefan then I'd be going just as crazy as Jeremy is.

"Yeah, that'll show him" Stefan concedes with a half smile on his face, he looks at Damon after a mini Salvatore staring contest they both break eye contact with small grins on their faces.

How those two spent so long hating each other I'll never know. Since I became a vampire, and all three of us were completely bound together, I've seen the two of them behaving like more than just brothers who begrudgingly love each other. For the first time I can imagine them being...friends, like they were before bitchzilla fucked everything up between them. Although they're not anywhere close to admitting it yet, I know they actually enjoy each others company, maybe even as much as they do mine individually.

The best times are definitely when all three of us are together. We become more comfortable around each other every day. I can't imagine ever not loving them, and I really hope they feel the same way.

"I wish you'd all stop being so negative about this. Sin wants us to find him, I know he does" Jeremy says with such conviction in his voice that it makes my heart hurt to even contemplate doubting him.

"We just don't want you to get your hopes and then be really hurt Jer" I smile reassuringly at him.

Jeremy sighs and shakes his head in denial,

"He called me Ever"

"What!" Stefan and Damon practically shout at the same time.

Jeremy looks back at them and repeats,

"Sin called me last night"

Stefan and Damon exchange a long, hard look and Damon demands,

"Well, what the hell did he say?"

Jeremy shifts uncomfortably and I sympathise almost painfully with him as he admits,

"He didn't really say anything. But he called me, and that means something, it has to. Sin loves me, I can't give up on him"

Damon appears about to say something insensitive, both me and Stefan cut him a cold look and he shuts his mouth with an exasperated eye roll at us. He mutters something under his breathe and I pointedly ignore it.

"Where does Jenna think we are right now?" Jeremy asks Alaric.

Alaric runs a hand through his hair in an almost nervous gesture, he answers Jeremy question,

"I told her we were going for a hike"

I practically choke on my own tongue, I stare at Alaric as if he's insane. He is.

"You told Jenna that I'm out hiking...and she believed you?"

Alaric chuckles darkly and amends,

"No, I'm not stupid Ever. I told her me and Jeremy were going out for a hike. Like a guys hike."

"Like a guys hike?" Damon mutters as if that's a foreign and very unsettling thought. Stefan laughs and lets go of my hand to hang back with Damon and talk to him in hushed tones. I move forward, closer to Jeremy and Alaric.

"She'd never believe that Ever would be able to hike" Jeremy says with a nod of approval at Alaric.

I nod in agreement,

"Yeah, right...HEY, I could hike...look at me, I'm doing it just fine thank you very much"

"Yeah, Ever, we're all really impressed" Jeremy says, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

I punch him in the arm,

"You better be. I'm doing all this for free...and I brought the muscle" I jerk my thumb back at Damon and Stefan.

"I am eternally grateful sis" Jeremy punches me back and I dramatically pretend to fall against a tree, causing both Alaric and Jeremy to walk a little faster.

The truth is that I miss Sin, I really do. He's not just one of my best friends or my ex or my first love. He's...I don't know, he just gets me in a way that no one else does. I love Stefan and Damon, and they are as much a part of me as I am myself. But no one gets my insanity like Sin, and since the moment we met I could tell that we were connected by something. Not like I am to his brothers, but in some way that I can't really describe. He's special to me, and I know I'm special to him. All I can hope is that the Sin we all love is still in there waiting to be freed.

...

"Sun's about to set" Damon says warningly, and another dosage of worry shoots through mine and Stefan's bond.

"We can see that Day" I give him a look and I loop my arm through his.

"I'm just sayin'" Damon puts on a mock innocent voice and I squeeze his arm.

"The sun doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time." Jeremy says almost absently, his face set in determination. There is no way he's leaving this mountain without seeing Sin, and that makes me nervous. I trust Jer, and I want to be on his side because I know how important this is to him, but if things start to go wrong I can't promise I won't force him to retreat.

I won't risk him, Alaric or the two men I'm in love with getting hurt, I just won't. Losing Elena broke something in me, and I don't know if I'd be able to handle losing someone else I love, especially not so soon.

As we move through the tree's suddenly a snapped twig sounds and a dark shape moves towards us. Alaric raises his crossbow and I reach back for Kevin who's attached to Stefan's backpack. Damon and Stefan are immediately on alert, although Damon takes the time to look at me incredulously and say,

"I still can't believe you brought Kevin...I can't believe I'm calling the bat by a name as if it's alive"

"Don't mock Kevin Day, he took you down once, and he'll do it again" I whisper.

Damon scoffs,

"Only because you used him to hit me over the head"

"It was dark" I hedge, "he couldn't see you"

"But you could!" Damon seems to realise what conversation he's allowed himself to be dragged into because he adds, "The bat can't see anything Ever. Its. Not. Alive!"

"Neither are you technically" I hiss back in irritation.

"What are you two on about now?" Stefan asks, even though I'm sure he knows exactly what we're arguing about.

"Damon is disrespecting Kevin, Stef" I say with a pointed glower at Damon, who in response looks at Stefan almost pleadingly.

Stefan shakes his head,

"This really isn't the time guys. We can argue about Kevin's living status later"

"Why are you encouraging her?" Damon demands in exasperation, "Kevin is a thing, not a person, there's nothing to argue about"

"That's your opinion" I say, mostly just to aggravate him further.

"Don't tease Damon on purpose Ever, you know how he gets" Stefan scolds me, but there's enough subtle humour in his eyes and laughter singeing through our bond to tell me he's enjoying teasing Damon as much as I am.

"You're both ridiculous" Damon looks between us, "If you're not careful you'll both be on the sofa tonight" now he's doing that secret smirking thing, causing me and Stefan to hide our own inappropriate smiles.

"All three of you are being ridiculous" Jeremy says and Alaric brings our attention back to the guy who's stumbling towards us by nudging forward.

Maybe it's just a drunk homeless guy...no, wait, he's covered in blood. Damn.

"Stay where you are" Alaric says, raising his crossbow semi-threateningly.

The guy has blood coming out of his freakin' eyes, not a pleasant sight I have to admit. His gaze roams over me, Damon and Stefan, and he says,

"Vampires"

Stefan shifts closer to me and in true Damon fashion, Damon shrugs as if to say 'well yeah, and?'.

Bleeding eye guy rushes at us, I take him down before Damon and Stefan can, but the he's damn strong. Both Damon and Stefan help me slam him up against a tree and hold him there as he struggles viciously.

Jeremy calls,

"Ever!" I look round in time for Jeremy to throw a wolfs bane grenade at me. I catch it and break the damn thing in the guys face as Damon and Stefan hold him.

He screams and his face turns red and melty, yet again, not exactly a nice sight.

Damon adds insult to injury by punching him in the face. His head droops and he seems to be out cold for now.

"So, that's a hybrid" Alaric says.

Yeah, apparently it is by the looks of things. Excellent.

Sinbad's P.O.V

For fucks sake, where is scruffy wolf. I've been tracking him for hours, it's dark out now. I found the remains of a failed attempt to keep scruffy wolf tied up. I know Ever and brothers are here, I can feel it and so is...Jeremy.

NO! SAVE HIM, YOU HAVE TO, PLEASE, YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW WE BOTH LOVE HIM-

SHUT UP!

My other half struggles even harder against his restraints at the thought of Jeremy out here. His Jeremy, the boy He loves. It's affecting my judgment already, I can feel the need to protect what's mine burning deep in my gut, but I have to shove it aside. Jeremy isn't mine, and his death is not my problem.

Then I hear them, our brother, Damon, fighting with scruffy wolf. No, fuck. I...no, I can't let my brother be killed by a fucking wolf. My other self gave up everything to keep our other brother alive, and now Damon's about to suffer the same fate. IDIOTS, both of them. Our brothers have always been fucking idiots. We've looked after them all our life, and how do they repay us, by going off and doing more stupid shit that will get them killed.

He hates them as much as I do sometimes.

I run through the tree's at high vampire speed until I find them. I don't hesitate to shove my hand into little wolf's back and yanks out his heart mercilessly. Little wolf was really starting to piss me off. I only wish I could have savoured his death and devoured his soul slowly, and as painfully as possible. I do take his soul though, I strip it from him fast and easy, like ripping off a Band-Aid.

My eyes glow a frighteningly vivid blue, and it has nothing to do with the moonlight. My eyes always glow when I steal someone's soul, and I know how disturbing it appears to other people.

By the look in Damon's own eyes, I'd say it's pretty damn horrifying.

I let little wolf drop to the ground uncaringly. Damon's gaze locks with mine, and unlike every other person I've ever shown my true self to, doesn't flinch or even move backwards. But then, Damon never would, it's not in his nature. He'd rather die than bow to me in any way. We've seen my brother apologise exactly three times in his life, and none of those times were ever to us or Stefan.

Damon tilts his head at me and says,

"Fancy meeting you here, brother"

"Why are you here Damon?" I ask warily, "I thought I made it clear to you before I left that I didn't want to be followed"

Damon waves a hand dismissively,

"Might want to take that up with your boyfriend, you don't want him chasing you then I'd stop with the late night phone calls"

I mentally slap myself, I knew calling Jeremy would come back to bite me in the ass. But I couldn't help myself, or He couldn't actually. I feel nothing for Jeremy, but He does, and that's driving me crazy. Even more so than the usual madness that fucks me up on a daily basis.

I shake my head,

"I didn't call him"

"Sure you didn't" Damon says sarcastically, "Just leave him alone...so he can move on. Maybe he'll find a new guy to treat him like crap"

I growl fiercely at that without even meaning to, and I mentally slap myself again when Damon gives me a self satisfied look,

"Ah, there's that possessive nature. You still care about baby Gilbert...good to know" he nods at me, as if that says everything. And hell, maybe it fucking does, how should I know, I'm losing it over here. We both are.

I'm about to respond when I sense Ever and Stefan coming this way, probably frantic with worry over their precious third in whatever whacko relationship they've got going on. Then again, it could be worse, they could be fighting over her like dogs over a bone. I gotta give Ever props for finding a way to keep them both at heel and not kill each other for her hand and all that bullshit.

Stefan and Ever come tearing out of the tree's and rush to Damon's side like he's on fire or something. Ever clings to him for a few moments and Stefan looks like he wants to take Damon and Ever far away from here and hide them somewhere safe. Not a bad idea really.

My eyes fasten on Ever though, and for some reason I can't take my eyes off her. Now that I am free, and can truly use my senses and abilities properly, I can sense something in Ever that has probably always been there. I don't know quite what it is...but it feels...familiar. Her soul...it's different. And there's a connection between the three of them that goes beyond just emotions and the physical. What the hell? Ever...what the fuck is she?

Not just a normal vampire that's for damn sure.

Ever looks up at me, her eyes pleading and strong, like always, and she says,

"He won't give up on you Sin" meaning Jeremy.

I glare at her, and then smile viciously,

"Well, he'll have to, because your Sin is never coming back. Take Jeremy home, and try to keep him there this time"

I'm gone before any of them can protest.

...

I get back to the camp site to find my hybrid sitting on a rock amongst so many dead bodies, the ghosts of which stumble past me. I ignore them, as I always do. The dead hold no interest to me. I would take them, drink the souls until I am sated. But my hybrid is in pain, and I don't like it. He looks up at me as I move towards him. I halt at the haunted look in his eyes.

"They turned rabid. Some of them I killed, others of them just...bled out"

His frustration is clear to me, and sympathy warms my gut. I tilt my head, dark hair falling into my eyes. It's grown long over the summer, now it hangs wildly, curling at the ends because of the heat.

My hybrid stands and moves closer to me, his body emanating anger and inner turmoil, "In the end...they were all dead"

He shouts, agony and frustration thick in his voice, and throws a bottle at a tree, it smashes quite anti-climatically. I wonder if my hybrid is about to throw one of his infamous tantrums. They are quite a thing to behold, making Damon's violent outbursts seem almost reasonable.

"I did everything I was told" my hybrid growls, "I should be able to turn them" he says with deep set conviction, "I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelgänger...you killed Ray?"

He looks at me his gaze penetratingly harsh. I stare right back at him, not fearing the beast within my hybrid, as I have a beast of my own that can match his any time.

"I had to. I failed you, I'm sorry"

My hybrid stares at me for what feels like a hundred lifetimes, until eventually he says,

"It should have worked"

I don't hesitate to wrap my arms around his neck and draw his body close to mine. Our chest's press together and I rub the back of his neck soothingly in a way I know he secretly loves. He shifts into my touch, more like a big cat than a wolf. Although he'd hate to know I think that. He lets his head fall against my shoulder as I knead him lovingly.

"I know Nick, I know. You'll find a way to fix this, you always do" I whisper into his ear.

My hybrid grips me hard, a possessive hand trailing down my back to the base of my spine and pulling me roughly against him. His mouth comes down even harder on mine and a groan is ripped out of my throat when he bites my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. His other hand runs into my hair and he grips it painfully, yanking my head back so he can run his fangs over my neck. I shiver at the contact and I feel my hybrid's smile against my skin.

"We'll find a way to fix this my Angel. I have you now, and everything else will fall into place"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...
> 
> Special shout out to my readers-I think you are all so amazing for reading. I know you all have busy lives with your own home stuff going on, which is why it means so much that you read my story and comment on it. I can't tell you how good it is to know that you like Ever and Sinbad's story xxx
> 
> Ok, so a lot of emotions in this one. Sin is obviously conflicted about a lot of things, including his feelings for Jeremy. I'd like to know what you think about the 'evil' side of Sin. Do you prefer the old Sin? What do you think of Klaus and Sin? Do you miss him being with Jeremy or not?
> 
> Next time you get major FLASHBACKS! Including Sin and quite a few of the Originals! Also there's gonna be come major scenes of a sexual nature. For Ever and Sin. I know you're all probably wondering what the hell is going to happen in that side of Damon, Stefan and Ever's relationship...it's complicated for sure. If there's any red flags that any of you really hate, then let me know now or I'm not holding anything back.
> 
> Also, (big teaser) there is a link between Sin and Ever...but what is it? Why is Ever so damn special? There is a reason, and I can't wait to get into it. I have the season three finale planned already and it's gonna go off with a bang! xxx
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! XXX


	67. The End of the Affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback time people! xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the sixty-seventh chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...fuck I'm running out these give me suggestions! xxx
> 
> Really hope you like it and please review! xxx

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

The End of the Affair

 

Ever's P.O.V

(Serious sexual content-with bits that some of you may dislike. But hopefully you'll be able to understand why I wrote it this way and why I had to have them together and not apart)

An fucking phone ringing wakes me up. I am not best pleased.

I shift in bed, and as a result I feel a strong arm pull me closer. I wriggle to get comfortable and the hold just gets tighter. I crack an eye open slowly, there's no light because the curtains are still drawn around the bed. I may not burn in the sun because of my nifty light ring...thingy, but it still hurts like fuck to be attacked in the eyeball when I wake up and the sun's like 'hey, take it in the cornea bitch'.

I try to stretch out my fingers but I can't because they're clasped in Stefan's hand. I squeeze his hand and he groans a little before opening his bright green sleepy eyes. Stefan smiles sleepily at me and murmurs,

"Love you"

I grin smoothly back at him, he probably thinks he's still asleep. We do tend to dream of each other a lot. I lean forward as much as I can and press a gentle kiss to his lips,

"Love you too Stef"

We look at each other for a long moment whilst I attempt to figure out where that damn ringing is coming from. Who the frak is phoning us this early in the morning? Whoever they are, I hope they get eaten by Pandas. Anyone up this early deserves death by Panda.

Stefan clears his throat and looks over my shoulder, his voice is still a bit drowsy with sleep when he says,

"Damon, answer your phone or turn the damn thing off, for fucks sake"

I love morning Stefan, he's so moody and sweary. Hearing Stefan swear never gets old for me. It's like running into your math teacher in the supermarket, there's just something so weirdly wrong about it.

Damon makes a grunting sound of irritation, and I feel him sit up a little in bed whilst still keeping his arm tightly locked around my waist. I watch Stefan's face as Damon reaches out through the curtains to his bed side table. I hear him answer his phone with a grumbled,

"What? You're interrupting my morning activities"

Who the hell is it? I mouth at Stefan.

Annoyance and exasperation is practically bleeding from both my bond with Stefan and my connection to Damon. That can mean only one thing-

Katherine Stefan mouths back with a roll of his eyes.

Bitchzilla isn't dead yet? How very disappointing...can't Klausy wousy do anything right?

I grab onto my connection with Damon so that I can listen in on his conversation with her, and that goes fine until she says,

"You and Stefan miss me yet?"

Then I move so I'm sitting up in bed and I snatch the phone away from Damon. He arches a questioning eyebrow at me and I just shrug back in response. He smirks at me and then over my shoulder at Stefan, who's looking between both of us in slight bewilderment. Poor Stefan, he's so sleepy.

"Jealous, Ever?" Damon says smugly into my head.

"You wish. I just want to have a chat with bitchzilla, we're family you know. It's not always about you" I say back into his head.

Damon shakes his head and flashes a smile at me in amusement, he leans in close and kisses my bare shoulder, trailing his lips over the sensitive skin. He hasn't shaved in a few days so rough stubble scratches me, causing a full body shiver that makes Damon chuckle playfully and Stefan kiss my wrist gently, moving up my arm with obvious intent.

Crap. My body is definitely a slave to sensation when both of the Salvatore's decide to take me over like this.

I try to ignore what they're doing by speaking into the phone,

"Where are you bitchzilla? Hell? Is it nice there? Do they have Devil cake instead of angel cake?"

"Not the kind of sin I phoned to talk about Ever" she replies teasingly.

"What do you want?" I ask with a sigh, and not because I'm annoyed either. Damn Salvatore's and their skilled mouths.

"I'm home sick. What have I missed?"

"Well, Sin is still with Klausy wousy, by choice now apparently. Sin is also not a normal vampire by the sounds of things, which I'm sure is something you already knew. And my brother still really wants to save the man he loves" I explain quickly, eager to get off the phone before my head explodes.

"So, Jeremy hasn't given up on Sin, but the three of you have" bitchzilla says suggestively.

I try to sound half way dignified when I say,

"We haven't given up on him, we just don't know where he is...do you?"

"Oh, I'm far, far away from the hybrid who wants me dead and his soul stealing lover, trust me"

Soul stealing? What? I don't ask because I doubt bitchzilla would ever give me a straight answer and I can't be bothered to play her games.

"But you know where they are" I say with renewed confidence.

"All I know is that Klaus pitched a fit when his hybrid plan fell flat. Now he's looking for some answers"

"How do you even know that? Are you secretly the wicked witch of the west? Because that would not surprise me"

"When you've been running for five hundred years, you make a few friends along the way"

"Are they your flying monkeys? If it helps, you'd look really good in a black witche's hat, and not everyone can pull that look off"

"Always a pleasure talking to you Ever" bitchzilla says dryly.

"Where are they then bitchzil-uh-Kat?"

"Kat, you're going with Kat?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"No, fine, Kat is fine. They're in Chicago, I know Sin was there with Klaus in the 20s. Klaus was very...attached to Sin by then"

"Seriously? Excellent, then I'll dust off my sequined flapper dress and head right over there"

"Good, oh, and Ever..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm glad you're not dead. I always thought you were a survivor, just like me"

"That was for the wicked witch of the west joke wasn't it"

All I hear is bitchzilla's evil cackle right before she hangs up. Bad omen, people, bad, bad, omen.

I drop the phone onto the bed as a moan escapes me when Damon and Stefan move their mouths towards to neck.

"Were you two listening in on that?" I manage to get out, I have no idea how. They both murmur responses of affirmation that sound more like animalistic growls than anything human.

Damon takes the chance to start in on my neck, he sucks at my pulse and then licks over the red mark I'm sure he's created there. At the same time Stefan is biting my most sensitive place, at least on the upper part of my body; Damon's scar mark at the base of my throat. Stefan gives it a lot of attention which makes shoots of pleasure shudder through me with almost unbearable intensity. I know that Stefan knows who put that mark there and why, and for some reason it feels so right that he's giving that particular patch of skin this much soul shattering attention.

The heat in my gut churns hotter when Damon slides his hand down over my thigh, not stopping until he's reached the edge of my panties. I gasp when his fingers move underneath and he rips the elastic away, removing my underwear and leaving me very, very naked underneath the covers. Stefan cups my jaw firmly and takes my mouth in a kiss that is somehow both forceful and yet completely loving.

Stefan's tongue takes my groan as an opportunity to plunge his tongue into my mouth and claim the dark heat between us. His other hand is whispering over my stomach and causing tendrils of pleasure to spark through my nerves. When that hands reaches one of my breasts me doesn't hesitate and does everything possible to make my nipples stand hard and erect in response to his heated touch.

Damon does waste time teasing for once and immediately he pushes two strong fingers into me. I moan and arch off the bed, but Stefan's grip on my jaw is enough that our kiss doesn't break, and instead it becomes deeper.

I cling onto Stefan's broad naked shoulders as Damon thrusts his fingers in and out me at a pace that has my head spinning. The emotions emanating from the path that binds all three of us together is overwhelming and threatens to steal me away, to make me let go completely and fall into the bliss of love that consumed me.

I have no control, and yet I trust Damon and Stefan to make me feel a pleasure so intense and earth shattering that nothing else could ever compare to it.

Damon kisses and bites my hip and then my thigh. I remove one of my hands from Stefan's shoulder to slide my fingers into Damon's silky dark hair and tug on it so he comes back up my body. He nibbles and bites and kisses and marks all the way. Damon's fingers are still buried deep inside me when I tear my mouth away from Stefan's and fasten it onto Damon's. Both

Damon and Stefan groan loudly in response, and Stefan shifts to cover one of my hard nipples with his hot mouth.

I slide my other hand into Stefan's longer hair and I twist them, getting a firm grip as Damon kisses me like he's starving to do so. I can feel the pleasure coming from both of them, and the secret contentment behind the fact that we're all here together. All thoughts of Sin and Klausy wousy are gone as the two men I love take my body to the edge of pleasure. They know exactly what makes me squirm and gasp and moan.

I touch them back as much as I physically can, wanting every part of them just as much as they want every part of me.

"Stef, Day..." the words come out as another heat filled groan and Damon growls into my mouth as he brushes my clit quite roughly.

I almost burst into flames when Stefan tugs a nipple between his teeth and Damon's thrusts become faster and faster. The ball of heat in my stomach becomes brighter by the second.

Suddenly Damon removes his fingers and I make a strange sound at the feeling of loss. Damon ends our kiss and slides his lips to my ear, whispering hotly,

"Ev's, baby, Stefan's gonna take you this time, ok"

I manage to nod through the haze of sensation and pleasure assaulting my body and mind right now. It's hard to explain, but the emotions raging through all three of us feels almost as good as the physical pleasure itself.

I feel Stefan's pleasure like a pure blanket of light and strokes of white hot fire blazing with unleashed passion. I feel Damon's pleasure like lightening striking during a storm and fireworks exploding during that storm, creating an edge of danger and freedom desiring power.

Both of them are completely consuming in totally different ways; and I love them for that. I can't imagine ever letting anyone touch me the way they do, or that anyone would be able to.

We're so...in sync with each other that it's scarily beautiful. The strength of our bonds becomes more and more unbreakable every day. The path that binds us sings with approval and I bask in that for a while.

Soon enough Stefan is gently penetrating my body and sinking inside. I remember the first time I had sex with Stefan, it was different to any other time I'd had sex before, and not just because of our bond or me being a vampire. It wasn't the awkward fumble of my first time with Tyler, or sensual love making of being with Sin, or even the wild all consuming ride that was sex with Damon. Sex with Stefan...it was what making love really is.

Now, my first time with Stefan and Damon...that...was rough and hard and tender and oh so fucking perfect.

I used to think nothing could ever be perfect, because that's a major rule of life, but being with both Damon and Stefan...it really truly is the most perfect thing in the universe to me.

Damon claims my mouth again with his tongue, a growl escaping his lips, as Stefan claims me intimately, both of them taking me together with so much want and need and love that it tips me over into oblivion.

Sinbad's P.O.V

(flashback)

"You have to behave at least a little tonight darling" Rebekah, or as I've taken to calling her, Becksly, whispers close to my ear as we dance together.

She has become like the sister I never had, just as Kol was the best friend I never had. I do not want to think of him though, it upsets me for reasons I do not understand. Becksly can be selfish and spiteful, but I do love her as a sister. I like to talk with her in occasions such as this. She is the only one who understands Nick's behaviour the way I do.

I shrug one shoulder in response, unwilling to promise anything. Nick is ignoring me, on purpose. He's doing it to punish me for my behaviour last night. I do not like it when Nick ignores me, which is why he views it as the perfect punishment.

"I can behave in any way I choose. If Nick refuses to acknowledge me as his, then I feel no obligation to act as such" I reply simply.

Over Becksly's shoulder I catch the eye of a young man. He has pale grey eyes and a beautiful neck. His skin is pale too, and I wonder what it would be like to dance with him. To take him and entice him into loving me. To strip him of his soul and taste his blood. I bet his soul is cold. He looks like the type. Some people just are that way.

Becklsy lightly hits me on the back of my head to get my attention, her expression is amused but also disapproving and worried. I arch an eyebrow at her and she says,

"Do not act out of anger Sinbad, you will regret upsetting Nick later, you always do" 

My jaw hardens, mostly because what she says is not untrue. I do hate that look of hurt in Nick's eyes when I do something to upset him on purpose. But at the same time the beast in me wants to make him pay for hurting me. He has no right.

But he does; he has every right. I'm his, and he's mine, that should mean something to both of us.

I was the one who killed that group of vampires when Nick told me not to. I was the one who defied him on numerous occasions just because I could. I was the one who fucked around with Kol because he made me laugh. I seduced him, not the other way around, and now my best friend is rotting in a box. I hate him for letting me be so selfish.

He should have pushed me away. He should have told Nick. He should have never fallen in love with me. He should never have asked me to run away with him. He should have known I'd always choose Nick.

I should be sorry I wanted Kol in the first place. I'm not.

I never am.

My eyes flicker back over to that cold souled beauty and I smile to myself. Well, if I'm already breaking all the rules...

Wait!...Stefan?

He's by the bar...why would he...is Damon here too?

My head spins so fast that I almost pass out from the sheer intensity of it.

I haven't seen my brothers in years, not since before I was taken by those witches.

Are they alright? I miss them, even they are both idiots. Which, by the way, they are.

Does Nick know?

No, he can't possibly.

Will he let me see them? Talk to them?

No, he won't.

I don't want them to meet Nick. And I don't know why.

Yes I do. He's a monster. But so am I.

So am I.

I became a vampire to help them, to be with them.

How could I have forgotten that?

And more important than all that...what in the world is going on with Stefan's hair?

(End of flashback)

"Looks familiar doesn't it" my hybrid says softly.

I tilt my head and look around the bar with a smile of my face,

"Yeah it does" I turn back to my hybrid and lean into him slightly, "I can't believe this place is still standing"

I've sensed the witch coming for a while, but my body still stiffens when Gloria exclaims,

"You have got to be kidding me"

My hybrid laughs and places a hand on the back of my neck,

"So, a hybrid walks into a bar-"

"Stop" Gloria orders snappily.

I can feel her eyes on me and I turn a playful smirk on her,

"Ah, Gloria, you beautiful creature, do I get a hug this time or a blade through my back?" I ask.

Gloria arches an eyebrow at me and shakes her head,

"Depends, do I get to keep my soul"

I pull out of my hybrid's hold, much his annoyance and make my way over to Gloria. I yank her into an embrace before she can utter curse and I lift her off the ground.

"Witches don't have souls, they have spirit, you should know that by now" I tease before placing her back down.

Gloria laughs and gives my cheek a few playful taps,

"I've missed you soulfinder, the world's not been the same without you"

"You all love me, as you should, I am sex on a stick to the edge and beyond" I say with a smirk.

"Angel" my hybrid barks in frustrated anger, and a dose of reality slams back into me.

Damn.

It's His fault. He keeps getting into my head, mixing in with my own thoughts. It's so fucking frustration trying to sort through what is truly me and what is truly Him.

"Why don't you go make us something to drink my Angel" my hybrid whispers into my hear, his hand a claiming heat on my neck again.

I nod once before moving away, careful not to meet Gloria's gaze. He's just so damn sensitive after what happened with his hybrids. I keep trying to behave, but my wild side is just too much to conceal for long. I need souls and life and freedom. Freedom most of all. I crave it more than I've ever craved anything, even blood and souls.

I've always been that way. When I was a child I dreamt of escaping my small town and seeing the world. Now I have seen the world; and all I want his the freedom to...live my life. But that's so hard. There are so many things I want with all my dark heart and soul. And a lot of them conflict with each other.

How can I want to be claimed by Nick, but also want Jeremy in my arms again? How can I want to drink blood from whoever I want, but also help the ghosts who scream at me from all sides? How can I hate my brothers for abandoning me over and over again, and also miss them like they're a vital part of me?

How can I want to embrace the side of me that is a Guardian, but also fear what I believe to be true about Ever, who I also miss for reasons that do not make any sense? How is it that she understands me so well, even though she is so young? The answer to that is obvious, but I don't want to see it. What I believe to be true about Ever would change everything.

Having two warring personalities is a bitch.

I go to bar and pour out a few drinks, my eyes going to a photo of me and Nick, his arms around me. A look of love on both our faces. There was a time when things were simple. That time has passed. Now all I'm left with are complications.

I listen as Gloria talks to Nick about what he did wrong and how she needs to talk to the original witch. I know Nick won't ask me to use my abilities to call out to Ester, he knows why it would be a very bad idea for me to do that.

They need the necklace He gave to Ever, the one Gloria thinks Becksly still has. I won't tell Nick that Ever has it, because he can't know Ever is still alive. No matter who I am, me or Him, I can't betray Ever. I am loyal, always have been. I'd still die for those I love, because that is who I am, on whatever form. But not telling means betraying Nick...

See, and here's yet another confliction.

Damn it! Life, go fuck yourself!

...

(flashback)

His pale grey eyes remind me of the moon, and I tell him so right before I start to slowly suck out his soul. He struggled at first when he fully realised what was happening, or at least that I wasn't just going to give him the pleasure he expected. Although I did give him some of that too. I may be cruel, but sometimes it's more fun to give someone pure bliss before ripping it all away.

Seeing Stefan has shaken me up, and I dislike that even more than Nick ignoring me.

My hand slips into grey eyes hair and I love the feeling of his life dwindling to nothing, like a flame going out on a candle when it runs out of wax to burn. Human lives mean so little, and yet their souls are so carefully pure. Prehaps it is the shortness of their lives that make them so pure, because they have so little time to make mistakes. To path the way to hell and fire and darkness. Oblivion of pain. Always pain. Agony, the whispers of it stain my soul and my heart.

Ghosts reach out to me when I take souls, they scream for help and compassion and trust. I refuse to hear them. I spent many years trying to be a good Guardian of the dead. All that got me was years of torture from witches who still beg for me to murder my lover. I don't want to, he mine now. I owe the witches nothing. I owe the Guardian council nothing.

Despite what they may like to believe.

I let grey eyes slump to the ground, his body so very emprty and worthless now, if it ever meant anything in the first place. My allegiance is to the dead, not the living.

My body stiffens as I sense his presence, although I am not as surprised as I probably should be. Somehow all three of us keep getting drawn back together in this life.

I think it is our own personal punishment. We are monsters; so we have no choice but to suffer the existence of each other.

That is what I like to think. The alternative is just too depressing, even for a Lord of death such as myself.

"Well, baby brother, it's been a while" his voice is smug and slightly amused, as always, and I ignore his tone because I can, unlike Stefan.

I turn around to face my eldest brother and I say dryly,

"It is impolite to lurk brother, or did you forget that in the years you spent slumming it with men and women who would sell you out for a penny"

Damon just smirks back at me, as has become his chosen facial expression these days apparently. He moves closer to me and replies,

"Harsh words baby brother, and where have you been? Whoring yourself out to anyone and everyone, just as you always did as a human"

We're outside the club, and no one is around, which is lucky because if any of that got back to Nick, my brother would be a dead man walking. More so than he already is at any rate.

"So you noticed my absence then?" I ask, a hint more honesty than I'd like lacing my words.

Damon frowns slightly at me and nods,

"Of course. Stefan's absence I understand, but not yours. I thought you were with him. I thought maybe you had chosen a side at last"

My hands clench into fists and that old boyish anger and exasperation flares up,

"There are no sides you idiot. How many times do I have to say that? I choose no one. You are both my brothers and I care for you both equally"

"How sweet baby brother" Damon says sarcastically, not allowing real emotion to penetrate that hard shell of his for even a moment.

Before I can reply with equal scalding annoyance, I feel Stefan's approach. I fight a wince when Stefan steps out of the shadows and Damon narrows his eyes on our brother. 

There are torn parts of me, one side wanting to leave and find Nick, be happy and leave all this regret and bad family blood behind. But the other side wants to help my brothers, just as I always have.

"Stefan" Damon says nonplussed.

Stefan's eyes are cold and calculating. He's off the wagon, and that threatens to make me feel guilt. I should have been there to make sure that didn't happen. Where in the world is Lexi? She said she would help him.

"Oh excellent, you've lost your marbles again" I say without really thinking about it.

Stefan's bright green eyes fasten on me, and then slide to Damon,

"Why are you both here?"

I make a noise of irritation, but it's Damon who says,

"You're looking a little twitchy Stefan, need another fix already? How pathetic. Your weakness knows no limits" he speaks drolly enough, but there is real bite his words.

Stefan smiles dangerously, and I know whatever he's about to say is going to spark a real fight between them,

"Quoting father now, Damon? Isn't that exactly what he said to you when you came back from the front line? I'm sure there was something about cowardice in there too"

Damon's lets out a growl that is definitely more animal that human and he launches himself at Stefan, who seems to have been spoiling for a fight.

Their vampire speed makes it hard to track them, but even as they throw bone crunching punches, I manage to get inbetween my brothers.

"Both of you stop being so ridiculous for once-"

I try to pry them apart, but Damon hits me away. I land hard on the ground, and my head smashes against the concrete . Something jolts inside my mind and suddenly I have a choice.

The spindling darkness that enveloped me, that loved to steal souls and hated the world, was loose from my mind. I could breathe again as a semi normal person, or at least a semi normal Salvatore vampire.

I ball that spindling darkness up before it can seep away into another part of my mind and I create a mental prison around it. I create bars made of metal so strong that nothing could penetrate it.

I am free.

(End of flashback)

After that I-He-broke up our brothers stupid fight and Damon left us with a promise from me that I would find him soon and we'd...talk. Although to be honest we spent more time drinking and dancing and fucking the first time we got together after everything that happened.

I went back to the club only once the day after that night. The place was trashed. I found Becksly's necklace on the floor among the shards of glass. The necklace I eventually gave to Ever as a way of asking her to be mine.

Stefan and I left that night, I tricked him into coming with me on the pretence of more fun elsewhere, and then got into contact with Lexi. She came to us without hesitation, and together we managed to drag Stefan out of his ripper rut.

I didn't even think about Nick, I purposely pushed him to the back of my mind. I kept me, Stefan and Lexi hidden as best I could. I wasn't ready to deal with Nick knowing the other version of me.

I know Rebekah was punished for letting me out of her sight. Nick blamed her for my disspearance that night, and as a result she ended up inside a box. All of it was my fault-or I should say His.

My brothers brought the other me back, and I know my hybrid is afraid that will happen all over again. I'd like to say it wouldn't, but I have been loyal to my brothers all my life, and if I feel they need me then I don't know what I'll do.

And then there's my love for Nick and Jer. Two completely different men. Two very different types of love. And they both want two different parts of me.

I'm so screwed.

"You can come in" my hybrid calls out to me.

He'd wanted to talk to Rebekah alone, although it sounds more like she stabbed him. That made me smile, despite the pain it caused my lover. She was always such a feisty one. I loved her very much, and I felt so much guilt when I found out what Nick had done to her because of how I reacted to licking away the darkness.

I stride around the corner, ready to face her wrath. I deserve it, very much so in fact, I even expect it.

But the moment Rebekah see's me, her face breaks out into a smile and the runs full pelt at me, flinging her arms around my neck. I instantly embrace her, holding nothing back. I've missed my Becksly. She truly is the sister I never had, or even thought I'd wanted until I met her. Part of loving Nick was always about loving Kol and Becklsy too.

"I thought you'd be happy to see our Angel back where he belongs; with us" Nick says with a finality I've never heard in his voice before.

He thinks this is it.

Me, Him and the dead however, believe this is only the beginning.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I cut some stuff out, only because I didn't think it fit for Sin's character. It fit for Stefan's, but as we all know, Sin is one of freakin' kind and deserves his own character plot line. So, I didn't have everyone go down to Chicago and try to bring Sin back, because it would have been pointless and I don't want Sin and Jer to have their first proper re-meeting until later at a different point in the story, I hope that's ok for you all. I just always have to stay true to my characters no matter what.
> 
> Some exciting stuff is coming up though, so look forward to that ;)
> 
> Also, the sexual content...what did you, my amazing readers think, was it too much? Too little? Too emotional? Just, basically, what did you think?
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! xxx


	68. Disturbing Behaviour/The Reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunification. A road trip. And finally, a promise. xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-eighth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then Zahra would be my best friend and all her Oreos with me. Gotta have me some Oreo's ;) xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Sinbad's P.O.V

"There has to be more to this dress" Becksly complains from behind the dressing room curtain.

My hybrid accepts the offer of more champagne from the shop assistant and gives me an exasperated look. I simply smile back at him, and after a few moments he smirks in response, his thumb gently stroking the back of my hand possessively.

This is good. I like this.

It feels a lot more like it used to be now that we have Becksly back with us. She's a vain pain in the ass, but then, I should think all sister's seem that way to their brothers.

"There's not" Nick responds despondently.

Becklsy comes striding out of the changing room, her expression one of extreme distaste. She spreads her arms out and looks directly at me as she says,

"So women in the twenty-first century dress like prostitutes then"

Nick raises his glass in acknowledgement and I shrug,

"I know, it's excellent. Now if I can only get the men to dress in barely anything...then my life will be complete" I pretend to ponder that and Nick gives my hand a good slap in warning. I wink at him and he shakes his head, trying to hide his grin from me.

Becklsy smiles fondly at me, but she still curls her lip when she catches sight of herself in a mirror. She huff in annoyance,

"You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers"

I make a noise of disagreement,

"No my sweet, you got dirty looks because of the grass stains on the knees of your trousers"

Becksly throws a high heeled shoe at me and snaps,

"Shut up Sin, God, you haven't changed at all have you!"

Nick murmurs something close to 'behave children', and then adds to Becksly,

"You worse trousers so that women today could wear nothing"

Becklsy makes a face at him and then she turns her gaze skyward,

"And what is this music, it sounds like a cable car accident"

I sit forward and answer,

"It's dance music...apparently"

Becksly gives me a look of disbelief and asks incredulously,

"People dance to this?"

I nod thoughtfully,

"Yes. But just because they can, doesn't mean they should. I'll take you to a nightclub and show you what I mean"

"A nightclub? Is that similar to a bar, or an underground betting shop?" Becklsy asks earnestly, wanting to know as much as possible about this century.

I make a flipping motion with my hand,

"Sort of like a bar, but with more dancing and far less class. You'll hate it" I grin michevously at her, "It's basically just another stage of foreplay"

"Don't start" Nick warns, "Neither of you are going to a nightclub"

Becksly crosses her arms asks her older brother,

"And why are you so grumpy?"

I lean back and roll my eyes as Nick says,

"I needed one thing from you to contact the first witch and find out why my hybrids are dying; one thing. Your necklace, and you lost it"

Becksly glares at my hybrid,

"I didn't lose it, it's just been missing for ninety years"

Nick sighs and continues to brood silently.

Becksly turns back to me and strikes a pose,

"So, what do you think?" she asks, gesturing at the dress.

I preform a quick appraisal of her and reply,

"Too black. And nowhere near slutty enough...go put the blue one back on...I liked that one"

"That was lingerie Sin" Becklsy says.

I smirk at her and say darkly,

"I know"

Becksly laughs at me and turns away to walk back into the changing room.

Nick turns to me,

"Nice work" he says, impatience lacing his tone.

I reach over and kiss him on the mouth, sliding my tongue along his, drawing out a sexy little moan. I release him and stand up, Nick tries to draw me back but I resist, saying,

"I'm gonna go outside and get some fresh air"

I manage to get out of the shop without Nick coming after me, a stunt like that in any other given situation would have ended up with me pressed up against a wall and begging for release. The sexual kind, not the literal.

The real reason I needed to get of there was because I sensed a little bitchfoot shaped birdie. I see her across the road and she gestures for me to follow after her. I do so with a dramatic sigh. Here we go...

When she finally stops a few streets away I catch up and ask,

"What in the name of fuck duck are you doing here Kat? Feel like dying? Because I know a guy who'd be happy to kill you for free. And no, its not me...I charge by the hour"

Katerina smiles at me and reaches out to trail her fingers over my chest, her gaze cold when she says,

"You two look chummy, you back to being Klaus' boy toy yet?"

I grin in response and reply,

"I prefer the term 'gentlemanly companion' actually, and you do know that if Nick finds out you're here, he will kill you"

Katerina gets that annoying glint in her eyes,

"Glad to know you still care" she says.

Ugh. I am not in the mood for bitchfoot banter today. And neither is the other me for that matter. For once we actually agree on something.

"I don't care...it's just that if you die, you could literally haunt me forever, and then I'd have to kill myself just to escape you"

"Tell if I'm wrong" Kat continues as if I hadn't said anything, "The necklace Klaus needs is the same necklace you gave to Elena"

"No, no, it's the other one" I say.

Kat rolls her eyes,

"Hey, come on, what are you up to...I'm assuming you have a plan of some kind to protect your beloved Ever"

Yeah, I do, but I ain't telling bitchfoot what it is.

"I have it all under control Kitty kat, now back off, you being here isn't helping anyone, least of all yourself"

"Please at least tell me your plan is better than just keeping Klaus from finding out" Kat says, her face set in determination.

That worries me.

"I am incredibly persuasive I'll have you know" I whisper, bringing my lips close to her jaw and letting a fang graze her soft skin. Kat shivers against me and her breathe stutters.

"He's smarter than you Sin, he's smarter than everyone" Kat reminds me.

I lean back a little, cupping her chin with my fingers, her eyes meeting mine as I say,

"Yeah, but I'm the only one who knows what Nick actually needs to create his hybrids. It wasn't hard to work out once I really thought about it"

Kat is practically bouncing on the spot,

"What does he need?" she asks.

I smirk down at her and tilt my head,

"What all the best spells need of course"

Kat frowns in concentration, then her eyes widen and she says,

"Blood"

Blood, blood, blood, it makes the magical world go round.

Ever's P.O.V

The door bell rings and I scramble past Damon, who I am annoyed with because he dissed my cooking ability. Stefan moves out of my way by jumping up onto the counter and sitting down on it. A skill I am most impressed by.

Jenna and Alaric look up from having their heads practically pressed together on the sofa and I hear Jenna say,

"She's going to hurt herself one of these days"

Then I hear Damon respond with,

"Ev's just shoved me, I think we can safely say she's more of a danger to others than herself"

I call back over my shoulder as I reach the door,

"Stefan! You better be avenging me in there!"

Stefan calls back,

"On it!"

I chuckle under my breathe when, I hear a thumping sound, Damon's grunt, and a lace of pain spindles through our connection. Ha, see, that's the best part of having two boyfriends, you've always got one in the wings just in case the other one displeases you.

Jeremy is upstairs, still brooding massively over Sin. He misses him like crazy, and I don't know how to get him out of his guy funk. He needs motivation, or at least that's what Jenna keeps telling me. I think he needs Sin to snap the fuck out of it and come back home where he damn well belongs. But, that's just my (correct) opinion.

I open the door to a smiling Caroline, she shoves a bowl of something in my face and declares,

"I come baring gifts"

I make a face and say,

"Please tell me that's not chilli. Don't let Damon taste it, he gets all mean and judgy for some reason. He's such a weirdo"

"I heard that" Damon says into my mind.

"Good, I meant it you chilli freak"I say back into his mind.

"All I said was that your chilli sucked, let it go" 

"Never, I don't like you anymore"

"I'm your boyfriend Ever, you're in love with me"

"Yeah, so? That doesn't mean I have to like you"

Caroline gives me a strange look and says,

"Ever, you're doing that mind talkey thing with Damon again aren't you. You're making The Face"

'The Face' is what all my friends and family have taken to calling the expression I apparently make when I'm talking to Damon through our connection. Apparently it's kind of disturbing.

Suddenly Bonnie comes round the corner and my face splits into a wide smile,

"Bonnie, my favourite witchy person, YOU'RE BACK!" I shout as she runs forward and we embrace. I've missed Bonnie so much.

When we finally pull back Bonnie says,

"I go away for the summer and everything turns to hell for you two"

I gesture at Caroline,

"Well, it's more her than me, she was the one who was attacked"

Poor Caroline was hijacked by her father and tortured. Tyler called me as soon as he and Liz found her. I went over to Caroline's and stayed there for the night with Tyler.

Damon was not happy about that when he found out Tyler slept in the same room as me and Caroline. I don't think Stefan was all that overjoyed about it either, but he hid his emotions better, even with our bond.

It's almost funny to me how they're no longer at all jealous of each other, and are now collectively jealous of other men. I think if they decide to gang up on me then I'll be screwed. I find it hard to say no to them when they work together. Damon and Stefan can say what they like, but I know from experience that they make one hell of a team.

In more ways than one.

...

"The problem with my dad's normal side of the family, is that normal made for a really boring summer" Bonnie explains with a pained look on her face.

I laugh and attempt to pour chilli without injuring myself.

Caroline sighs and leans on the bar,

"After the last few days, I would kill for a normal family" she says.

Bonnie makes an apologetic face at Caroline and asks me,

"How are things with you and the Salvatore's?"

Damon and Stefan have gone to sort out the Caroline's dad situation. I asked Stefan to go with Damon so he wouldn't be tempted to kill anyone, and because I don't like the idea of either of them being alone with someone who would torture their own daughter just because she's a vampire.

I shrug at the question, thinking about it for a moment,

"Not bad I guess"

Caroline arches an eyebrow at me and says to Bonnie,

"They've been acting like the most weirdly functional three way relationship in existence"

I amend,

"Fine, yes, things have been going amazingly well for once. There are still a few...issues I guess, but at the moment our biggest problem is still Sin being all whacked out on blood and 'souls' and...Klausy wousy sexy times"

"Souls?" Bonnie questions, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, apparently Sin's like a different type of vampire or...something. He kind of steals peoples' souls" I say lamely, as I really don't know what the hell Sin is by this point.

"That's..." Bonnie trials off and Caroline supplies,

"Super creepy, yeah" she goes on to say "But that's not our Sin. We need to get the old him back"

I smile at that, Caroline is really loyal to Sin. I think they were genuinely really good friends, and I'm pretty sure she misses him too.

I'm about to reply when suddenly the necklace Sin gave me starts to burn my skin. I yelp at the strange almost foreign pain and reach down to pull my necklace away from my skin.

"Woah, Ever, what's going on?" Caroline asks worriedly.

"It's my necklace. It burned me" I say. I take the necklace off and examine it without touching it. No way am I letting myself be attacked by my own necklace again. Damn it inanimate objects, stop abusing my trust in you!

"Give it to me" Bonnie says, holding out her hand to take the necklace.

I give it to her carefully so she doesn't accidentally get burned.

But Bonnie ruins that by the touching it anyway. The necklace sparks and Bonnie drops it in shock.

"What the frik frack was that?" I exclaim loudly.

...

"You know, I'll let you in on a little secret, founders parties are just an excuse for the council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires" Damon says to me.

I give him a gentle shove and reply,

"Stop being moody Day"

"I'm not moody" Damon argues, "I'm bored. And sober. It's awful."

Right on cue Stefan comes over to us with a drink for himself and Damon, he hands his brother the bottle and Damon says,

"Thank you little brother, you've become useful to me for once, see if you can keep it up"

Stefan rolls his eyes and loops an arm around my waist, tugging me closer,

"That means so much to me Damon, my life is finally complete" he says sarcastically.

"I'm glad you feel that way" Damon replies nonplussed, blatantly ignoring the sarcasm in Stefan's tone.

"Come on, let's at least try to stay on point" I say, cutting off whatever harsh retort Stefan was about to throw at his brother, "The necklace Sin gave me is magical, and it burned me, which means..."

"That you should stop wearing the necklace and throw it into the lake, Titanic style" Damon finishes with a smirk.

Bonnie did a spell and some ju ju bullshit happened with the necklace. Is there anything in my life that isn't ju ju-afied? No, the answer to that is no.

I reach out and take Damon's hand as we walk. My bond with Stefan buzzes happily, and mine and Damon's connection flares with heat at the sudden contact, it burns even hotter when it recognises that all three of us are touching skin to skin in some way or another.

"Not helpful Day, any other suggestions?" I ask, looking up at Stefan.

I feel a sliver of apprehension strike through our bond and Damon laughs,

"Ha, Stefan agrees with me" he says, a triumphant edge to his voice.

I frown at Stefan,

"Come on Stef, I'm certain this has something to do with Sin"

"You don't know that" Damon says in exasperation, "And even if it is, I still think we should get rid of the damn thing"

"What if Klaus knows about you being alive, maybe he's worked it out somehow" Stefan says, a wave of dread hitting me through our bond. The feeling is so intense that it even makes Damon suck in a harsh breathe.

"We don't know that either" I say, trying to sound calm even though internally I'm worried maybe Stefan is right.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"There you are" Gloria says as I come back into her bar.

Escaping from Nick and Becklsy was difficult, but I needed to talk to Gloria about what she saw when she searched for the necklace. I need to know what she's gonna tell my hybrid.

"Thought you were getting your beauty sleep...although in my opinion you really don't need it" I reply gamely.

"Stop it you flirt, I don't wanna be on Klaus' radar for being a potential competitor in the fight for that incredibly pretty face of yours" Gloria says warningly to me, "Your man's the jealous type"

"There's no competition" I argue, "You're my number one witch...please tell me what you saw"

Gloria watches me as I lean in the bar,

"It's what I heard that's interesting" she says, moving closer to me, "You know the girls with the necklace, they were talking about you"

"But you didn't tell Nick" I state the obvious, because, apparently I'm that guy now. I think Stefan infected me. "Why?" I ask her.

"Because I wouldn't help that hybrid half breed with anything" Gloria answers.

A growl slips out and my body stiffens. I could make her regret those words, her soul would taste so sweet, I could rip it from her slowly, really take my time tearing it apart, turning her mind to ash-

"Simmer down soulfinder" Gloria says warily.

I grit my teeth and attempt to rein the monster back in, darkness floods my mind and it threatens to destroy the last traces of sanity I posses within me. I still can't keep the growl out of my voice when I say,

"Nick may be a monster, a hybrid, a danger to the whole freakin' world, but he's mine. Don't speak of him like that"

Gloria eyes me for a few long moments and I guard my expression carefully. Finally Gloria says,

"The necklace is a tailesmen from the original witch herself, which is something I think you already know"

I nod, my inner calm returning at full force.

"I want it" Gloria states plainly.

"No" I say firmly.

"Don't be difficult soulfinder" Gloria says, "You know I'd hate to have to tell Klaus what a liar his lover is"

I consider her for a moment and whisper,

"Do. Not. Threaten. Me."

Anger rises inside me and I ache to destroy her. I could. She is nothing to me, just a witch. A powerful witch, but still just a witch.

I am so much more.

I am a Guardian of the dead; no one threatens me.

I grab Gloria's throat, and I can feel her trying to use her magic on my mind, the way Bonnie is so fond of doing.

She should know that won't work on me.

I laugh, it's an ugly sound even to my ears. When I speak my voice vibrates throughout the room like thunder,

"I was tortured by witches for years. There is nothing you can do that will hurt me, nothing I have not already endured and survived"

I drain her soul faster than I would have liked, and it tastes of vengeance and...pure darkness.

The ghosts around me quiver and disappear out of fright. Good, the dead should fear me just as much as the living do. I am their master. A master of death. I hate it sometimes, but being a Guardian isn't something I can change or deny.

This is me; and I am death's only friend.

I'm not quite lost enough in my own frightening pleasure to miss Katerina when she comes striding in, taking in the scene in one foul swoop and saying,

"Ok, maybe you've changed more than I thought Sin. It's scary. Kinda sexy. I like it"

I run a hand through my hair in frustration, I give Kat a smirk...and I tell her about Michael.

The Reckoning

Ever's P.O.V

I wake up slowly, my head feeling like it might explode.

I shift in the back seat of a car...and suddenly everything comes rushing back.

Damon and Stefan were making dinner, as all three of us had decided to sit down and talk properly about the Sin situation.

I went outside for a moment to get something from my car.

Someone GRABBED ME AGAIN!

And snapped my freaking neck.

I groan and look out of the window, it looks kinda dark, then I turn to look the other way-AND OH MY GOD!

"AAAAhhhhhhhhh, noooo, please tell me this isn't happening!" I shout, my head pounding like crazy.

Bitchzilla gives me a brief glance and smirks, she says,

"Finally, you're awake, I thought maybe you were actually dead or something"

I point at her dramatically,

"You snapped my neck bitchzilla!"

She nods,

"Yep"

I stare at her incredulously,

"Uh, this may sound like a weird question to you, but, um WHY?"

Bitchzilla has the gal to look fucking amused. That's it, I'm jumping out of the car-

"I had to. Sinbad asked me to take you with me"

I pause for a moment, letting that sink in before responding,

"Take me with you where exactly? Hell? OZ? Wonderland? Feel free to jump in at any time bitchzilla"

Bitchzilla gives me an indignant look and says,

"Well if you're going to be rude about it-"

"BITCHZILLA!"

I am officially angered.

Watch out world, cus Ever freakin' Gilbert is PISSED OFF!

Plus this is like the sixth time I've been grabbed by vampires and kidnapped.

Just in case you were wondering, I do not enjoy this kind of thing universe.

I really don't.

Even though my past indicates otherwise.

Bitchzilla snickers.

Right, that's it, find me a swarm of panda's, because this bitch is going down.

I'm about to start shouting again when bitchzilla says,

"We're going to a tomb"

I have to think about that for a while because my head is still trying to kill me.

"What tomb?" I ask.

"A tomb where Michael supposedly is" Bitchzilla answers unhelpfully.

"Who the frak is Michael? If he's one of your ex boyfriends, then I don't want to meet him" I say.

I reach out instinctively to my bond with Stefan and my connection to Damon, I get blasted with emotions ranging from despair to out and out full on fucking rage from both of them.

The moment I let some awareness leak through Damon voice instantly pops into my head,

"Ever, where are you? Are you alright? What the hell is going on? Tell Katherine that I'm going to rip out her heart and feed it to her when I next see that bitch"

I respond as calmly as I can given the fact that I was kidnapped by a mad women so I could go meet her bestie Michael at a tomb somewhere,

"I'm ok. I promise. Tell Stefan I'm fine so he'll stop sending me waves of anger and pain and guilt. Bitchzilla nabbed me, we're driving somewhere"

Damon's response is instant,

"We know, she left us a note telling us where you're going. And Stefan wants me to tell you that everything will be alright and that we're coming for you"

"I love you both so much, be careful"

"We love you too baby"

I bite my lip, feeling upset that I can't touch them or see their faces.

I frown in annoyance and snap at bitchzilla,

"Hey, how come the Salvatore's get to know where we're going and I don't?"

Bitchzilla sighs as if I'm the one being difficult, although her eyes widen at the mention of Damon and Stefan,

"So it's true, you really are...bonded with them, like Sin said"

I shrug passively,

"Yeah, I guess...now stop changing the subject bitchzilla, where the hell are we going? And who's this Michael asshole you keep talking about?"

"I mentioned him once" Bitchzilla points out annoyingly.

I hold my hands up and say slowly,

"Bitchzilla, I am not in the mood for this. Now tell me what I want to know or the first time we stop at a gas station I'll buy a bottle of Evian water and throw it all over you so you'll melt"

"Still on the wicked witch of the west kick then?" Bitchzilla asks.

"Hey, if the flying monkey fits..." I reply with a smirk.

Kat narrows her eyes at me, but answers,

"We're going to Charlotte. To a big tomb where a vampire Hunter is. He might be able to help us get rid of Klaus"

My eyebrows lift in surprise,

"How do you know...oh, right, Sin"

"Yes, Sin"

"But...I thought...why would Sin want to get rid of Klausy wousy...and why would Klausy wousy, an original who can't die, be afraid of a vampire Hunter?" I ask in confusion.

Bitchzilla shrugs,

"Michael is the big bad wolf to Klaus, he fears him, and that's enough for me. As for Sin, I'm guessing he's doing this to protect you...he seems rather attached to you for some reason"

I nod slowly,

"Right, that would be my unique brand of charm"

Bitchzilla snorts rather rudely in response,

"Yeah, right, it's likely a lot to do with his loyalty to Stefan and Damon, considering they love you and all that jazz. Plus, I'm pretty sure it's because of something else as well...something to do with what he is"

I grasp onto that,

"What is he then?"

Bitchzilla quirks an eyebrow at me,

"A Guardian"

Something in me sparks at that...why does it feel so damn familiar?

I ask more questions, but bitchzilla refuses to say anything more. So I relay all the information she's given me to Damon and Stefan, who don't seem to know the answers to my questions either, although they have a few questions of their own.

I have been kidnapped, by bitchzilla. It's like a nightmare wrapped up in another nightmare.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"You screwed up big this time Sinny" Becksly admonishes me, shaking her head, a look of what could be described as sympathy crosses her face.

I sit up slowly. Nick locked me in this truck, I could have broken out obviously, but it wouldn't be worth it considering how pissed Nick is right now.

I shouldn't have asked about Michael; I should have known Becksly would sense that I was up to something. I really should have known that she'd tell Nick of her suspicions.

And I really, really should have known how fucking enraged Nick would be at the mere idea that I've been hiding things from him.

It's lucky that I convinced Kat to take Ever and my brothers out of Mystic Falls, as I'm pretty sure that's where we are now.

I stand up carefully, leaning against the wall of the truck,

"What's Nick gonna do Becksly?"

Something that will make me regret my loyalty to Ever and my brothers probably.

Becksly sighs heavily,

"He's just gone to collect something of yours"

My mind scatters to all the possible things that could be...

"Becksly, what has Nick gone to get?"

Panic rises when Becksly bites her lip, obviously not wanting to tell me.

He wouldn't...

Oh, but he would.

Suddenly a phone buzzes and Becksly takes it our of her pocket, she regards the screen dimly and then says to me,

"Do you know what the Grill is...because we have to meet Nick there...he says he's talking with an old friend of yours"

"Who?" I ask darkly, already knowing the answer.

Becksly frowns and looks back down at the screen, she looks back up and answers warily,

"Jeremy"

I'm out of that truck before I can even think about what the hell I'm doing.

Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy. I can't let him die.

I love him.

No, He loves him.

I need to remember that.

If it's only Him that loves Jeremy, then why do I feel like I'll break if anything happens to the youngest Gilbert?

Becklsy follows after me, asking,

"Who's Jeremy Sin?"

I don't answer, as I'm too intent on getting to the grill and saving Jeremy from whatever fate Nick has deemed necessary to punish me.

I crash in through the entrance to the grill, and waiting there is Nick, with Jeremy.

Jeremy has blood running down from his throat, and a growl more primal than human bursts free from my mouth in response to the sight of him hurt.

When Jeremy see's me his eyes flare with so much love and hope and confusion that my world tilts right off it's fucking axis.

God I missed my Jer.

I missed those sad brown eyes of his. I missed the sound of his voice when he laughs deeply about something I've whispered in his ear. I missed seeing him blush when I tease him openly. I missed watching him draw, that look of concentration on his face that I find sexy as hell. I missed how he see's the good in me, even though I don't deserve it.

I just missed Jeremy.

He still feels like mine...which is unfair of me to think on so many levels.

But I do and...I can't let Nick keep hurting him. I won't.

"Nick, please, stop" I say carefully, trying not to sound too desperate about it.

My hybrid growls viciously and seems to grip Jeremy tighter if Jeremy's wince is anything to go by. Nick stares at me, narrowing his eyes,

"You've been keeping secrets my Angel...tell me what you know...or I'll rip your little doe eyed hunter to pieces whilst you watch"

I move forward a few steps, feeling Becksly standing at the door. The grill is deserted, Nick must have compelled everyone to leave, and I'm grateful for that at least.

"Nick, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to betray you...this is between you and me...there's no need to bring him into this" I gesture at Jeremy.

My hybrid laughs bitterly and Jeremy croaks out,

"Sin"

My name on his lips almost brings me to my knee's. It reminds me once again of how much I love Jeremy. Or He does...or we do...I'm not sure anymore. It's so confusing living inside my head.

"Tell me what you know within the next ten seconds Angel or your hunter dies, starting now, 10...9...8...7"

I look frantically between Nick, Jeremy and Becksly, who appears even more sympathetic, although I know she won't defy Nick, not even for me.

"5...4...3...-"

"STOP!" I shout, exhaustion with my own emotions over taking me.

I don't want to betray Ever or my brothers, but...letting Jeremy die...I'm not strong enough to survive that.

Nick pauses and watches me, his grip on Jeremy still firm and ready. He'll snap Jeremy's neck the moment I twitch. I sigh, rubbing a hand over my forehead, not sure how to start. I try not to look at Jeremy as I say,

"The reason your hybrids don't work is because you need doppelganger blood to feed them whilst they are in transition"

It was easy to figure out, as I know how tricky witches can be with their spells.

"But I killed the doppelganger as part of the ritual" Nick says disbelievingly.

It suddenly seems to dawn on him that that is rather the point.

I move forward a little more, wanting to be closer to Jeremy just in case Nick blows up and kills him out of feckless anger. I meet Nick's wild eyes as I say,

"You know witches and their spells. So sneaky"

I'm almost afraid Nick will ask me to bring Ever back from the dead, but then I remember he just knows I can come back, not that I can bring other people with me.

"Anything else you need to tell me?" Nick asks harshly.

My jaw hardens and I force out the words,

"Katerina knows about Michael...he's probably already on his way" That's a lie, but I'm hoping it'll scare Nick enough into leaving Mystic Falls, therefore ensuring Ever, my brothers and Jeremy's safety.

For a moment I really think Nick might just snap Jeremy's neck anyway, because he looks so damn angry. But then all in a rush he shoves Jeremy into my arms and vampire speeds away.

I turn back just in time to see Becksly give me a pointed look and go after him.

I bite into my wrist and feed Jeremy my blood so he'll heal.

Jeremy looks up at me, and I resist the urge to pull him into a bruising embrace.

I push some of Jeremy's chocolate brown hair away from his forehead and I whisper to him,

"I'm so sorry Jer"

In response Jeremy surprises me completely by throwing his arms around my neck and yanking me closer with an even more surprising feat of strength. He buries his face in my neck and I hear him choke on a sob, his body shivers three times before he manages to get out the words,

"I love you Sin, don't leave me again"

My grip on Jeremy tightens to what must be a painful level, and after a few heart shattering moments I pull back and rest my forehead against his. One of my hands is pressed against his back, and the other is cupping his strong jaw. Jeremy is damn handsome, it's impossible for me not to touch him. I love this man so fucking much that it hurts. I hate myself for thinking, even for a second, that I didn't love him with everything I am and ever will be.

"I will never leave you again Jer, I promise"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I did things a little differently, and I did two in one, but only because I felt like there wasn't enough stuff going on in these two episodes to make two separate chapters. I really hope you like how I've written this chapter. 
> 
> So, Jer and Sin are reunited...how are you all feeling about that? I'd love to know xxx
> 
> And of course, there was a Kat/Ev's road trip scene, which I really hope you all liked, I did it mainly because I feel Katherine and Ever have a certain strange chemistry between them, and their dialogue is always funny and fun to write xxx
> 
> Thanks for reading and please do let me know what you thought! xxx


	69. Smells Like Teen Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reveals x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the forty-ninth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...life would be snazzy, lets leave it at that :) xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Ever's P.O.V

"Both of you behave today, I don't want to get any phone calls saying you've skipped class to have a snack on a human" Damon says, smirking at me and Stefan as he leans against the car door in the school parking lot.

I make a face at the idiot and reach up to give him a kiss. He immediately deepens the kiss and cups my jaw, sliding his thumb over my overly sensitive skin. I sigh into his warm mouth as his tongue runs along mine teasingly. I let his and my emotions linger together through our connection and stoke the fire in my stomach a little before pulling away, my hands on his strong shoulders.

Stefan is at my back, although he's allowing me to have this time with Damon alone, as we won't be seeing him until after school...ugh, school. I hope whoever invented High school is burning in the fiery depths of hell with ice pixies and hedgehogs mocking his (because of course it's a he, they ruin everything. And by they, I mean men) dancing ability.

Because that is what I choose to imagine hell is like.

Damon looks at Stefan over my shoulder as Stefan's fingers trail along my back gently, coaxing. I know they want to me to say screw it and leave. To go home and get into bed, or...well mostly get back into bed...although I'm sure there are other things we could do.

Just give me a minute to think of something.

"Going back to bed is definitely the most fun thing we could do" Damon comments dryly, that damn smirk still dominating his features.

I scoff a laugh and say,

"Stop it. Both of you. I want to go home, you know I do. But I promised Caroline and Bonnie I would come, and Caroline would bug me forever if I didn't show, she already thinks we spend too much time together"

"We probably do" Stefan admits, although our bond tells me that he doesn't have any intention of trying to change that fact.

Damon rolls his eyes,

"Blondie can pull that stick out of her ass and keep her opinions to herself. We can spend as much time together as we damn well want to"

I slide my arms around Damon's neck and I nip at his lightly stubbled jaw, eliciting a low growl from him and a surprisingly dark chuckle from Stefan. I smile at Damon and lean back into Stefan as much as I can. I'm practically pressed between them, and I hope no one comes along and see's us.

God, what would the townsfolk say if I they caught me like this with two of the Salvatore brothers...probably nothing flattering.

They just don't understand though, and neither does Caroline, although I can't really expect anyone to understand. How could they?

Me, Damon and Stefan are bound together completely, they are as much part of me now as I am. Something happened when I became a vampire.

My bond with Stefan became even more in depth and intense, and I formed a connection with Damon that goes way beyond the physical, and even the emotional aspects of our relationship.

I believe my connection with Damon is something to do with the fact that I became a vampire with his blood inside me. Although I do not believe that is the sole reason for it either. Maybe my all consuming love for him was just a catalyst for the path that connects all three of us now.

It's impossible to explain really, but the best way to describe it is to say that we are not individual people anymore, we are more like three different parts of a whole.

I know to most people that sounds mad, and to some maybe even awful because our wills are tied together as well. We tend to want the same things, even if we disagree on the course of action to achieve those things at times.

All I really know for sure is that I am completely in love with both Damon and Stefan. They're mine just as much as I am theirs. I cannot regret what has happened between us, even if it is world altering.

I cannot deny that I'm also curious as to what our unique path of binding is, and what it means. I refuse to believe that this is accidental. There must be a reason behind it.

Stefan and Damon seem to share an understanding now that they never did before, and I think that is mainly thanks to our emotional and telepathical bonds. They no longer see each other as rivals or two opposite brothers with nothing in common.

They love each other, although that was always true. Now they're just more willing to admit it.

I like to encourage them to spend time together apart from me even, because I don't want their affection for each other to be completely tied to their love for me. Although the whole love for me thing is pretty great.

Anyway, the mighty bitchzilla is still with Mikael, we left her there. It's a miracle we didn't kill each other on that stupid road trip. Although, and I loathe to admit it, but bitchzilla and I...we get on alright. Most of the time. In fact we probably get on more than Elena and I ever did. I don't want to delve in too deeply as to what that could mean.

I am not bitchzilla, I hope I've proven that by now. But there are certain similarities we share. Such as our survival instinct. I wouldn't hurt innocent people to get what I want, but I can't deny that I'd do anything for the people I love, even if that meant killing someone. I suppose that's just something I'll have to deal with internally.

When we got to Charlotte, it took a lot of effort just to stop Damon from killing bitchzilla the moment he reassured himself of my safety. I asked Stefan to help me hold him back, if only because bitchzilla seemed to have information we might need to destroy Klausy wousy. And I REALLY want to do destroy the bastard who murdered my sister.

People might say vengeance is worthless and that it won't make me feel any better. I say, screw that, I want the asshole dead. By any means necessary.

Stefan seemed more reluctant to do hold Damon back than I would have expected him to. The emotions I read through our bond shocked me a little bit. I'd never felt such rage and sadistic intent coming from Stefan before.

I had assumed that all that pent up anger and frustration I'd been sensing was coming from just Damon, but it turns out most of it was actually bleeding out of Stefan's mind and into mine.

I felt his ripper cold fury for the first time, and I'll admit, it both chilled and excited me.

Which is wrong on so many levels I suppose. But then, I've always been attracted to the more animatistic vampire sides of the Salvatore's, even back when I was human I found it kinda hot when they'd vamp out on me, or someone else.

I don't imagine that says good things about my psychological state of mind...but I don't care, sanity is for Doctors (not the evil genius ones) and therapists (you'd like to think). I don't have no time for it. If I was sane I would have run away the moment Sinbad said the words 'I'm a vampire'.

The sanity ship has SAILED.

Might as well embrace the madness by this point.

When Stefan and Damon make eye contact a silent look of agreement passes between them. I narrow my eyes, but don't say anything. I trust them to tell me if they know it concerns something I need to hear.

I've gotten pretty good at reading their looks though, even when their emotions are shielded from me. Damon is telling Stefan to keep an eye on me and to keep me safe, and Stefan is agreeing and promising to do so to the best of his ability.

Maybe I should find it stifling, the way they treat me I mean, like I'm the center of their world. But I don't, because I know that's just the way they are. They know I can take care of myself in most ways, but that doesn't mean they don't want to be there at my side just in case I need them.

Besides, I like feeling protected by them.

I can protect them too, which is one of my favourite things about being a vampire. I am officially a ninja with a one badass motherfucker of a bat. Ever and Kevin, the ultimate fighting duo. Damon and Stefan are just our back ups.

I told them that once and they threw a bucket of cold water on me.

Where did they even get a bucket? I've never seen a bucket just lying around the boarding house. Have they got a secret utility closet or something that I don't know about?

Stefan sighs and kisses the back of my head, causing a ray of light to shine on our bond and warm me from the inside out. Damon returns his intense pale blue gaze to mine and mutters,

"Sin gets to have Jeremy stay at home" he sounds like a spoilt child, and I have to stop myself from outright laughing, although I'm not quick enough to hold back my humour from spilling out into the strands of our connection.

Damon frowns at me, and I can feel Stefan smiling against my hair, although he's much more in control of his emotions leaking through. They barely ever do, which is what made his show of rage at bitchzilla even more impressively outrageous.

I arch an eyebrow at Damon and reply,

"Sin just got back from being hijacked by Klausy wousy, he deserves some times with the man he loves. I agreed to cover for him with Jenna and school."

Damon makes a grumbling sound and nods unwillingly in acceptance of that.

The truth is, having Sin back has been pretty amazing for all of us. I never realised quite how much I missed the easy banter between us, or the feeling of understanding we've always shared. Out of everyone, I think Sin is the only one who comes close to understanding my relationship with Damon and Stefan. I don't know if that's because they're his brothers, or because Sin is just naturally that way.

Klausy wousy appears to be gone, although his sister is not. Rebekah and I met briefly, and it went...ok. She seems...I don't really know how to describe sissy Original, not yet anyway.

I'm too glad to have Sin back to worry about much else. Although I do worry about Klausy wousy's reaction to not being able to make any hybrids.

Sin has promised to explain in more detail to me exactly what he is, and I'm really interested to know. Apparently it has something to do with me too, although I can't imagine what that could mean.

"Come on, we have to go" Stefan says reluctantly and for a moment Damon's hold me tightens.

I kiss him once more and allow myself to be consumed by the powerful feelings Damon's kisses always evoke in me.

Then I pull away and Damon lets me go slowly, exchanging one last meaningful look with his brother. Stefan moves back and takes my hand as we walk away.

"I love you Day, talk to me at any time. Aim for maths." I whisper into his mind.

"Love you too Ev's, and I'll do my best you insane woman" Damon replies, and there's a slight edge of regret in his tone that I have to ignore or I really will give in and go home with Damon and Stefan.

Stefan's fingers intertwine with mine and he brings my hand up to his lips and ghosts them reassuringly over the back of my hand. I smile up at him, and another wave of warmth spreads through our bond.

We find Bonnie and Caroline standing at the edge of the school grounds with contemplative expressions on their faces. Stefan and I stop beside them, they seem to be gazing forward towards our school and I say,

"What are you both looking so fascinated by...is the school on fire or something?" cue crossing my fingers.

Caroline's response is,

"Here we are, senior year" most unhelpful.

Bonnie makes a face then and says,

"Does anyone think we should feel more empowered right now?" No. I think mysery and disappointment is how everyone should feel on the first day of school, no matter what year it is.

But I don't say that, because I don't want Caroline to accuse me of being a 'downer'. I am not a downer, I just don't like things sometimes, and I prefer to complain about those things than stew in my own irritation. Just ask Stefan and Damon, they'll tell you.

Caroline makes a frustrated sound,

"I know things have been crazy lately. But...Klaus is gone-"

"Klausy wousy" I correct, much to Bonnie and Stefan's amusement and Caroline's annoyance.

"Eveeeerr, I'm trying to make an inspirational speech here" Caroline whines. Or that's what it sounds like to me.

"Fiiiinnnne" I say, "Continue" I make a gesture towards her.

Caroline nods,

"Thank you. Anyway, we have Sin back now, and Klausy wousy is gone. Everything is finally working out, and I think this year will be great. It has to be"

I exchange a wary look with Bonnie and I shrug helplessly. There's no point arguing with hurricane Caroline when she gets going.

"I think this year could be...good, at least" Stefan offers.

Caroline beams at Stefan,

"See, that's the spirit, we can do this. This year will be the best yet. I just know it!"

I just wish Elena were here to enjoy her senior year. She deserves to be here, and it pains me to think that she'll never experience all the things she wanted out of life.

I guess...I'll just have to live life for her and hope I don't let my twin down.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"If either you or baby Gilbert are naked, then warn me in the next five seconds, because I'm about to come in brother" Damon calls out as he strolls in through the front door.

I can tell by his expression that he's upset.

I assume it's because he has to go a full five hours without seeing Ever and Stefan. I don't say that though, as I'm far too busy rallying a fight between Becksly and Jeremy at the moment.

"I cannot believe you're choosing this...human over my brother" Becksly sputters for about the hundredth time in pure disbelief. And even a little hurt, as if me choosing Jeremy over Nick means I'm also disregarding her. I'm not. I care about Becksly, I really do.

Jeremy narrows those soft brown eyes of his at her, making them seem darker, and he practically snarls at Becksly,

"Back off bitch, he's my boyfriend. I love him, and he loves me, get over it"

I'm still his boyfriend? God I hope so. It makes me physically sick to think I might have ruined things between me and Jeremy forever by doing what I did.

Becksly makes a noise of exasperation and turns on me, completely disregarding Jeremy and saying heatedly,

"Please tell me this a joke" she looks at Jeremy then with distaste pouring out of her expression.

Damon comes in and makes us both a drink, he hands one to me and I accept it gratefully. Damon apparently decides I can't respond, because he does for me,

"It's no joke. I know it seems like one, but my brother really does love little Jerbear with all his dark, dark heart and-"

"Shut up Damon" I snap, hitting him over the head with a resounding smack.

He glares at me and I smirk back at him.

I'm in a weird place at the moment where I know that I'm sort of myself again, but not quite. Seeing Jeremy at Nick's mercy was enough to allow me to escape from the bounds my other self trapped me with. But unlike last time I wasn't able to throw him back into his cage. Instead we just kind of...merged together. Now I have thoughts that are my own, and others that are definitely His.

It's very confusing. My head is a fucked up place right now, and there are so many things I have to concentrate on.

-Getting Jeremy back and convincing him I'm worth trusting and loving.

-Keeping an eye on Becksly and helping her adapt to life in the twenty-first century.

-Making sure Nick doesn't decide to take out his fury on anyone I care about. Or me for that matter. I still happen to care about me, even if no one else does.

-Talking to Ever about what I am and what I believe she is.

-Making sure to keep the whole Mikael thing under control. That was a desperate move on my part, and I hope to hell it doesn't blow up in my face.

So, yeah, there's a lot of stuff to be getting on with. Not to mention my own internal struggles. They'll just have to wait until I'm in a better position to deal with them.

"You're in love with Nick though Sin, you've been infatuated with him since the moment I met you, and he's never cared about anyone the way he does you-" Becksly tries to argue.

I cut off her rant with a swift silencing hand gesture. Jeremy looks at me expectantly and I sigh heavily,

"I know Becksly, I know. But I'm a different person to who I was. I want...different things out of life and-"

"Blah, blah, blah" Damon interrupts, "Basically, he's got a taste for human teenage ass now rather than scary hybrid ass. That's all you need, or should want, to know"

I give my brother an ironic stare, which he just smirks at.

Dickhead. Someone needs a blast of cold water to the face.

Where the hell did he put my bucket?

And my hose? I bought and installed the damn thing, it's mine! Damon and Stefan probably broke it. They always break my stuff.

Becklsy' face turns red and she stalks off without another word. Great. An angry Becksly. There's a good chance I'll be dead by tonight.

I turn on Damon,

"Where the hell did you put my bucket?" I ask him with narrowed eyes.

Damon smiles innocently at me, it looks so wrong on my eldest brother's face. I am immediately suspicious.

"We used it on Ever"

I barely contain and horrified sound,

"I do NOT need to know about your weird sex games with Ever. And I definitely don't appreciate you using my personal items in the process."

Damon barks out a laugh and doesn't reply.

Jeremy is still looking at me with careful hope in his eyes, and I wrap an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. He stiffens at first, but then relaxes against my body.

Damon pours himself another drink and shakes his head at us.

"What is your problem?" I ask him, knowing full well what his problem is. I just want to hear him say it. Because I'm mean like that. Plus he desiccated my favourite bucket. He deserves to suffer.

Damon grits his jaw and growls,

"Nothing. I'm perfectly fine"

Jeremy snorts out laugh and then buries his face in my shoulder when Damon's gaze cuts rather dramatically to him. I roll my eyes and say,

"They'll both be fine. It's just school, I'm sure they'll survive the paper cuts"

Damon shrugs,

"I'm not worried"

Liar.

I watch Damon look like he's about to crawl out of his own skin for a few moments before saying,

"Damon...I'm saying this because I love you...and because Stefan is broody enough for all three of us; you need something else to concentrate on. Find a...hobby or a...friend...see how that works out for ya"

Damon just downs his drink and replies,

"I don't need a friend. I need to drink more."

I nod,

"A fine way to deal with ones emotional problems"

"It works for me" Damon says simply.

"I see that"

"Sinbad"

"What?"

"Go fuck your boy toy and leave me alone"

"Is Stefan good at sex?" I ask, just to throw my brother off completely.

But Damon seems to take that in his stride and answers shortly,

"Surprisingly well, although you'd have to ask Ever for more specific details"

Jeremy makes a gagging sound,

"Guys, seriously, I did not need to know any of that"

Damon laughs and says to me,

"Sinbad Salvatore's boyfriend is squeamish about sex...good luck with that"

He walks away still laughing to himself like he's just realised the funniest thing in existence.

I choose to ignore him and turn my gaze back to Jeremy. I pull him over the sofa and down on my lap. Jeremy straddles me without question and presses a sweet kiss to my lips. I part them and Jer's tongue doesn't hesitate to invade my mouth.

I let him take control for a while. I like being kissed by Jer, it makes me feel content and comfortable in my own body. It feels good, it feels right.

I've missed this more than I can say, just being near Jer and having him melt into me.

I have always been attracted to Nick's strength, but I'm now equally attracted to Jeremy's intense emotional strength. He's been through so much, and I hate that I wasn't here for him when he was dealing with Elena's death. I feel a twinge at the memory of Elena. We all failed her, and I'll never stop wishing that I'd done something to save her. For Ever and Jeremy's sake if nothing else.

"I missed you Sin" Jeremy gasps hotly against my mouth.

I run a hand up his back and he shivers when I scrap a fang over his throat. His moan makes my cock so damn hard that I think I could cut through metal. But instead of pushing Jeremy to the floor and fucking him senseless I tug him down closer to me and whisper into his ear,

"I know baby. I missed you too, so damn much"

Even if I didn't realise it.

I lied to Becksly. Sort of.

I still love Nick.

I always have, and I believe that I always will.

But what can I do? Nick wants a part of me that I do not want to let control me. Craving souls and death and chaos is...going to be a part of me no matter how long I live, and I now see that there's no point in denying that part of myself.

I fear what Jeremy will think of me when I reveal my true nature. I fear that he will not love the monster I could become if I allowed myself to indulge in what I truly want.

And I must begin helping the dead again...starting with Elena.

I've seen her a few times since I came back to Mystic Falls, but we haven't yet spoken. I swore to Guard the dead and be their saviour when the Guardian council came to me and asked me to do so. At the time I young, human and far more idealistic than I am now.

Telling Ever and Jeremy, and my brothers, the truth could end horribly, but I'm hoping they'll all at least try to understand.

I won't reveal Elena's presence until I've asked her if she wants her siblings to know about the 'other side' as most ghosts refer to it. I am in service to the dead as much as they are in service to me as their master and Guardian. I have been neglecting my work as a Guardian for far too long.

I cup Jeremy's handsome face firmly and force him to meet my eyes. He stares down at me expectantly and with another heavy sigh I say,

"Jer, there's a lot of stuff I need to tell you, and you might not like some of it. But I think I owe you this explanation...and more than that, I want you to know me, every part of me"

I expect anger or confusion, but what I get is Jeremy's wide grin as he says,

"Finally"

Ever's P.O.V

Bonfire.

Oh shit.

I see Caroline pinning up a poster for it and inwardly I groan.

I can't be dealing with fires and...people. And drunken teenage happiness. But mostly it's the people.

Damon and Stefan will want to come, or actually, they won't want to come, especially Damon, but they will because I'm going. And I don't even want to go. It's like deciding to come to school all over again.

Damn it humany life!

Stefan senses my discomfort through our bond and he slides a hand over my shoulder, pushing my long curled hair back so that he can brush his lips gently across my bar skin.

I lean into him and Stefan's arms come around me. Pure light envelops both of us through our bond and sigh, my body relaxing even more into Stefan's embrace. He notes the direction of my gaze.

Stefan whisper into my ear,

"You should spend time with your friends Everlyna. I could...convince Damon to back off a bit and we could leave you to it"

I frown,

"You wouldn't come to the party?"

I feel a shock of slight panic shoot through Stefan at even the thought. He replies carefully,

"Uh, actually I was thinking we'd just...stay on the other side of the bonfire or something"

I can't hold in my laughter at that, and Stefan squeezes my waist in response to my snickering. I turn around to face him and say,

"I want you and Damon with me. There's no reason I can't spend time with you both and my friends. We should get used to it anyway, it's gonna be happening a lot if this thing with us is going to be permanent"

I really hope it will be permanent.

"It will be" Stefan says with a certainty to his tone that I did not expect.

I'm about to respond when Caroline comes striding up to us and says to me,

"You have to come to the bonfire, please say you will" she looks up at Stefan, "Both of you...even bring Damon if you have to" I smile at the distaste in her voice when she says Damon's name. Their strange dislike towards each other is nothing but amusing to me. It's like an angry badger disliking a cartoon bunny rabbit.

I sigh and roll my eyes,

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going, don't have a vampy aneurism over it alright"

Caroline practically beams at me and when the bell goes we follow her into class.

We all sit down as Alaric writes something on the board. I try to pay attention out of loyalty to Ric, although I can feel my mind wandering already.

Although when sissy original comes waltzing in I become immediately alert. I exchange an incredulous look with both Stefan and Caroline.

I repeat my previous statement; Oh shit.

"What's going on over there?" I hear Damon suddenly pop into my head.

I shrug even though he can't see me and answer,

"Sissy original is here, and shits going down!"

There's a pause before Damon answers, but I can feel his frustration very clearly,

"We'll have to deal with her"

"You can't"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because Sin cares about her"

"...so?"

I sigh in exasperation,

"So, until she does something that actually threatens any of us, there's no reason to hurt Sin over it"

There's another fraught pause, and then,

"This is Sin's fault"

I arch an eyebrow to myself,

"Oh yeah, and how'd you figure that?"

I hear a grumbling sound that I'm certain is Damon's mind thinking. It's actually kind of cute.

"I am NOT 'cute' Ev's"

I snicker to myself and both Stefan and Rebekah turn to stare at me. I wink at Rebekah and nod at Stefan. Stefan nods back, already fully aware that I'm talking to Damon through our connection.

I've asked Stefan about what it feels like to him when Damon and I communicate telepathically, he says it's like a gentle buzzing that changes in intensity depending on we're both feeling.

Rebekah smiles back at me. The woman likes me, for whatever reason.

Why is it that all the crazy vampy women like me? First mini she-vamp, then bitchzilla and now sissy original.

What am I, Lindsay Lohan from Mean Girls?

(Ok my peoples, I know this may seem weird, but I'm pretty much cutting out episode seven and eight of the vampire diaries. Because, mainly, episode seven is just a load of subplot pointless bullshit that does not relate to my fic. And eight has flashbacks containing information, most of which Sin already knows. He's gonna offload a lot of information in this chapter, including the reveal about Klaus. So, really, I don't need episode eight either. Please don't hate me for this, I would just rather move the plot line along than write two pointlessly short chapters xxx)

Sinbad's P.O.V

Whilst Jeremy is busy drawing downstairs, I use the time to call on Elena.

I told Jeremy everything, or at least mostly everything. There are some things that I need to say to Ever privately.

He took it well...surprisingly well actually. I expected at least a little resistance, and to be honest I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, even though Jeremy insists there is no other shoe.

I disagree. There is always another shoe; that's why it's called a pair of shoes.

Ok, that was a bad joke, but my point stands.

But anyway, I've already decided to talk to Ever and my brothers this evening before the bon fire and talk to them about...everything really.

I need to tell them about Mikael most of all. And...a certain secret that could help get Becksly on their side. I don't want to kill Nick, I can't, it's not in me to do so. I hate even the idea of betraying him.

But I will help Ever, Jeremy and my brothers if killing Nick is what they really want to do.

I clear my throat. Calling on a specific member of the dead is actually pretty simple.

For a witch they'd need blood or hair or...a cargidan of some description that belonged to the deceased.

Not that they need cargidan's specifically, but...it seems everyone has a favourite cargidan these days.

I do not. But that's because I'm boring. My leather jackets, jeans and t-shirts do me fine. I'm just not snazzy enough to pull off a cargidan.

I mentioned that to Ever once and her eyes lit up like a freakin' sparkler...if I'm still alive for Christmas, then I know what she's getting me.

It'll probably have ducks or...gnomes on it, the bitch.

I take it back, if I get a cargidan with gnomes or hedgehogs on, then I'm gonna wear it every single damn day. And I will look fucking amazing.

I may need some corduroy trousers to finish the look off.

I prepare myself, allowing my true nature to reveal itself a little bit more, although not completely.

"Elena. I know you're still here...please come and speak with me" I say slowly and confidently.

For moment only silence follows my request. But then in a blink of an eye, Elena appears in front of me.

It should probably be more of a shock to see her, but I've spent so much of my life living among the dead that I barely registers anymore to be anything other than passively understanding towards spirits.

She's wearing the same clothes she died in of course, and her expression is far more solemn than it ever was before. When Elena was alive, she behaved more seriously in most situations, far more than her sister did really. But that's just where their personalities differed.

Ever always finds the humour in a situation, whereas Elena is often likely to take it to heart. I know this because I can sense her soul. I can feel it. Smell it. Hear it. Even touch it if I wanted to. I don't.

The temptation to tear Elena's soul away and devour it is too great.

Speaking of, Elena's soul is very...pure, I can sense that easily. It's not often the case. Most people with souls as pure as that have moved on by now, even if they are vampires.

So, something is keeping Elena here. I have a few guesses as to what that is, but I'd rather talk to Elena first and see what she thinks the reason might be before I make any big assumptions.

Elena stares at me quietly for a moment, and I say,

"You can feel what I am, right"

Elena nods slowly and replies,

"Yes. I feel a strange tug towards you"

That's good enough for now.

I go on,

"First, Elena, I am honestly sorry that you were killed by Nick. I know there's nothing else I can say, none of it will change what has already happened. Do you have any idea why you're still here?"

I look into her big brown eyes as she considers my question. She looks so much like Ever, for obvious reasons. Even though their personalities are very different, I still see the same strength to endure in Elena as I do in Ever. Both their souls practically ooze inner strength.

Eventually Elena sighs and says,

"I don't know. Maybe I'm afraid of leaving Ever and Jeremy here without me"

I nod in response. Yeah, I figured maybe it was something along those lines. But that doesn't she isn't still here for some other reason.

There are parts of me that wish I could just bring Elena back. And maybe I could if I died and tried to drag here back to life with me. But the Guardian council would have a lot to say about that I'm sure. And being taken from the 'other side' back to, well, here, marks the soul. It can never be undone, and it makes it impossible to find peace when you do eventually die the second, and final, time.

I don't want to do that to Elena. From what I know of Elena, and from reading her soul I know a hell of a lot, she wouldn't want that either.

"Do you want me to tell Ever and Jeremy you're here-"

"NO!" Elena's response is harsh and immediate.

I arch an eyebrow,

"Can I ask why not?"

Elena shifts uneasily and answers,

"They seem to be moving on...really well, I don't want to drag everything back up. Especially as there's nothing they can do"

But you could, a little voice in my head whispers. Shut up little voice, you are not helping the situation.

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, just to get the facts straight-Since you already know most of the background info for Sin, I'm not gonna repeat it, and you know the back story for the orginals, so I'm not gonna bore you with that either. But Sin will tell everyone the truth, and in the next chapter you'll see their reactions. And their reactions to Mikael showing up and offering his 'help', we all know what that means...hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought xxx
> 
> Thanks for reading! xxx


	70. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventieth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...life would be snazzy, lets leave it at that :) xxx
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Sinbad's P.O.V

"What's going on Sin?" Caroline asks me, concern lacing her tone.

"Yeah, what have you done now?" Damon snaps in annoyance.

I give him a serene smile and he rolls his eyes at me. Stefan hits our brother in the stomach and gives him a look, which Damon just scowls at.

"Leave off Day, this is an important Supernaturals United meeting, pay attention" Ever admonishes my eldest brother, her gaze lands on me as she continues, "Tell us what you need to Sin"

I smile at her, and the understanding in her eyes makes me feel a lot more comfortable. I really have missed my Ever.

I look round at everyone in the boarding house living room, I figured it was better to get them all together and only explain once rather than say it over and over again. It's going to be hard enough just getting it all out this one time.

Caroline and Tyler are sitting together and looking up at me expectantly, Jeremy is by my side looking a little smug since he knows pretty much everything already, and Becksly is watching me suspiciously. I feel her gaze on me like two pieces of white hot coal. She's still kinda pissed that I told her about Nick killing her mother.

I felt awful for it, even more so because I hated betraying Nick. My loyalty is important to me, it's a big part of who I am, and Nick told me that in confidence when we were deeply in love. Even if I didn't still love Nick, I would hate the betrayal.

Suffice to say, Becklsy did not take the news well. She threw things at me.

What is it with women and throwing things at men's heads when they're pissed off?

I clear my throat and begin,

"When I was no more than twelve, I fell through some ice, and I died-"

"No you didn't, asshole, I was there, we found you hours later by the side of lake, perfectly alive" Damon says, his expression one of guarded disbelief.

I know how guilty Damon felt for what happened that day, he was supposed to be looking after me. I don't blame Damon at all, it was my choice to go out onto that ice, I take full responsibility. But Damon would never listen if I told him that, he's just too damn stubborn. Damon may not feel guilty for everything he should, but on the rare times when he does feel guilty he takes it to heart like no one else.

Ever frowns at me, but doesn't interrupt, in fact she leans into Damon and it becomes obvious that she's talking to him telepathically. It's strange to watch them when they do that, it makes me feel like I'm intruding on something very private.

She takes Stefan's hand almost absently, since she's sitting between both of them. I don't think Ever even realises that she always reaches out to touch Stefan when she's talking telepathically to Damon, almost like their mutual bond demands she remain in some kind of contact with both of them.

Moments later all three of those head cases sit up straight and look at me. Their gazes are piercing and very unsettling together like that. I ignore the discomfort and continue,

"I did die, that much is certain. I can't quite remember exactly what happened whilst I was dead, all I know is that I was chosen to come back"

Suddenly questions are fired at me from all sides.

"Chosen by who?"-Becksly

"For what?"-Stefan

"What the hell are you talking about?"-Damon, obviously.

But as usual, it's Ever who knows me best and asks exactly the right question, her eyes bore into mine as she says,

"It has something to do with the dead, doesn't it?"

I nod gratefully at her,

"Yeah, it does. I was chosen to become a Guardian of the Dead"

"A Guard-what of the what-what?" Caroline bursts out.

"Nicely said blondie, any more helpful questions to want to throw out there?" Damon says dryly.

"Oh sorry if my shock isn't intelligent enough for you" Caroline snaps back with a death glare. Obviously Caroline's intense dislike of Damon hasn't wavered any since I left, nice to know some things never change.

Damon arches one eyebrow and replies,

"Don't be ridiculous blondie, I would never expect you to ask an intelligent question. I'm not that delusional"

"Back off dude" Tyler barks. 'Barks'...Ha, ha, I'm just rollin' in these bad jokes people.

Damon points at Tyler and says,

"If you call me 'dude' one more time, I swear to hell that on the next fall moon I'm calling animal control"

I sigh in frustration, Stefan does the same, and I see Ever roll her eyes in a 'here we go' gesture.

"Damon, stop being a dick for five minutes, please" Stefan says tiredly.

Damon smirks at him, but makes no comment, which is strange all by itself. But when Ever adds an irritated shake of her head, he seems almost repentant. Obviously having both Ever and Stefan upset with him is something he genuinely doesn't want.

Interesting.

Ever and my brothers' wackadoodle relationship is becoming more and more intriguing by the second.

Anyway...

"Are they always like this?" Becklsy asks me, abject horror on her face, most likely at the thought of having to live with these people.

I look her right in the eye and say,

"Nah...sometimes they kill people too" I grin at her.

I won't lie, it feels good to be home, even if everyone around me is insane.

I cough loudly to get their attention, when their eyes are back on me I say,

"A Guardian of the Dead is someone who can interact with people who are on the 'other side'" I quickly continue before anyone can ask another stupid question, "The other side is what I call the place where 'ghosts' who haven't 'passed on' exist. It's pretty much a place where the dead can experience the world, but not in the way the living do, it's not exactly a good place to be. As a Guardian over the dead I am bound to the task of helping them...for lack of a better term, 'move on'. I also have certain...powers and abilities"

"Such as?" Damon asks, curious now in spite of himself.

I shrug,

"Like having power over the dead, making them bend to my will, and over souls in general, even those of people still alive. I can control people, but not like compulsion and...I can't really die. Or I can, but I get sent right back by the Guardian council, it also makes my abilities as a vampire more intense, such as my speed and strength and...tolerance to the sun and vervain. Neither affect me in the same way."

Ever is nodding now and she asks me,

"So...taking souls is almost like drinking blood for you?"

I'm impressed that Ever can even talk about blood this casually so soon after her turn from human to vampire. But I'm also not surprised, I always knew Ever would take to being a vampire better than anyone. Inner strength was created for that woman.

I nod, glad that I don't have to explain everything outright,

"Yes, basically. I can live without blood, or souls for that matter, but I do crave souls like vampires crave blood. It's a part of me that I can't escape and has created somewhat of a split personality within me"

The silence that follows that one is long, and I'm worried about how my brothers will react. Stefan just looks pensive, but he could be feeling a lot things, he's always been good at hiding his emotions. He still has his hand in Ever's, although and I can practically feel her soothing him through their bond. Damon on the other hand seems to be thinking hard about everything.

I must look even more tense than I thought because Jeremy slips his hand into mine and I squeeze it in response. He presses his lips to my shoulder in silent support and I'm more thankful than I could ever express for that.

Damon eventually leans forward and asks,

"Why choose you for that job? Seems a bit random, baby brother"

I cross my arms and smirk at him, I reply seriously,

"Because I'm better than everyone"

Ever bursts out laughing, as does Jeremy and Becksly, and even Stefan has a slight smile on his face.

Damon gives me an incredulous look,

"I mean it Sin"

I nod,

"Fine, it's because I like capes and I look good with a scythe"

Damon huffs in frustration and says,

"Ok, fine, I get it, they chose you because you're an extra special boy, but, what, the fuck, is the Guardian council?"

I groan internally, I really hoped they would all ignore that. I don't want to talk about the Guardian council, those assholes can't wait to get their hands on me for...well, a lot of things. They're just waiting for me to die first. Good luck with that bloody Angel wannabe's.

I sigh,

"The Guardian council are the original Guardians, they choose new Guardians and oversee our...work. There are seven, one that represents each type of Guardian-"

"Wait, wait" Ever says in surprise, "There are other types of Guardians, what are they?"

Ah, damn, it would be Ever who asked that.

I reply readily,

"Well, there are Guardians of the Dead like me, although there aren't a lot of us because we are so...difficult to control, as is death itself. Then there's the Guardians of Nature, the Guardians of War, the Guardians of Power, the Guardians of Knowledge, the Guardians of Fate and the Guardians of Love"

I let them digest that for a moment. Ever seems to be thinking the most intensely about everything, and she looks up at me, a new spark of something in her eyes, she says,

"What does all this have to do with Klausy wausy?"

Becksly frowns incredulously at Ever,

"Did you just call my brother, the psycho killer hybrid, 'Klausy wousy'?"

Ever shrugs,

"Klausy wousy murdered my sister, I can call him whatever I damn well please" she says bluntly.

Becklsy looks like she's about to argue but Stefan stops her with a raised hand,

"Don't bother, there's nothing you can say that'll make her stop calling him that"

Caroline nods in agreement,

"Her insanity will just hit you in the face if you try to be reasonable, trust us"

Ever makes an exasperated sound,

"Hey, bitches, I'm sitting right here. Don't make me get Kevin on your asses"

Becksly frowns and asks,

"Who's Kevin? Don't tell me she has another boyfriend?"

Both Stefan and Damon growl simultaneously in response. One a low threatening sound, and the other a clear warning. I would expect that from Damon, but Stefan's obvious possessiveness is a new one.

Even more interesting.

Ever places a hand on Damon's knee and squeezes it as she strokes her thumb over Stefan's hand, seemingly calming them both. Ok, I seriously need to talk to Ever about this shit, now I understand what Jeremy and Caroline meant when they described my brothers and Ever's relationship as 'mysteriously intense'.

Ever simply rolls her eyes at Becksly and says,

"No. Kevin is my bat. And sidekick"

Caroline groans and smacks her forehead,

"Please never ask about the bat"

"A bat, as in the animal?" Becklsy continues on anyway, despite Caroline's protest.

Damon shakes his head,

"Nope. Don't be crazy" he says mockingly, "It's the wooden baseball kind"

Becksly scowls again and says in disbelief,

"She's a vampire with two vampire boyfriends who, from the looks of things, would die for her, and yet she chooses to threaten me with a piece of wood...and why is it named Kevin?"

Ever rolls her shoulders, preparing for a verbal showdown if need be. I stifle a snicker as she says pointedly,

"He, is named Kevin, because that was the name of his first victim. And He has taken down both Damon and Stefan on more than one occasion, as well as multiple other opponents"

Oh Christ, here we go.

Becksly looks up at me with an expression on her face that can only be described as 'fear of Ever'.

Most people get this expression after meeting Ever.

"Is she insane?" Becksly asks me, jerking her thumb at Ever.

I shrug with a smirk at Ever, who returns my smirk with a devilish wink. I answer Becksly,

"About as much as I am"

That horrified expression returns to her eyes,

"Oh my God, there's two of you!"

Aptly put.

I try to return us to the original point by answering Ever's question,

"It doesn't have much to do with Nick really. I lost myself after I became a vampire, against the council's wishes, and was kidnapped by witches" Bonnie, who has been pretty silent up until this point, sits forward and asks,

"Why?"

I shift stiffly for a moment before answering,

"Because they believed I was an abomination, and that my power was too great. They couldn't kill me, so they decided to train me to be...more obedient"

"How did they try to train you?" Stefan asks me, a penetrating look on his face. Damn it Stefan, stop asking valid questions!

I clear my throat,

"In ways I'd rather not discuss"

Before anyone can ask a follow up question Ever mercifully says,

"But you escaped"

I nod,

"Yes, I did. It was Esther, the original witch and Nick's mother who convinced them to release me, in 'ghost' form I mean. But I wasn't myself after...all the things they had done. I was a monster. And that's when I met Nick"

I don't tell them why Esther wanted to let me go, that she made a deal with the witches that they would release me as long as I killed the original vampires.

I never even told Nick that, I didn't want to hurt him by making him think his mother hated him. He had enough trouble dealing with killing her and Mikael hating him.

I don't tell them about Elena either, because she didn't want me to, and I honour the wishes of the dead over the living, it is my place to do so.

Suddenly there's a knock at the door and I tense up harder than a rock. Shit. Not now, not now, damn it!

I look at Becksly,

"It's Him Beks"

She freezes in place.

Damon gets up to answer the door and I follow after him, Ever is next to me, with Stefan at her side as Damon pulls open the front door to reveal a smiling Mikael. It does not suit that man to smile.

"Hello, does anyone know where I can find Nicklaus?"

We are so screwed.

Ever's P.O.V

"Ok, he bought it" sissy original says after getting off the phone with Klausy wousy.

After Big Daddy, a.k.a. Mikael, came waltzing in offering to kill Klausy wousy, we had to come up with a plan. Fast.

It was a lot to take in, especially after everything Sin had already revealed, me and him are going to need to have a serious talk soon. I've missed him like crazy, and some quality friend time would be great. But unfortunately we have to deal with all of this first. And by all this (cue floppy hand gestures), I mean killing Klausy wousy.

We got sissy original to call her big bro and tell him that Mikael is dead, and that Sin killed him. He took a lot of convincing, but in the end we got there. Hopefully.

"But Klausy wausy is apparently one smart cookie, he'll want to see proof that Mikael is dead" I say, exchanging a look with Sin.

"Then I shall be dead" Mikael comes in and whips out his fancy pantsy dagger and ashy white stuff.

Don't.

"What if he wants to see you in person?" I ask.

"Oh, he will" Sin says almost absently.

I can tell this is all taking a toll on him. He really doesn't want to be involved in Klausy wousy's death. And I know, whether he would admit it or not, that the reason for that is because he's still in love with the psycho.

I wish I could judge him for it, and I really should as the man killed Elena, but I don't. I can't, not after falling in love with Damon, the second biggest psycho on the planet, and Stefan, who despite being kind hearted to the core, has also been a heartless killer more than once in his life.

I may be a lot of things, but a hypocrite is not one of them.

"Death boy is right, he'll want to see Mikael's body in person" Damon says.

Sin narrows his eyes at Damon,

"Oh, Death boy, good one brother, how I have missed your superior wit" he replies sarcastically.

Damon just smirks annoyingly at Sin and I shake my head, returning my attention to Mikael when he says,

"Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here, and I will kill him"

I notice Sin's small flinch at that even if nobody else does.

"With what?" Stefan asks, "Those daggers won't work on him" he gestures at the dagger on the table.

"I'm in possession of a stake, fashioned from the oak of the old white oak tree, the one that left these ashes when it burned" Mikael answers.

"Where is it?" Damon asks, moving forward with interest.

"Not here" Mikael says predictably.

Sin turns to his brother,

"You know, you should really stop asking stupid questions, you're turning into Stefan, and we already have one of him" he gestures at Stefan, who frowns and says,

"Fuck off Sin"

Sin holds his hands up in front of him,

"Woah, now that is Damon's influence right there" he points between Stefan and Damon "You two have been spending way too much time together"

Mikael interrupts by saying,

"A vampire cannot dagger an original without dying, so I assume you have a human we could use"

Damon makes a hand gesture towards Jeremy and says,

"Baby Gilbert, your time has finally come"

Jeremy rolls his eyes at Damon and I slap Damon's shoulder. He gives me a wounded look that I ignore.

Sin growls at his brother and pulls Jeremy towards him protectively. He spins him around to look into my brother's eyes and asks him,

"Do you want to do this?"

"Because you don't have to Jer" I add, sending another scathing glare at Damon when he looks about to argue.

Jeremy looks up at me and says,

"I'll do it, we need Klaus gone"

Ah, yes, but for what reason little brother? To avenge our sister, or to keep him away from Sin?

It would be unfair of me to ask that right now, but I know Sin is thinking the same thing, I can practically feel it from the way he's standing so stiffly.

I hate that all this is screwing with the people I care about, but there's not much I can do but get it over with as swiftly as possible and hope we'll all survive the aftermath.

...

"Ugh, I have nothing to wear to homecoming, and I don't even want to go. Could I wear leather pants and a tank top?" I say half heartedly. There are so many other things happening in my life right now that a school dance really doesn't make the list of 'important things to give a shit about'.

"What would Damon and Stefan want you to wear?" Bonnie asks, and there's something in her tone that I'm not so sure I want to touch, but I answer anyway.

"Well, Stefan would want me to wear whatever I feel comfortable in, and Damon would want me to walk around naked all the time, so they're really no help at all"

Bonnie laughs,

"Really? Damon wouldn't mind you walking around naked in front of other people, or shock horror, in front of other men?"

I make a face at Bonnie and tilt my head to the side, imagining Damon's jealous rampage inside my mind. It would be impressive.

"You're right, but he would at least say something like 'whatever's easiest for you to get out of when we get home'" I reply in my best 'Damon' voice. I'm getting pretty good at it actually.

I make a frustrated sound,

"God, I don't even want to go to this thing!"

Bonnie shakes her head and says,

"Then don't go, stay home with me, we'll get take out and over analyse everything Sin told us with Jenna and Alaric"

I scoff and give her a look,

"Come on, we have to go, Caroline would kill us if we didn't show up"

Bonnie rolls her eyes and mutters,

"Yeah, well, Caroline actually has a date"

I move to sit down next to Bonnie on my bed and I say,

"Yeah, but her date is Ty. I've been to dances with Ty, and trust me, it's nothing to write home about"

Bonnie smiles sadly at me and snorts out a laugh,

"Ever, how is it that you have two dates for this dance, and I have none? What kind of cosmic balance is that?"

I shrug my shoulders and bump our heads together,

"Ah, yeah, but my dates are the Salvatore's, and they are so irritating sometimes...hey, you wanna borrow one of mine? I'll rent one of them to ya, I'd suggest Stefan, he's a better date to have for almost everything. Except bars, Damon's good at bar dates. Most likely because there's always alcohol on hand"

Bonnie groans,

"Do you know how weird that sounds? Do you hear yourself?"

"I hear myself just fine, thank you moody pants. Look, once all this bullcrap is over with Klausy wousy, then I'll set out to find you a man. A really great one. With dark hair and smoky eyes that pierce your soul"

Bonnie nods, humouring me,

"Yeah, sounds good Ever-"

"And tattoo's-"

"I don't think so Ev-"

"And a gang scar-"

"I really don-"

"And a pet rattlesnake named 'Killer' or 'El diablo' or...'Dave'-"

"Oh Ever, no, I don't-wait, Dave?"

I smile manically,

"He'll whisk you off your feet Bon! On his Valkyrie!" I throw my hands up excitedly.

Bonnie frowns,

"The man or the snake?"

I hit her arm,

"Don't be silly Bonnie, this is serious"

"Of course it is" Bonnie says with a wide eyed stare at me, "And what the hell is a Valkyrie?"

I grin at her again,

"It's a type of motorcycle"

"Why do you even know that?" Bonnie asks suspiciously.

"Because I like to know things just in case Bonnie!" I reply in annoyance. She really isn't working with me here.

"In case what? Just in case you need to steal a particular type of motorcycle?" Bonnie says incredulously.

I narrow my eyes at her,

"Why do you say steal, why not borrow?"

"Because it's you" she replies simply, as if that's an adequate response.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demand.

"You steal things!" Bonnie gestures wildly at me.

I place a hand over my heart. I am offended, deeply, deeply, offended! OFFENDED I SAY!

"How very dare you sir, I have done nothing of the like!"

"I am not riding off on a Harley with a man who has a gang tattoo and a snake named El diablo" Bonnie says firmly, crossing her arms.

I glare at her,

"Three things, first of all, a Harley and a Valkyrie are two different types of motorcycle, that's important, so remember it for when he introduces you to his fellow bikers. Secondly, I said a gang 'scar', that means he could have been innocent, and thirdly, the snake's name doesn't have to be El diablo, it could be Dave! I gave you options! I feel like you never listen!"

Bonnie's shoulders are shaking with laughter,

"I don't like the name Dave!" Bonnie practically yells.

"Yeah, well, Clyde doesn't like you either!" I shout back.

"Who's Clyde?"

"THE MAN OF YOUR DREAMS, THAT'S WHO CLYDE IS!"

"Are you making a Bonnie and Clyde joke right now?"

"YES I AM!"

"I don't like it!"

"Too bad, deal with it!"

"What are we even talking about anymore?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

We both fall apart on my bed laughing like crazy people. See, this is how life should be, insane and fun, not plotting the death of a psycho hybrid before homecoming.

...

"I don't think I trust this plan, there are too many things that could go wrong" I say, shaking my head at Damon and Stefan as we load wolfsbaine bombs.

Damon nods in agreement and Stefan smiles at me, sending a wave of pure sunlight down our bond. I lean into him, thankful for his presence, and Damon's right now.

"That's why we have our secret contingency plan" Damon whispers.

I nod,

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but still, I think-"

"What are you three mumbling about over here?" Sinbad comes around the corner and leans against the wall, staring at us with raised eyebrows.

Damon doesn't look up at his brother, but Stefan watches him warily, as if he might suddenly reveal that he's secretly the devil in disguise. After everything he's already told us, there isn't much that could shock me anymore.

I shrug at Sin and smile dangerously,

"Our sex life, wanna to hear about it?"

Sin places his hands over his ears and says,

"Please, have mercy on me, I'm just a child!" I laugh and so does he, before saying, "Now, I'm willing to put aside that your wackadoodle relationship is-"

"Our relationship is not wackadoodle" I argue with a mock glare at him.

Sin just winks at me and continues,

"Anyway, I really need to talk to you. I thought maybe we could spend some time together, you know after everything with...with...with Nick" Sin looks down and tries not to look distressed, even though it's obvious he can't stand the thought of us killing Klausy wousy.

Damn, I wish I could not hate Klausy wousy for Sin's sake. But then, Sin will be better off without Klausy wousy too, he can finally move on, hopefully with Jeremy, as I think my brother is now officially soul-deep in love with the youngest Salvatore.

I can't help but imagine what Elena would think of all this. She would not approve. God, I miss that judgemental good-looking bitch.

Damon looks up then and I hear what he's about to say inside my head, but I'm not fast enough to stop him.

"Don't worry baby brother, getting rid of your momma killing dagger happy psycho ex boyfriend will be best for you and everyone else. So don't screw it up"

I can't quite conceal my gasp of anger at his carelessness and Stefan immediately reacts by hitting Damon upside the head,

"Damon! Do you ever think before you say shit?" Stefan asks needlessly, shaking his head in a pissed off fashion.

I move towards Sin and touch his arm gently. Sin's jaw is gritted painfully tight and I can literally feel the need for violence beating like a drum inside of him. Damon, miracles of miracles, seems to realise his mistake and he sighs heavily, giving us all a wounded look, but not backing down in the slightest. He is still Damon Salvatore after all, the most stubborn asshole on the planet.

He is so lucky Stefan and I love him despite all dick-like tendencies.

Sin softens a bit at my touch and breathes out loudly, obviously trying to get a rein on his emotions. He gives Damon a single glare, and then looks down at me with a much more friendly expression on his face.

He leans down to whisper in my ear,

"I've missed you love...but we really do need to talk"

I lean in close to reply,

"I missed you too babe. And yeah, we'll talk soon. I know how hard all this is for you"

Sin nods slightly, but before he can say anything else I feel threads of discomfort and what could pass for jealousy coming from Damon and Stefan. Even if I could ignore that, it's pretty hard to ignore Stefan clearing his throat and saying,

"You two know we can see you, right?"

I move back from Sin with a smile I can't control. My men are possessive like crazy sometimes. It's a good thing I don't mind so much otherwise we'd all fight a lot more.

Sin is smirking now, and I elbow him in clear warning. Messing with his brothers would not end well when they're in this mood. He takes the hint and respects it. Sin knows his brothers all too well.

Sinbad, his posture now relaxed and self-confident as usual, changes topic dramatically,

"I need to borrow a tie"

"You have your own ties" Damon says as he loads another wolfsbane grenade.

Sin shifts his shoulders nonplussed,

"I am a one hundred and sixty one year old vampire, and I'm going to a high school homecoming dance...I don't have a tie for that"

"You hate ties anyway" I comment, remembering how much he despised wearing them when we went to town events together.

Sin considers this with a tilt of his head,

"What, the dog collars of humanity? Yes, I do hate them. But I don't like bows either...and I've never owned a cravat"

"Then go naked" I suggest.

"Ooh no, you chose them love, you can't be changing your mind now" Sin says gesturing dismissively at his brothers.

I jab him in the stomach for that obvious dig when Damon sends Sin a death glare and Stefan crosses his arms making him seem even taller and broader than he already is, a scowl on his face.

"I meant, don't wear anything around your neck, pull a Clooney, have an open shirt, expose the chest tattoo a bit" I say.

Stefan rolls his eyes and suggests,

"Or you could stay here if that would make you feel more...comfortable with everything"

Sin points at Stefan,

"That's just a fancier way of saying what he said" Sin jerks his thumb at Damon, "Telling me not to fuck it all up"

"Language baby brother!" Damon mocks, "I believe I said 'don't screw it up', get it right death boy"

Sin breaks into fake laughter,

"That's it, if you had a soul, I'd be taking it right now"

"Shut it little brother" Damon intones harshly.

Sin winks at Damon, probably because he knows it pisses Damon off more than anything when he acts unbothered by his taunts.

"No, no, come on big brother, bring dis shit oonnnn" he says in a southern accent.

"Fuck off Sin, or I'll hand deliver you to your ex" Damon snaps irritably when Sin starts humming 'Eye of the tiger' by Queen with a serene smile on his face that would drive even saints to violence.

"Alright, both of you put the testosterone sticks away" I try to interruptbefore an actual physical fight breaks out between them.

Stefan steps closer to his older brother and curls a hand around Damon's neck, leaning in to talk quietly to him. Damon's body seems to relax almost instantly at whatever Stefan is saying, or maybe it's just his touch. I feel a zing of warmth crackle through our three way bond at any rate.

I'm so glad they can find comfort in each other now. I look over at Sin and have to stifle a laugh, he's staring at his brothers like he's never seen them before. He catches my eye and whispers in mock horror,

"What have you done to them? Voodoo? Brainwashing through sex? What?" then he narrows his eyes at me and looks me up and down, "You're an evil mastermind"

I wink at him,

"You better believe it babe, so don't be messing with me. I have...the power, mwah ha ha!" I wiggle my fingers evilly.

Stefan and Damon both seem to reach for me at the same time, and I'm happy to let them pull me close, Damon at my front and Stefan at my back, as close as they can get with our clothes still firmly on.

Sin slaps a hand over his eyes and turns swiftly, practically dancing out of the room whistling Young MC's 'Bust a move'.

My life is insane. I'm an eighteen year old newbie vampire, with two badass, possessive vampire brother boyfriends. One passionate and wild, my match in every way, and the other kind to the core and my soul mate in life and in death, both of them addictive to me in different ways. Then there's my kindred spirit soul brother who's even more insane than me, and who craves chaos and definitely attracts it. Another two best friends, one a highly strung prom queen vampire, and the other a witch with an attitude. A strong willed bi little brother who's fallen for the craziest and most amazing son of a bitch on the planet, and has a killer right hook. Lastly I have a plan to destroy my sister's killer, who just so happens to be a hybrid with daddy issues.

Yeah, insane, and you know...I can't imagine living my life any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, everyone, first let me say that I'm so sorry for taking so long to post. I've actually been in hospital, because basically some twatface decided it was time for me to die and he tried to murder me via car accident. I hope he gets eaten by pandas. But, I'm fine now and I'm back!
> 
> Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter, it means so much to me to know what you all think xxx


	71. The New Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Choices, choices, choices.....xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-first chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I seriously need some new ones for this my peoples!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Sinbad's P.O.V

Nick. You. Bastard.

The plan was going so well, and even though I hated the thought of Nick dying, I was relieved that it might all finally be over.

But nope. Nick just had to throw in another curve ball.

He stole Jeremy.

He threatened to kill him. AGAIN!

Now Nick is still alive, Mikael is dead because Nick went all psycho and killed him, Damon and Stefan are pissed, Ever and Jeremy hate Nick even more (if that's possible), and I've now got a secret hide out full of fucking coffins.

And you know what the worse part is...I'm fucking glad.

I'm glad Nick isn't dead.

Because I, Sinbad Salvatore, am a complete fucking moron!

I never thought I'd say it but...I am not officially on the same level of stupid as my brothers.

Wow that hurts so much to even contemplate.

I am the smart one damn it!

But yeah, I stole the coffins with the other members of the Original family inside.

Not exactly my best moment I'll admit.

I was pissed off, ok.

Hey, he stole something of mine, so I stole something of his.

Well now I just sound like a child. Or worse...DAMON!

I SOUND LIKE DAMON!

I AM DAMON!

This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. And a lot of shit has happened to me.

I pull Jeremy closer to me and he tightens his grip on my t-shirt. He sighs heavily and whispers against my neck,

"What are we gonna do Sin?"

"I don't know. But you'll be alright. I'll protect you Jeremy, he won't ever hurt you again, I promise" I whisper, trailing a few hot kisses along his jaw. Jeremy moans in response, his whole body seemingly aching to get closer to mine.

I've missed this. Just me and Jeremy wrapped up together. We need to take a trip of some sort, get away so we can just have time to enjoy each other again. I smile to myself at the thought.

But Jeremy's hands turn into fists and I immediately feel the tension coming off of him in powerful waves. My Guardian senses have kicked into overdrive ever since I allowed myself to no longer deny what I truly am.

I've had a few more conversations with Elena, and I think we might actually be getting somewhere. I never realised just how truly alike Elena and Ever are. On the surface they seem so different, but on the inside they're twins in more than just appearance.

"Baby-" I start, but Jeremy growls in frustration,

"I hate him, Sin. I hate him so much"

I rub my nose against his cheek lovingly and he curls into me, seeking the comfort I've been trying so hard to provide lately.

"I know baby, I know" I whisper helplessly.

God, Jer would hate me if he knew how happy I was to be given an excuse to save Nick's life at the last minute. I can never tell him or even let him suspect how much I still feel for that psycho even after everything he's done.

I don't think anyone could understand it...apart from maybe Ever. But I still desperately need to talk to her about a few things that are far more important than my own fucked up 'feelings'.

When Jeremy and I come into the living room a while later, it's in time to see Ever snatching a drink out of her boyfriend's hand..do I really need to say which one.

"Give it back Ev's" Damon snaps.

Ever shakes her head at him, her expression saying clearly that she won't be persuaded.

"No, Day, we've done enough wallowing. No more drinking for you. Alcohol or blood, you've had enough as it is, I can feel that you have" Ever presses a hand over her heart, "Now you're just being mopey"

"Listen to your girlfriend Damon" Alaric says in agreement right before pouring himself another drink. He nods at Damon, which Jenna see's. She snatches his drink away too and Alaric sits down dejectedly.

I have to stifle a snicker, Stefan doesn't even bother to hide his.

Damon glares at Stefan, which just makes Stefan grin wider, and makes a frustrated sound,

"Oh, come on, it's the eve of Klausageddon, just let me drink"

I find myself wondering at what point Damon started thinking in terms of anyone 'letting' him do anything.

Damon's always taken what he wanted, screw the consequences. But for a while now he seems to have begun thinking of himself as part of a couple, or a threesome I suppose, a real relationship where the opinion of Ever and Stefan matter to him on not just a basic level, but an important one.

It's weird. But not necessarily in a bad way. I mean, Damon's still an impulsive crazy person, don't get me wrong, but...maybe...just maybe he cares more about his relationship with Ever and Stefan than his own pride and selfish wants.

I have to admit, it's sort of fascinating to me. I've spent my whole life looking out for Stefan and Damon, refereeing their fights and standing by them through the worst times in their lives, and now I'm realising that they might finally have gotten to a place where they can be there for each other and Ever, without my help.

Which is a fucking relief, I've got my own damn problems these days.

Fair enough they're problems of my own making, but that is not the point.

I smack my brother over the head and he snaps his teeth at me all fangy style. I smirk at him and say,

"Stop being so dramatic, everything will be fine"

Ever falls down next to Damon on the sofa and he immediately pulls her into his lip, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and burying his face into her hair and neck. He takes a deep breathe, breathing Ever's scent in, his body seems to relax almost completely in response. Ever closes her eyes and leans into Damon whilst at the same time reaching out to a pacing Stefan.

Stefan complies with her unspoken request and sits down next to them. Ever reaches over to Stefan and their fingers lock together. Damon moves them closer to our brother so that Ever can lay her legs over Stefan's. Damon even allows Stefan to rest his head on his shoulder, creating an incredibly intimiate image.

The three of them seem oblivious of the other people in the room. What must it be like to have a bond so strong and intense that it makes everything else fade away into nothing? Difficult. Frightening. Overwhelming. Fantastic. And ultimately worth anything to keep.

Rebekah glares up at me and says,

"Everything will not be fine, Sin. Things are not fine. My brother is going to destroy us all for trying to kill him"

See, I haven't told Becksly about the coffins yet...she's just so hyped up at the moment. I need to decide what to do, and how I can use this advantage to protect the people I love.

There is a part of me that aches to free Eli and Kol, I miss them despite myself. But a larger part of me knows this could be our only chance to have some leverage over Nick, and I'm not far gone enough to let my conscious fuck everything up.

One of the main perks of being a bad person is not having a metaphorical Jiminy cricket chattering on about what the moral or 'right' thing to do is. I can do whatever the hell I want, my humanity and guilt can just fuck off for now.

"Apart from Sin" Caroline points out, "He did technically save Nick"

Jeremy snorts in exasperation,

"Only because Klaus threatened to have me killed if anything happened to him"

Becklsy huffs,

"Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that"

I tense for what I know could turn into an all out fight between Becksly and Jeremy. They've locked horns since they met, and no matter what I say or do their contempt of each other had only gotten worse.

Jeremy does not disappoint,

"Shut up. Your brother is a psycho, Sin wouldn't have saved him if I hadn't been in danger"

Would I? And that, folks, is the million dollar question I've been actively trying not to think about.

I can feel Ever's eyes on me now, and I'm so afraid that she, more than anyone, will know exactly what I'm hiding. Damn perceptive woman knows me too well.

Becklsy growls at Jeremy,

"Open your eyes, you idiot, Sin was in love with my brother for a long time, there's no way he could ever love you as much as he did Nick"

I slap a hand to my forehead, this is not helping anyone.

Jeremy bristles and jerks away from me when I try to calm him down by touching his shoulder. He narrows his eyes at Becksly,

"You don't know anything about Sin and me"

Becksly shakes her head,

"No. But I know Sin, and I know my brother. Their kind of love doesn't just go away"

Jeremy just clenches his jaw and storms out of the room looking murderous.

"Becksly" I say tiredly, "Please, can we not do this again"

Caroline steps up to my defence and says bracingly,

"Back off Rebekah, Sin can make his own mind up about who he really wants"

Ohhh, that's not good.

Becksly chuckles,

"Are you saying there's a choice he needs to make then?"

Caroline glares openly at Rebekah,

"That's not what I meant"

Becksly rolls her eyes,

"Ha, even you, peppy girl wonder, thinks Sin still loves my brother"

Caroline makes an outraged sound,

"I didn't say that you bitch!"

I make eye contact with Ever and she smiles in amusement at the whole situation. My brothers seem content to not give a fuck about what's going on around them, which is good, because I really don't need their, very likely loud and angry, opinions right now.

I smile back at her and she winks and mouths 'livin' the dream babe', making my smile more genuine and my heart twist with fond memories.

I remember when we were dating and we were talking about our dreams, for the future I mean, and what we wanted out of life. We were on the hood of my car, drinking beer and just...talking as we looked up at the stars.

(Mini flashback)

"What would 'living the dream' be for you?" Ever had asked me.

I'd turned to her and answered honestly,

"Living the dream is a metaphor for living happily in the moment; if you're not 'living the dream', then you're already dead"

She smiled knowingly at me, wise beyond her years in so many ways, and she answered,

"I want to continue being crazy; living my life the way I dream it, and not the way other people want it to be"

I'd raised my beer and held it out to her,

"To being crazy and doing things our way then"

Ever had reached over, kissed me in a way that had made my world spin on it's axis, pulled back, clinked her beer with mine and said,

"To 'livin' the dream' even when life makes it seem more like a nightmare"

"Amen"

(End of flashback)

Ever's P.O.V

"I'm worried about Jeremy" I say.

Damon rolls his eyes,

"Jerbear will be fine"

I shake my head,

"He's being moody and hiding himself away from everyone. The only person he'll talk to is Sin, and Sin says he's not handling all this very well"

Stefan places a hand on my shoulder as he moves around the kitchen, helping me make dinner. I feel a wave of light descend on me through our bond and without meaning to I lean into the heat of his body.

Damon jumps up to sit on the counter and eyes me speculatively,

"So, typical teenager behaviour. He'll get over it Ever"

I run a frustrated hand through my hair and Stefan pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly around my waist. I meet Damon's eyes as I say,

"He's lost so many people Day, everyone he loves..."

Damon's eyes soften and he jumps down off the counter to come and stand in front of me. He cups my face gently, his blue eyes blazing with the passionate love I know he feels for me. Our connection crackles like lightening and suddenly my body temperature goes up another few notches. With Stefan at my back, his hand slowly caressing my hip, I shiver.

"He still has you Ev's...and we have you" Damon's eyes flicker up to Stefan for a moment before he adds, "Stefan and I love you more than anything on this earth Ever, we'd do anything for you. Just say the word and it's yours"

Stefan makes a sound of agreement and I feel the warmth of his breathe against my ear, causing me to shiver once more.

I reach out to stroke my thumb over Damon's jaw, the black coal stubble making me smile. I know he keeps it that way because I like it. My rough Damon Salvatore. There's only one man I love as much as him and that man is standing at my back, holding me like he never wants to let go.

"I love you both so much. All I want is for all of us to sit down together and have a nice family dinner. You two, me, Jeremy, Sinbad, Jenna and Alaric. You're my family now, and I think it's time we started acting like we can have a real future post Klausy wousy"

Stefan's smooth voice vibrates through his body and then into my ear as an intimate whisper,

"We have a future Everlyna, I can feel it"

"I've never wanted anything more in my entire life" Damon admits, and it means a lot that he said it out loud and not just telepathically.

I laugh, happiness filling me up like a fountain, our mutual bonds practically singing with pure rightness. This was how it was always meant to be.

Me, Stefan and Damon. It shouldn't work. But it does. It really, truly, does.

I know that in life you aren't meant to have it all, that in reality I should have to choose. But, screw reality, this is Mystical Falls and I'm Ever freakin' Gilbert, I don't play by anyone's rules but my own. Besides, nothing that feels this amazing could ever be wrong.

"Good" I whisper, making sure we are all both physically and mentally connected, "Because I'm never letting either of you go"

Damon and Stefan exchange another heated and intense glance, then Damon says,

"I think we can live with that"

...

"Seriously, you want us to have dinner, now? After everything that's happened with Klaus?" Jeremy scoffs in disbelief.

Stefan makes a low growling sound in his throat that I'm pretty sure he's not even aware of. Damon smirks at his brother, and then glares at Jeremy,

"Shut it toy boy wonder, and behave for your sister"

Jenna and Alaric are already seated, and Jenna looks up with a small smile at me,

"Thank for cooking Ever, honey, I've just been...distracted lately"

I bring over the plates of food and set them down in front of people. Alaric and I exchange an amused glance and I squeeze Jenna's shoulder,

"No offense Aunt Jen, but maybe it's best you stay distracted"

Jenna mocks frowns at me, Alaric tries to hide a grin behind a piece of garlic bread.

"Are you saying my cooking is bad dear niece of mine?" she asks.

Damon and Stefan bring over a few more plates and sit down, leaving a place for me to sit in between them. I stifle a laugh behind a cough and shake my head,

"No, I would never say such a thing. I love your...toast"

Jenna arches an eyebrow at me,

"You like my...toast? That's not a meal Ever"

I disagree,

"Yes it is, it's breakfast. Toast is breakfast"

Alaric chimes in with,

"And as we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day" he leans over and kisses Jenna's shoulder, she rolls her eyes at him affectionately and turns back to me.

"I cook other things Ever" she says.

I hold my hands up in front of me,

"I know, I know, you make a wonderful...pizza"

"We get pizza's delivered Ever, I just call the place, I don't actually make the pizza" Jenna argues, her eyes narrowed.

I nod enthusiastically,

"Exactly, you're dialling skills are second to none"

"Shut up Ever, you brat" Jenna snarks grumpily, shoving my hip slightly.

I see that Jeremy is still sulking in the corner of the kitchen, my heart aches at the thought of losing him to his own grief again. I've already lost my parents and my sister, I can't stand the thought of living in a world without Jeremy. We've always been so close, and I'd hate for us to drift apart like we are.

I go over to him, and I can feel Stefan and Damon's eyes on my back. I know they're worried about me getting hurt, both mentally and physically. I wouldn't put it past them to become pissed off with Jeremy if he caused me any kind of pain. They've both become so over rotective since I became a vampire, it's more than it ever was before.

I'm not sure if it's just our bond, or if the intense relationship we share now has made them even more aware of me and my emotions.

Probably both.

I don't mind that much, although I'd have to lay down a firm rule against beating up my brother if it ever came to be honest I'm just so glad that Damon and Stefan are so comfortable around each other now.

It makes me beyond happy to watch them spend time together and actually enjoy each others company. It's so different to how it used to be. I can't help but wonder if this is similar to what they were like as humans, before bitchzilla screwed everything up with her horn-swizler ways.

I'll have to ask Sin. Yet another thing to talk to Sin about. We have so much to discuss by now that I think we might need to bullet point it. I've missed the crazy fucker, he's my soul brother, if such a thing exists. I love him, and I want desperately to help him with this whole 'still having a thing for Mr. I'm a psycho and I know it'.

I place a hand on Jeremy's arm, he frowns down at me, but doesn't say anything. Right, fine then, I'll be the sociable one.

"Jer, I know you're upset about what happened with Klausy wousy. I am too, believe me, but it's not your fault, or mine or Sin's. We will sort this, but I don't want to obsess over it"

Jeremy tenses under my hold, but I don't let go. Me and Jeremy have always had a certain level of understanding, even when he went all emo shithead last year. I won't abandon him when I know he needs me.

Finally he sighs and the tension in his body subsides. His eyes meet mine as he says,

"I just feel so useless Ever. I want to kill Klaus for Elena and..."

"And..." I prompt when it seems like Jeremy won't go on. I already know what he's going to say, but I think it would help Jeremy if he said it out loud.

Jeremy squeezes his eyes shut, as if in pain. I know the inner turmoil tearing him up has been going on for a while. I felt the same way when I realised the full extent of my feelings for Stefan and broke up with Damon. To this day I still think that was the right choice, because even though it hurt like fuck, it led to where we are now.

And I wouldn't give up what we have now for anything, in fact I'd go through that pain a hundred times over. It was more than worth it.

Jeremy lowers his voice to a frustrated whisper and he shuffles nervously,

"I'm scared of losing him Ever. I love Sin...he's...I mean...Sin's the only person who's ever really understood me, and I'm afraid I'm not enough for him. I'm just some stupid high school kid and you heard what Rebekah said...Sin was really in love with Klaus...I think he still is"

I don't know what the right thing to say is, so I go for the truth,

"Listen, Sin loves you Jer, he really does. You're special to him-"

"But not special enough" Jeremy finishes for me, his tone now bitter more than frustrated.

I shake my head in denial, but the truth is, I don't know what Sin really wants. I know he loves Jeremy, and I know there's still part of him that loves Klausy wousy. Obviously I want him to choose Jeremy, but it's not my life, or my choice.

Sinbad's P.O.V

"I agreed to meet with you Nick, you could at least not sneak around in the woods like a creepy stalker" I shout, nervous and trying like hell not to show it.

I hate that the thought of seeing Nick makes me nervous, but there's not much I can do about it. My Guardian abilities are telling me loud and clear that Nick is here though, I can practically smell the bastard.

His mere presence makes me whole body shiver with anticipation.

Nick called me, wanting to meet and discuss my 'behaviour', by that he might mean me stealing his family. But this is Nick, so it could really be about anything I've done.

I'm meant to be at Ever's house having dinner, and I'd much rather be there to be honest, but Nick was rather...insistent, and at least I know where everyone is for once, so there will be no surprises like last time.

Nick comes strolling towards me with that confident british looking swagger of his. I want to hit him. With a chair. A big chair. Made of stakes.

And at the same time I want him to touch me, and hold me and, well, fuck me. I want him to hold me down and make me realise I could never want anyone as much as I want him.

There is something seriously wrong with me, but I think we've gathered that by now. And if you don't think so then you obviously haven't been paying attention, which means you must LEAVE!

Nick sends me one of his most dashing smiles and I do my best to ignore it even though my stomach is flipping over and over like I'm a teenage fucking girl. Or just a really camp teenage boy.

He seems annoyed by my lack of reaction and I call, as Ever would say, a silent win.

My psycho ex lover moves even closer to me, his eyes piercing mine with an intensity that sets my world spinning. His voice is seductive and smooth when he says,

"My Angel, you don't mean that" referring to my previous statement.

I nod, gesturing to him,

"You're right, I apologise...you ARE a creepy stalker. You have earned your cape and spy goggles"

Nick's eyes harden and my back straightens in response, I know how quickly Nick can lose it if you provoke him hard enough. Nick reaches out a strong hand and threads his fingers through my hair, tugging me closer. I've let my jet black hair grow a little linger than I usually do, and the ends are starting to curl upwards.

His lips ghost over my jaw and my knees go weak. I am an idiot. But I can't help how my body reacts to him. We were lovers for a long time, and he knows exactly what I like, what drives me wild, and he's not above using that knowledge, his actions so far speak that truth very clearly.

"You still have your fire, my little spark plug. I have missed your passion, it is...delicious" his canine grazes my neck and I very nearly cum in my jeans.

I try to move away then, to put some distance between us, but Nick's grip in my hair is iron strong. I could tear myself away, only if I'm prepared to loose part of my skull though.

"Nick" I whisper harshly, my voice coming out strained even to my ears, "I will not allow you to terrorise the people I care about"

"You mean your Ever and that Gilbert boy" Nick says, his own voice becoming a growl on the word 'boy'.

I take a deep breathe and press on,

"Ever is very, very important to me, yes. And I love Jeremy, Nick. He's my boyfriend"

Nick growls again, this time with real feeling behind it, more than just jealousy, maybe even a little hurt. His eyes meet mine and I blink in surprise at the emotion in them. They seem to scorch my skin, and I have to suppress the latent urge to kiss him and make it all better. To just give in. A large part of me wants to, and that's the part of me I wish I could carve out of myself.

"You're mine, Angel, you gave yourself to me many years ago" Nick presses me back up against a tree, hard, pushing his body as close to mine as possible with our clothes still on.

God, please let our clothes stay on.

My will power only stretches so far universe!

"You don't need me, Nick" I whisper, wetting my lips, they keep getting dry from the heat between us. I hate it. But I want it. Damn!

Nick presses his forehead against mine, are groins brush and a groan escapes my lips. I can feel him hard as steel against my own growing erection. It's so damn hard to ignore this. What we have between us has always been explosive. It's nothing like what I feel for Jeremy. But that does not mean I love my Jer any less.

It's just...different.

Nick flicks his tongue over my bottom lip, his warm breathe on my face. I'm pinned to the tree by him, there's no where to run anymore.

"You and I both know that, that isn't true...I do...need you"

"Wow, that must have hurt to admit" a breathy laugh bursts out of my mouth before I can stop it.

Nick chuckles softly, his hand running him the side of my body in a silently pleasurable caress,

"I've realised, since you last left me, that I care more for your presence at my side than I do for my own pride"

Woah, out of all the things I expected him to say...that didn't even break the top one million.

My heart pounds against my ribcage, and I feel my breathing become even more irregular. There was a time when I would have given anything to hear those words from Nick.

But that was a long time ago, and I am no longer the person I once was.

"I'm not that person anymore Nick. I've changed so much" I say.

Nick leans back slightly to meet my gaze, his own piercing into me as he replies steadily,

"Then give me the chance to know you, Sinbad, baby, let me show you how much I've changed as well. Allow me the chance to prove how important you are to me"

"I can't" I moan, and I realise to late what I've just said.

Nick's smirk is otherworldly,

"That isn't a no"

I scowl at him and growl fiercely,

"Well it definitely isn't a yes!"

"Then I'll just see what I can do to change that" Nick replies arrogantly.

I really want to hit him this time.

Before I can say another word though, Nick is gone, and I'm left standing in the woods with a raging hard on for a man who I know I should fucking hate.

Universe, you've done it again. Cue patronising thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so, please let me know what you all think about the whole Jeremy-Sin-Klaus love triangle scenario I've got going, love it? Hate it? Have a preference for who you'd like Sin to choose? Any comments are welcome. xxx
> 
> Thanks for reading! xxx


	72. Our town-part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-second chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I seriously need some new ones for this my peoples!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Ever's P.O.V

"You know I think you should start drinking vervain now that Nick is sticking around" Sin says to me. To anyone else it would sound flippant, like an off hand comment.

But I know Sin better than that.

Even so, I nod in agreement,

"You're right, I should, the last thing I want is the all mighty Klausy wousy having a vampy bitch fit and compelling me to dance like a chicken something"

Sin laughs, his voice low and smooth like always, although there is an undeniable tension in the way he's holding himself that concerns me. Sin told me all about that happened between him and Klaus in the woods. Only me. He hasn't even mentioned it to Jeremy because he know my brother will lose his shit, and that's not something any of us need right now.

We've managed to get some time alone together this morning. Soon I'll have to leave because Bonnie and me are surprising Caroline at her locker, it's her eighteenth birthday today. Even with the threat of Klausy wousy looming, I still want to celebrate my friend's birthday. I know Sin is looking forward to giving Caroline her birthday gift, the two of them have truly struck up a unique friendship, and I'm glad about that.

Sin keeps saying he's working on the gift he still owes me for my birthday, I've told him he doesn't have to, but Sin just ignores me and sing songs 'shut your pretty face'.

Damon is in the shower and Stefan is busy writing in his journal, its not that I don't trust them when it comes to their brother; I just want to talk to Sin by myself, because I believe he'll reveal more to me that way.

"I think you're confusing Nick with a two bit hypnotist, Ever. Nick is more likely to make you kill Jeremy than dance" Sin says, his face tightening obviously at the thought of Jeremy being in any kind of danger.

"Like a chicken" I remind Sin, trying to get his mind off of all the shitty stuff we have to deal with these days.

"You don't have to distract me Ever, love, I can handle Nick just fine" Sin smiles tightly at me, but there is genuine strength in his eyes.

I roll my eyes in exasperation,

"All this because of one selfish asshole who doesn't know how to take no for an answer"

Sin smirks at me then and replies,

"That's no way to talk about Damon, he's a reformed man...ish"

I snicker at that, thinking back to the time when Damon was our biggest problem. Everything was so much simpler back then.

Now all our lives are the exact opposite of simple, and it doesn't look like that's about to change.

I shake my head and ignore Sin's comment, taking the drink of vervain he's holding out to me instead. I haven't touched or drank any vervain since becoming a vampire, and I'm not much looking forward to the experience of how much it'll burn, but needs must.

I narrow my eyes at Sin, he's watching me with such intensity that, if he were someone else, I might accuse him of trying to poison me. He's staring intently into my face, waiting for my inevitable reaction to drinking the vervain; I think.

Maybe he's just worried about me...but something about that doesn't ring true. I've always been a pretty good judge of character, and since becoming a vampire that ability has developed into me being able to read people almost perfectly, their emotions more specifically.

I can tell Sin is anxious, almost wanting to pace or wring his hands. I want to ask him what the problem is, what he thinks will happen when I drink the vervain, but I don't, because I'm sure he won't tell me, or worse, he'll be forced to lie out of fear of my reaction to the truth.

So, I oblige him instead, and gulp down all the vervain from the small glass.

I wait for the burn. I wait for the awful pain. I wait, and I wait, and I wait.

I can't deny that it feels...strange, I can taste the vervain, and it does taste awful, like swallowing mouth wash or liquid metal. But it doesn't...it doesn't hurt. Not the way I imagined it would.

Something seems to collapse in on itself inside Sin's beautifully vivid pale blue eyes, and he now seems resigned to a terrible fate. It's like a truth has finally slotted into place for him, and he doesn't like what the truth is. I don't understand it at all. Sin closes his eyes and lets out a pained breathe.

Why is he so upset? Just because I didn't choke the death on the vervain.

I try to make a joke of it by saying,

"Damon and Stefan are such wimps! All this time I thought vervain caused them horrible pain!"

Sin doesn't laugh, or smile or...anything.

Now I'm really worried, usually he loves making fun of Damon and Stefan with me, or even without me, he just enjoys mocking them in general really, as little brothers usually do. In some ways, all three of the Salvatore's are so normal; Damon is the wild and rebellious oldest brother, Stefan is the calm and honest middle brother, and Sinbad is the wicked and naughty youngest brother.

It's almost comical if you really think about it.

I put the glass down in the table and move closer to Sin, I place a hand on his arm and I see him fight a flinch, which makes me even more concerned. Not much truly bothers Sin, it's something I've always loved about him. But now he's on edge, and it seems to be because of me.

The only problem is I have no idea what I've done to cause this issue so I can't possibly fix it.

Finally I force Sin to meet my eyes, and he does so reluctantly. What I see in his eyes almost makes me flinch. I press on however and say firmly,

"Sin, what the hell is wrong? Why are you behaving this way?" and the last questions slips out with me meaning it to, "What are you not telling me?"

Sinbad's jaw clenches, and he stays silent for a few long moments before replying flatly,

"It doesn't hurt you Ever"

I frown at that, not ultimately sure what he means,

"Explain please Sin, I'm still lost here"

Sin suddenly breaks away from me in a fit of emotion, he's angry, enraged even, and I still don't understand why. Sinbad punches the wall hard enough that it creates a massive whole and cracks, completely ruining that one wall.

I don't say anything, because I think he needs to collect himself before he can speak. After a few more tense moments, Sin whips round to face me, his pale eyes, having gone darker, are blazing like blue fire. Sin snaps,

"It didn't hurt you! The vervain, it didn't burn, did it?" he asks, a bit of hope slipping into his tone.

I destroy that hope with my simple answer of,

"No, the vervain didn't burn, it just tasted nasty"

Sin runs his hands through his hair madly like he wants to rip it all out and scream. He stops himself, pausing to stare at me with those scarily intense eyes. They pierce into my soul, and for a moment I truly fear what a wild creature Sin could be if he allowed himself to give into his desire to steal souls and let the monster inside him take over.

I have to fight off the shiver that threatens to wrack my body at just the thought of how much chaos he could cause. I trust Sin, I always have, I can't let my fear rule me now, I've survived too much to let that happen.

"You realise what that means, Ever, I know you're smart enough to figure it out" Sin says, his voice heated and strained.

I do then, I do understand what he's trying to say, and it hits me like a physical blow, I shake my head fiercely,

"No. No way Sin. That's not possible, I would know, I would-"

Sin interrupts me,

"No Ever, you wouldn't. I didn't know what I was until the council viewed me as worthy enough to be told. I had to suffer through a lot of confusion before that happened"

I bite my lip, hard enough to break the skin,

"But Sin, that's...I mean...I don't see the dead like you do, I don't summon up power the way you do, I can't control fire like you can or-"

Sin is shaking his head,

"I know Ever, but just because you aren't exactly like me, doesn't mean you aren't...you know, like me. You're stronger than any normal vampire, and faster, I've seen you, so don't deny it, I know how much stronger and faster you are. You try to hide it, but I've been watching for it. That goes for the heightened senses too. And there's the way people are drawn to you, everyone, even me. It's the type of power you wield, and it's strong, I can tell. I can feel it. Of course then we have to consider you're connections to both Damon and Stefan, that can't be a coincidence"

"Sin! For fucks sake, what are you saying?" I burst out harshly, my body feeling like it might explode with emotion.

"You know Ever, you know what I'm saying" Sin whispers, his eyes are sad now, solemn and sober.

I run a hand through my hair, thinking furiously over everything and coming up with only one logical conclusion, only thing makes sense, only one thing feels right.

"You really think...you really think I'm a...a-"

Sin's voice makes the words sound like a deep prophecy of the future when he says,

"A Guardian"

I feel like I'm shaking, and I don't know how to react. How do to react to that?

Even as I want to deny it I feel the truth of it shining through every part of me.

I'm a Guardian...but not a Guardian of the Dead like Sin, that much is obvious.

Sin moves closer to me, touching my shoulder gently, his face set in compassion and for a moment I relax into him. Through all this I tried to keep my emotions locked away so Stefan and Damon wouldn't sense anything and come knocking, but it feels good to have Sin's support, and I'm glad he waited until we were alone to discuss this.

The revelation is too much to share with anyone other than Sinbad. My soul brother in more ways than one now.

I look up into his eyes and find my voice again,

"If I'm not a Gaurdian of the dead...then what type of Guardian am I?" confusion threatens to take over. Although that answer rings in my mind too, I'm just not sure about trusting my new instincts.

Sin tilts his head from side to side, considering his answer.

"I think you know the truth. It was obvious for me, since I could actually see the dead. But there must be signs for you too, that's how it works, from what other Guardians have told me in the past. Although I always felt a strange connection to the dead, even before I became what I am, so maybe there's something in that for you too"

I nod, trying to think of what could be viewed as a sign...and the answer becomes obvious. My connection to Damon and Stefan, that must be it. I had a bond with Stefan even before I died. And then after I died, my bond with Stefan changed into something all consuming and far more intense.

My connection with Damon is the same level of intensity, although in different ways. And then I think about the new bond between Stefan and Damon, how they're connected almost completely now, how their love for each other is no longer something they both scorn or fear. Their love for me, and my love for them, coaxed the love they've always had for each other out into the open where they could no longer hide it.

"I think I know" I say steadily, "I'm just afraid to voice it"

Sin brushes some hair away from my face and gently touches my cheek, I feel secure with Sin, I know he understands how I'm feeling better than anyone else ever could.

"Love" is all Sin murmurs though.

I let out a small sigh,

"Yeah, love"

Damn it, how am I going to deal with this on top of everything else?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I know this one is short, and there's a reason for that, I've decided to give you all a choice, either you can have shorter chapters and I update more often, or I update less often and post longer chapters, please let me know which you'd all prefer. xxx
> 
> Hey, my lovely loyal readers, I don't usually self promote, but this time I really want to; I've just started a new story 'No Rest For The Wicked', and if you like this story then it's very likely that you'll like my new one. Please just read the first chapter and see if you like it, then let me know, it would really mean a lot to me. xxx


	73. Our town-part2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-third chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I seriously need some new ones for this my peoples!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Sinbad's P.O.V

I lean against the wall as Stefan and me watch Damon batter one of Klaus's coffins quite overly enthusiastically. The one that won't open. To be honest, this death box gives me a really bad feeling in a big way. And I'm a Guardian of the freakin's Dead for Satan's sake, I should be used to all matters of the dead by now.

Even just looking at it fills me with a sense of foreboding. But, I'm just as curious as my brothers to see what, or more likely who, is inside. I have my suspicions of course, although I really hope I'm wrong.

I still feel overwhelmed after what happened this morning. Ever is a Guardian of love. A vampire Guardian of love. The Guardian's council must have really wanted her to become a Guardian to allow such a breach of nature.

The Guardian council will reveal themselves to Ever at some stage I'm sure, and require her to complete tasks as part of her training. It all sounds so strange and almost mechanical when put like that, but it is the truth of things nonetheless.

I will have to steel myself for their presence in my life again, as I cannot possibly leave Ever now, she'll need me.

There is part of me that is relieved to finally know why I've always felt a certain kinship in regards to Ever. We have had a level of understating between us since the day we met that I have not ever shared with another person.

The Guardian's council don't just randomly choose people you know, they watch them from birth. Yeah, it's just that weird. The Guardians of Fate are the ones who see future potential in someone as a Guardian and they prophesise their birth.

Just gets more and more creepy every second.

Ever reacted to the news in her usual way, she went mental for a few moments and then got over it, moving on to talk with me about what we're gonna do about it, and how she's going to tell Damon and Stefan the truth about the bonds that tie them to each other.

She's pretty adamant that her connection to both Stefan and Damon are directly related to her new Guardian status. I have to admit that all the evidence so far does suggest that.

But we can't be sure until the Guardian's council decides to show up and bloody tell us. Bunch of cryptic bastards. I really do think they enjoy screwing with people like me and Ever. They'd deny it of course, but just because they are powerful, does not mean they are incapable of lying.

I shake my head at Damon's frustrated expression when he's finished beating the death box,

"Really? A shovel. You're trying to break it open...with a shovel. That is so ridiculous."

Damon turns narrowed eyes on me and Stefan sighs, obviously exasperated with the whole thing. Yeah, well, so am I. Might as well have a bit of fun at the same time. And teasing Damon counts as fun for me, it always has.

Damon gestures in annoyance at me,

"Oh, I'm sorry, was this not clever enough for you?" he says sarcastically.

I shrug half heartedly,

"I just meant...do you really think I haven't already tried using my strength to open it? When I was thinking of ways to open the damn death box, do you really think that 'break it open' never occurred to me?"

I can see the anger sparking in Damon's pale eyes now, and Stefan shifts noticeably in my peripheral vision, his gaze trained on Damon with an intensity they both owe to their bonds with Ever.

"What did you try to break it open with then? What was your superior choice?" Damon snaps.

I am about to drawl something back, effectively pushing my brother further over the edge, because, you know what, what the hell, I'm bored of behaving. Life is getting insane again, and I need an outlet. But before I can say anything, Damon adds,

"Death box? Did you just say, death box?

I nod as if it makes perfect sense. It does.

"Yeah, death box, you know, where they put dead people for a funeral and burial. The things we're surrounded by right now."

Damon tilts his head to the side, thinking that over,

"You mean...a coffin...you just called a coffin a 'death box'"

I grin madly at him,

"Yep, that's what I like to call 'em"

Damon studies me for a few moments and then asks,

"Is this another death boy thing?"

I decide not to dignify that question with a response, and just to frustrate Damon even more, I reply,

"See, now you've broken a perfectly good shovel"

Damon looks like he wants to beat me to death with said shovel,

"So?"

I gesture at the bent and broken shovel, and then cross my arms,

"So, people might need that shovel"

Ok, now Damon is really pissed off. Excellent. I really have missed moments like these with my brothers.

"People? What people? The shovel club? Serial killers with dead bodies in their trunks?" Damon asks in exasperation, clearly having almost reached his limit, although I am confident Stefan could calm him down quite effectively if Damon were to decide to lob the shovel at my face.

I say,

"I don't know Damon, that's why I just said 'people', and didn't specify"

Damon looks about to scream with held in rage when we're interrupted by our much calmer brother,

"That's my shovel" Stefan says out of the blue, as if it's a great revelation, and I have to physically restrain myself from laughing my ass off at the absurdity of all this.

After a few moments, Damon and Stefan exchange a glance that can only be described as 'heated with emotion'. I'll be honest...I have no idea what to do with that.

I clear my throat and the two of them seem to snap out of it.

Thank fuck, I thought I was gonna have to repair my bucket and throw water over them. Or call in Ever for back up just in case.

"Do you know who's inside this thing Sinbad?" Damon asks me, he seems to be angling his body towards Stefan even without meaning too, and Stefan has moved unconsciously closer to Damon.

This whole bond thing has really fucked them up. It's kind of amusing me.

I cluck my tongue as if thinking about it, and then wave a dismissive hand, deciding not to tell them who I think is in the box,

"Nah, besides, it's you lot who are obsessed with getting inside the damn extra death box, not me"

Stefan shakes his head and sighs,

"We need to protect Ever, Sin. And Jeremy" his green eyes are bright and hard as stone. I have no doubt that Stefan would fight the whole fucking world to keep Ever safe.

"And the only way to do that is to get rid of Klaus" Damon says, his voice clipped, leaving no room for argument. Damon is even more protective and possessive than ever before, but Ever doesn't seem to mind it all that much.

Plus, I have no doubt that she can keep both my brothers in line these days better than I could.

I let their words hang there in the air for a while, not refusing to respond, but also not replying just yet. I don't want to be drawn into their games. I don't want to be drawn into Nick's games either.

I want Jeremy, I want to love him, and have him, and make up for all my past mistakes. I want to help Ever, be there for her whenever she needs me, because she deserves that loyalty from me. I want to keep on working with Elena, like I have been for the last few days, so that she can move on and let go of a past she cannot change. I want my brothers to be balanced and strong, just like they have been lately. I want to give Caroline her birthday present, because I've been working damn fucking hard on it.

I want to sleep with Jeremy next to me and just...soak in the feeling of his warmth and the sound of his soft and steady breathing, and the touch of his smooth skin. I want to hear him laugh, and know that I'm the one who made him smile.

But there is a darker part of me, and I have to admit this at least to myself if no one else, that wants Nick. My Nick. The man who's so stubborn and harsh on the outside, but inside is just a damaged little boy who is more scarred than anyone else I know. That man was my world once, and even though it's in the past, there are so many iron clad bindings that stretch from me to him that it's near impossible for to imagine myself completely letting him go.

It's nothing to do with inner strength or will power either. If it were, then things would be a lot easier. But I can't force myself to stop loving Nick, just like I can't force myself to stop loving Jeremy.

But it's not like it's a choice either, the way Becksly keeps arguing it is. There two sides of me, each have overwhelming love for a different man, and honestly, I'm getting so tired of trying to figure out which side of me is the right one for me to be.

...

"Ok, what's wrong?" Jeremy asks me, crossing his arms and fixing me with a suspicious look.

I lean against my car in the school parking lot, levelling my own amused look back at Jeremy,

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong? Why would you assume something is wrong?"

Jeremy jabs me in the chest,

"You just used 'wrong' three times. What's going on? What have you or brothers done? Have you killed someone I know?"

I fake gasp and shake my head shamelessly,

"I am hurt that you would assume such a thing of me. What have I ever done to suggest to you that I" I lower voice to a whisper and lean forward, "kill people?"

"Uh, you're Sinbad Salvatore, a psycho vampire. You kill people, it's in the job description" Jeremy says with a shrug, he leans even closer to me so now our faces are close enough that I can see the little spattering of gold flecks inside Jeremy's rich brown iris'.

"Mean. So mean Jer. I have never killed anyone in my entire life" I whisper indignantly.

Jeremy snorts out laughter,

"Liar, liar, silk black boxers on fire"

In uncross my arms and rest my arms on Jeremy's shoulders, our lips now close enough to brush,

"Stop talking about my pants...it makes me hard"

"You're such a slut Sin" Jeremy remarks, his breathing now a little heavier.

"You love it" I growl, and Jeremy shivers as I urge him closer to me.

Our chest's brush and I move my hands down over Jeremy's waist to his ass, squeezing him possessively and forcing our groins to rub hard against each other, causing a wave of pleasure to assault my system.

It has been way too long since I took Jeremy and made him mine.

"Sin...people co-could see...uh..oh fuck, don't-" Jeremy groans as I trail a fang over his jaw.

"Missed you baby...don't care who see's" I whisper, holding Jeremy flush against me, we couldn't be any closer right now unless we were naked...hhmmmm, naked...that's a good idea. Go brain!

"Sin!" Jeremy moans, "Do you really want us to fuck here. In the car park. In the school car park. The very public school car park. Where there could be people at any moment. People with eyes...and camera phones"

My mind is too far gone to process that in any other way than,

"Mine" I growl, no one gets to see Jeremy in the middle of sex but me.

Jeremy chuckles, and I punish him by biting his neck, but not hard enough to draw blood, just enough to make him shudder with pleasure against me.

"Lets...lets...wanna go to your place"

I meet his eyes, and I'm pretty sure my own eyes are fucking glowing right now, and growl,

"Get in the car or I'll fuck you here and kill anyone who see's us afterwards"

And right now, I really mean that.

Jeremy gives a jerky nod and practically throws himself inside my car, I smirk to myself, today might be a good day after all.


	74. Our town-part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jerbad-ness to the max my peoples! xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-fourth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I seriously need some new ones for this my peoples!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

_(sexual content my peoples-like seriously hardcore stuff, I'll mark the end of it for you if you don't like that sort of thing)_

We barely make it back to the boarding house.

I pretty much carry Jer upstairs, and I shove him back against the sofa in my room, holding him in place easily. Jeremy writhes and moans as I attack his neck with what can only be described as complete abandon.

"I swear to God Jer, if you come, I'll take it out on your ass" I growl against Jer's throat.

" _What...not come...ever...impossible_ " Jeremy manages to get out between gasps.

"Not **_yet_** " I rip open his t-shirt and strip it from his body, my tongue sliding along his collarbone, leaving suction marks as I go.

"When?" Jeremy breathes, his chest rising and falling rapidly, he's getting worked up quickly this time. Although it usually doesn't take much to get Jeremy going, he is still a teenager after all.

"When I say so, that's all you need to know" I whisper, and it's almost a hiss. Lust clouds my mind, and I can't think of anything but fucking what's mine into my mattress so hard that he'll be sitting funny for weeks.

Jeremy whimpers in response, and fuck, if that isn't the sweetest, sexiest, sound in the whole damn world right now.

I smile, then reach down and unzip Jeremy's jeans the rest of the way, having already teased them open a bit earlier in the car when Jer was getting restless. It had been a promise. A promise of pleasure that he can only get from me.

I push them off Jeremy's hips while I watch him will himself not to come.

"Step out of them," I order, moving back enough to let him, and Jeremy does, kicking them to the side.

I appraise him in the most appreciative way I can, and I swear it makes Jer's entire body blush.

"Turn around, Jer— hands on the cushions." I feel Jeremy swallow hard and he manages to get out,

"I've missed you Sin, no one...no one else could ever feel like this."

I growl, low in my throat. "Yeah. And you're not going to get a chance to find out any different, either. It's been way too long baby."

"You're going to make this couch suffer, aren't you?" Jeremy smiles, licking his kiss bruised lips.

"Definitely", is my only reply.

"But me first." Jeremy gets that wicked look on his face that disproves everything else that is innocent about him.

I smirk devilishly as possible, putting every bit of suggestion behind that one look,

"Yeah, Jer, you're always first."

Jer stares at me for a beat longer, unmoving, before my hand snakes around his wrist, a firm grip but not a painful one. Jer looks at me and swallows hard again at the unabashed, naked heat in my eyes. And then he lets me guide him to face the back of the sofa.

My palm presses down between his shoulder blades. He concedes slightly by leaning forward to hold fast to the sofa's back, but he doesn't bend over the sofa, the way he knows I want him to. Because this is a game we've often played during sex, or more accurately right before sex.

Jer resists just for the sake of it, because he's still a fucking rebellious teenager, and a stubborn fucker at heart to boot. I've found many ways to coax, seduce and manhandle Jeremy when we play. I like the game. But not all the time. Not now. It's my game this time, dammit.

I scoff softly,

"Still fighting compliance?"

"I am complying." Jeremy somehow manages to sound halfway agreeable, albeit through clenched teeth. My Jer's getting restless again. I try to hold in laughter.

My hands slide down Jer's sides and land on his hips before I kick his legs apart. And then I get on my knees behind him and hold Jeremy's ass cheeks apart, sliding my tongue inside . . .

"Fuck." Jeremy gasps hotly.

I grip him tightly as I tongue him, my fingers digging into Jeremy's skin as the rimming intensifies, both sensations obviously sparking nerve endings inside Jer. Jeremy seems to fight like hell to keep his legs from trembling as I speared my tongue to work him harder. And then I pull back, causing Jer to groan.

I chuckle softly in satisfaction, then press a thumb inside him, which makes Jeremy go up on his toes. I tug him back down by his hip. And then I work my other thumb inside, and Jeremy stils completely.

I slide my thumbs in and out of him, pressing, then stretching, and Jeremy flushes with embarrassment and pleasure all at once at the exploration. It's that odd blend of brashness and innocence that intrigues me so much with Jer.

Finally, I take my thumbs out, then lick him again before burying my face in Jeremy's ass and holy motherfucking hell Jer tastes good there. I know that Jer's cock is leaking, begging for me to touch it, but somehow he knows I don't want him to do it himself. And somehow, he complies with my rules.

As I work him, Jeremy can't help that his upper body slides lower, so his hands, which I imagine by now are fists, are touching the seat cushions. I make sure his cock isn't touching the back of the couch, because any friction would probably send him over the edge.

I reach around to torture Jer, playing with his cockhead, running a finger around the crown.

" _Gonna...gonna...come...if...if you do that_ ," Jeremy tells me unsteadily, his voice husky to my ears.

"Not allowed to," I remind him.

"Then don't fucking touch me" Jer snaps desperately. And I have to hold in my laughter again.

"You're not making these rules, baby." I whisper smoothly. My tongue drags up his spine, too lightly to be anything but squirm-inducing. And then I begin to bite the taut skin along Jeremy's back, biting, sucking, claiming . . . . It's what I've been dreaming about for weeks. Mapping out my space on Jeremy's body.

"Marking me?" Jeremy asks, like he does almost every time we fuck. Because he likes to hear my answer.

"Better fucking believe it Jer. Problem?"

"Fuck. No. No problem Sin."

"Good." My finger slides inside of him.

At some point, I'd lubed my fingers, so a second finger quickly joins it.

I twist them as I work them back and forth, with Jeremy rocking gently to my easy rhythm.

" _Sin...Sinbad...babe...please_ . . ."

I kick his legs open more, forcing him to go palms down on the cushions of this motherfucking, no-good-for-anything-or-anyone sofa. A sofa that used to be my father's favourite.

And yeah, so sue me, I find the fact that I'm fucking a _man_ I love on it ironically amusing. Jer hit me when I told him that, he called me a psycho with daddy issues. Well, the psycho part isn't far off. As for the daddy issues part...that's more Damon's forte. Stefan has the control issues. I'm the one with Death issues.

Seconds later, I push the thick head of my cock inside Jeremy. Jer goes on his toes again, trying to gain any kind of purchase as my cock fills him. The sofa is in front of him, me behind him . . . and the rest is a tenuous balance. And I have him.

"So fucking strong" Jeremy gasps, and I'm sure he won't remember saying it later. Hell, I might not remember it either. But that isn't the point.

For some fucked up reason that makes me think of Nick. One of the few men I know— or would admit— is just as strong as I am. Or maybe stronger. I could always feel the strength in Nick's hold when we had sex. I knew I'd have bruises by the end of it all. I'd feel Nick for days, and those bruises...it was all the reminder I needed that I was cared for. Well cared for. I'd give Nick the same reminder, sometimes, because I wasn't the only one who needed it.

I am precariously close to coming myself and fuck no, I don't want this to end. Not yet.

Instead, I pull out and grab Jeremy around the chest, forcing him to straighten up. I run my tongue over one of the places I usually feel from Jer, and he shouts, shuddering against me in pleasure. My bites always leave Jer sensitive for months.

I smirk against his skin, and then bite down, letting my fangs pierce skin. I barely contain a possessive growl as the taste of Jer's sweet hot blood pours down my throat. It's perfect, and I love it more than breathing.

And then I take Jeremy's hand, forcing him to fist it, leaving his pointer finger out. Then I take Jeremy's wrist and make him circle his finger around his own leaking cock, catching pre-cum. Then I tug Jeremy's hand up to his mouth and retract my fangs from his throat to say, "Open".

Jeremy does.

Guiding him, I watch as Jeremy rubs his finger along his own tongue. And then I move Jeremy's hand out of the way, turning Jer's head to the side so I can put my own mouth on Jeremy's, licking the man's tongue.

Jeremy groans and bucks his ass back against me. I know that it's killing Jer not to come.

"Good, Jer. So fucking good watching you like this baby. . . all easy for me."

"You're so dirty, Sin" Jer gets out, with a bit of amusement in his voice.

"For you" I reply seriously.

"You so fucking love this" Jer teases, his voice raw and choked with pleasure.

"And you push me to it on goddamned purpose," I grind out.

Jeremy shrugs his answer.

I kiss him fiercely. Because I don't really need Jer to answer anyway.

Jeremy doesn't have to ask for what he wants, because he knows that I know how— and when— to give it to him. And that kind of trust? I wouldn't have it any other way.

Finally, I break the kiss, pat Jeremy's ass, noting his legs were trembling. I lick the blood that's trailing over Jeremy's neck from my bite and bask in the shiver that action emits from Jer.

"Come on. Sofa. On your hands and knees, baby." I order softly.

Jeremy half turns his face so I can see the clench in his jaw.

"You started this, Jer. I'm just trying to finish it. Unless you don't want to finish . . ." my voice must've held the right amount of lust and warning, because Jeremy grunts, then grudgingly walks around to the front of the sofa and carefully climbs on, the barely reattached arm groaning against his weight.

On his hands and knees, head bowed, Jeremy manages to look both vulnerable and strong-willed at the same time, the newly developing muscles on his back bunching under his tanned shoulders.

My fingers itch to draw again as much as my cock wants to come. The eternal fight between sex and art, I suppose. Which is why I'd always liked combining them. I'd taken to drawing on my lovers. I used to do it to Nick all the time. I did it a few times with Ever. Jeremy loves it.

One day I'm gonna get Jer to let me tattoo him. I learnt how to do it many years ago, two tattoo artists in Russia taught me...I learnt a lot of things from them, in and out of bed. Mostly in, including the tattoo's. I owe most of the tattoo's I have now to them, and since my upper body is pretty much covered in the things, that's really saying a lot. I had everything pierced for a while too, and by everything I really do mean everything. The bar through my cock is not something I'd ever forget.

I satisfy myself momentarily by tracing the now-familiar patterns on Jeremy's skin after climbing onto the cushions behind him. The dreamcatcher I envision under his right shoulder blade that would run along his side to feather on his ribs . . . "I don't understand why you're trying to motherfucking kill me," Jeremy growls harshly. And it was an unmistakable show of temper. And it turns me the fuck on, more than I'd already been.

I wind an arm around him, jerking Jeremy hard against me, rubbing my cock against Jeremy's ass, prepared to fuck him until Jeremy screams my name. I put my hand between Jeremy's shoulder blades, pressing him down to his elbows— they are sliding forward anyway, since the arm on the sofa isn't holding well under their combined weight— and the angle allows me to sink into Jeremy, so hot and tight.

Soon, nothing would come between us. Because Jeremy came after me when I was taken by Nick. In turn, Jeremy needs to be shown exactly how I feel . . . and I will do so, as often as necessary.

"Love you Jer" I whisper into Jeremy's neck.

"I know babe. Don't ever let me go again, ok" Jeremy chokes on the last word, and the desperate edge to his words pierces straight through my heart.

"Never" I answer with a finality I hope with everything I have in me will hold true.

( _end of sexual content_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, first off, I'm so sorry I'm not posting as much lately, I've just started a new job. I have to work. All the time. It's awful. I don't recommend it. So please just bear with me for a while folks. xxx
> 
> Also, I didn't mean for this sex scene to become so damn long. I just...it ended up being a big moment between Jer and Sin. I feel like this got them back to an equal standing point. Now the love triangle between Klaus/Sinbad/Jeremy can properly kick off. Please do tell me who you prefer, it'll helping me a lot with plot planning. You never know what plot twists I'll be pulling out of my marry poppins bag of tricks ;) xxx


	75. Our town-part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A present to remember!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-fifth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I seriously need some new ones for this my peoples!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

Bonnie pushes open the door to one of the tomb buildings in the cemetery and says,

"Ok, this is creepy, even for us"

I shake my head and carry in the cake, yanking Matty behind me by the hand as he looks around with that same little boy lost expression he's had since first grade.

"No, Care was _right_. And we should always support such rare events", Caroline throws her plastic fluffy tiara at me and I smirk at her. "Technically Care is dead"

Caroline nods and then grimaces,

"Exactly, that's why I really don't want to celebrate my birthday. It's not even a birthday...I'm still seventeen...ugh, why are we here again?"

Caroline was less than thrilled when she found out we'd planned a birthday surprise for her. I guess I understand, I felt the same way kind of when it had been my birthday, although I didn't have much time to dwell on it since there were so many other things to be thinking about and worrying about and blah blah blah-bloobity-blah.

But I think Caroline deserves to celebrate her birthday, even if it is like this.

Tyler wraps his arms around Caroline and kisses the side of her head. Caroline leans back against him and I feel more than see Matt stiffen. He's still not totally over Caroline, at least not enough to feel comfortable watching her be all lovey dovey with Ty-Mc-teen-wolf. I keep wondering if my ability to read people is part of my Guardian ability arsenal or just a coincidence.

Will I get a uniform? Like Harry potter robes or a ninja full body suit? Will I get a utility belt? Batman got to have a utility belt. I'm as cool as Batman. I could totally be Batman.

God, this is all so confusing, it's making me question everything I know about myself. I don't like the idea that there's a massive part of me that I didn't choose to be. It sucks, big time.

I can't help but wonder what Elena would think about it. I mean, I know Damon and Stefan are gonna hit the roof, if only because they'll be worried about how it all affects me. But, would Elena panic? Would she roll her eyes and say I can't ever just be normal? Would she be disappointed in me because of what I've become, and how easily I've adapted to being a vampire?

I think about these type of things every single day. I hate that Elena isn't here to push in her judgy opinion on my life choices anymore. I hate that she isn't here to act awkwardly around me and Stefan, which wouldn't have lasted forever, no one can stay pissed off at Stefan for that long (unless you're Damon, but he's the most stubborn bastard on the planet and doesn't count).

I hate that she doesn't get to meet someone new, fall deeply in love, and understand what it feels like to be loved the way I know the Salvatore's love me. She deserved to have that. I wanted that for her. Sometimes I forget that she's dead and I imagine her reaction to things I say or think or do. I imagine ways to annoy her, or get revenge on her for waking me up early.

I miss my sister, in all her self-righteous, too perfect, too nice evil twin glory.

I put the cake down on a makeshift table and gesture around me, locking eyes with Caroline,

"Listen, I know this is a bit wackadoodle. And I know you don't need a stupid birthday. I mean, who needs happiness anyway? You need a funeral!" I state excitedly.

This is one of my better ideas. I'm sure of it. Kevin would be proud.

I wish Damon and Stefan were here, but they've buggered off to a council meeting with my hopefully-soon-to-be-Uncle Ric, to find out what in the world Klausy wousy is up to now. Apart from trying to nick my brother's boyfriend. And my best friend.

No one gets to steal Sinbad but me. I don't know exactly what, or who, I'd steal him from. Possibly The Joker if we're going with the Batman theme of the day.

" _What?"_ Caroline exclaims, her cat-like eyes narrowed.

"I am Batman" I reply accidentally. Whoops. Brain. Mouth. NO COMPUTE. NO COMPUTE.

Matty raises an eyebrow at me,

"No, no, you're more of the Supergirl type"

I scoff in mock exasperation,

"YOU SEXIST! I am Batman"

"Batwoman at least, then" Matty tries to placate me.

I shake my head and pat him on the head, hard.

"I. Am. Batman. So shut your trap Aquaboy"

"It's Aqua **man** , Ever" Bonnie says as she places the candles on the cake.

"Yeah, Ever, it's definitely Aqua **man** " Ty agrees, earning him an elbow to the gut from Caroline.

I gesture in annoyance around the room,

"Alright, alright. I'm Batman. Bonnie is Catwoman. Caroline is Supergirl. Tyler is Wolverine. And Matty is Aquaman"

Caroline huffs,

"Excuse me-"

"I am **_not_ ** Aquaman. He's the worst one!" Matt denies in abstract horror.

"But he's blond. You have to be Aquaman" I argue.

"She's right dude" Ty says, backing me up. I throw him a thumbs up, and I say,

"See Wolverine is on my side"

"Why do I have to be Wolverine?" Ty asks, scratching his head in confusion.

"I am not answering that Ty, borrow some brain cells from your _wolf_ and get back to me" I reply.

"I'm not Aquaman" Matty repeats, "I refuse to be Aquaman in this scenario. Why can't I be Green Arrow? He's blond."

Bonnie giggles,

"I don't know. I think you'd make a good Aquaman Matt, you've always been the best swimmer out of all of us"

Bonnie and Matty share a smile. Hm, there's something in that shared smile...how did I not notice that before?

Before I can say anything Caroline bursts out angrily,

"Hey, guys, this is meant to be about _me_ , remember. Not about who's Batman"

" **I AM BATMAN**!" I shout in indignation. God, what is so complicated about that.

"EVER!" Caroline shouts back, hands on her hips.

I throw my hands up,

"Ok, jeez, keep your eyebrows on Supergirl. What I meant to say was that you need to say goodbye to your old life, so you can move on with your new one"

Matt smiles and nods encouragingly. Caroline seems to consider the idea for a while, before saying,

"Alright. Here lies Caroline Forbes-"

"Cheerleader. Miss Mystic Falls. Third grade hop scotch champion" I add with a wink.

Bonnie chimes in,

"Friend. Daughter." Bonnie seems to consider something, "Over achiever-"

"Mean girl" Tyler says with a smile, earning a glare from Caroline and a snort of laughter from me.

"Sometimes." Matt agrees, "No offense" he adds, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture.

Caroline shrugs,

"Hm, none taken"

I nod, and smile sadly,

"She was seventeen. She drove me insane with her never ending positive attitude. And she had a really good life." I pick up her cake and bring it over to her, "So rest in peace, and move forward to bigger, brighter and better things" I look at Bonnie, "Help us out Catwoman"

Bonnie closes her eyes, and I feel a wave of power wash over the room. Woah, I couldn't do that before. Something harsh and mind-blowing is triggered inside of me, and a shock of white hot heat spears through me. I struggle not to gasp out loud and crumple to the floor.

Everything seems to pause, time slows down, and the whole world appears to shimmer around me with blue light. I look around frantically, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. But my gaze is pulled, by some unnatural force, to something pale gold in the shape of a rope, or some kind of binding, tying Bonnie to Matty.

What the frik frak?

One end is tied around Bonnie's wrist, and the other end to Matty's. I reach out to touch the golden light and I take in a sharp breathe when a feeling like nothing else I've ever physically experienced before shoots through my body, making my heart hurt. It feels...the closest thing I can think of describe it is... _potential_?

Fuck. What is that? Potential what?

It's then that I notice the dark green strand binding Ty to Caroline and vice versa. And the blue binding that links us all together.

I touch the green binding first, and am hit with a lust so profound and intense that I almost fall to my knees. Fucking hell, those two have it bad for each others genitals. It feels like pure lust.

Next I tentatively touch the blue binding, this one feels cool and soothing. Safe. Comforting. It feels like friendship. I don't know how I know that. It's just...it's instinct. Something in me just **_knows_** that this binding means love between friends. The same way I know the green binding means love based on lust, and that the pale gold binding means potential love.

This is so weird and surreal. And I've seen some weird shit by this point in my life.

I don't know how I'm going to describe this to anyone when I find a way out of...whatever state this is. It'll sound insane and ludicrous. Even I think it's insane and I'm the one actually experiencing it.

Sin's words come back to me then. He warned be about something like this. Well, not this specifically. But he did warn me that the Guardian council would test me, push me, throw me over into the deep end to see how I handle being a Guardian.

Guardians are meant to help people, Sin said, to help keep the balance of all things and keep everything working as it should in the universe. I've been thinking all day about what that could mean for me. Is this what it is? Am I meant to help people like Bonnie and Matt? Am I meant to encourage their love to grow? Should I be trying to coax Ty and Caroline into a difference type of love?

What am I actually meant to **_do_** with this new information?

Sinbad might know...I'll have to ask him as soon as possible-

And just like that. I'm back. The candles on Caroline's cake are lit thanks to Bonnie's magic and everyone is laughing. No one noticed what happened. Or maybe they just didn't see it the way I did.

Shit on a stick, being a Guardian is intense folks. I'm bricking it right now.

I shake my head sharply when Matt frowns at me and mouths, 'you alright?'. I smile at him and nod gently.

No, I am not alright. But I really don't want to ruin this for Caroline. I can freak out later.

I slap on a grin for Caroline and say,

"Ok, make a wish Care"

...

I snatch a bottle of whiskey out of Matt's hands and say,

"Ah, ah, I need it more than you do Matty, trust me"

A take a long drink from the bottle and Matty gives me a long measured look, a look I studiously ignore.

Caroline is in the corner, and she's drunkenly making out with Ty. In full view of an awkward looking Matty.

I'm upset, on edge, and drunk enough to say,

"Care, Ty, come on you guys, cut it out. I swear all you ever do is screw each other"

I remember the dark green binding. Love based on lust. I grimace and take another long drink from the whiskey bottle.

Caroline shrugs,

"What, it's my birthday"

Bonnie rolls her eyes,

"Oh give her break, it's not like your relationship is perfect and normal either"

Woah, Bonnie's grown teeth.

Matt coughs loudly,

"Ouch Bon"

I furrow my brows at Bonnie,

"Yeah, bit harsh Bonnie"

Bonnie's shoulders slump,

"I'm sorry, I know it's Caroline's birthday-funeral-or...whatever...I just think it's really not your place to judge anybody on their relationship considering yours is so..."

"So... _what_?" I ask with a frown. Where is this coming from?

"Weird. Creepy. Wrong" Bonnie practically spits out uncomfortably, wincing on the last word like she wishes she could take it back.

I sit forward a bit,

"I'm in **love** with Damon and Stefan. And they're in love me. What's so wrong about that?"

"Oh come on Ever. They're _brothers_. You can't have them _both._ That's not how life _works."_ Bonnie argues.

"Just because it's not exactly normal doesn't mean it's wrong Bonnie! Since when has my life ever been normal anyway. We passed normal about seven vampires, three werewolves, two witches, one hybrid and a transformation ago" I say, exasperated with this stupid conversation. Why is Bonnie bringing all this up **now**?

I hear Matty behind me say,

"You know, you guy's are ruining a perfectly good funeral"

Bonnie just shakes her head and gets up, grabbing her coat,

"I'm sorry, I gotta go...sleep this off or...something"

She goes to leave and I stand up quickly, grabbing her wrist, our eyes meet,

"Bonnie, please, what's going on? Why are you so upset?"

Bonnie stares at me for a long moment and then shakes off my hold,

"I just think it's wrong, Ever, that's all"

Without another word, she stalks out, leaving me standing there like an idiot, wondering what the hell I've done wrong this time.

This must be what Damon feels like half of the time. Most of the time. I have to say, I do not care for it.

Matt runs after Bonnie and I see them talk almost intimately to each other for a few moments. But then Bonnie sighs and goes off, and Matt comes back inside.

Damn it, this is so not how things were meant to go today.

...

Later when Ty and Care have pissed off somewhere to...possibly do the frik frak in the woods, I turn to Matt and ask,

"Hey, are you alright? I mean, about Caroline"

Matt takes the bottle of whiskey from me and answers,

"Yeah. I want her to be happy, you know"

I nod as he takes a drink.

"It's what I want for all you guys" Matt says, "In the middle of this _crazy_ life you got stuck living"

I consider Matt for a few moments, and then ask,

"Is that how you see it? That we're stuck?"

Matty sighs and nods,

"I'd say it's attached itself to all of you pretty tight, yeah"

I bite my lip and shake my head, admitting something I'd been holding in for a while,

"Honestly, the only thing I regret about my life is how Elena died. Or that she died at all, really. I wish...I wish I could take that back. More than anything" I feel tears beginning to sting my eyes, "I want so badly to take that _back._ And I'm so worried about Jeremy, all the time. What if I lose him too-" my voice breaks.

Matty reaches out and takes my hand in his,

"Hey, you're not gonna lose Jeremy, Ever"

I suck in a harsh breathe,

"That's what Damon and Stefan keep telling me whenever I bring it up. And I hope to hell that you're all right because...because I can't stand the thought of losing anyone else that I love"

Matt squeezes my hand,

"You won't, Ever, you won't...and about what Bonnie said-"

"What? That my relationship with Stefan and Damon is creepy and wrong? Yeah, I figured some people would think that way. I know it's hard to understand...and I don't know exactly how to explain how we all feel for each other...but I know it's love. **_Real love_**. And I feel so Goddamned lucky to have that, not many people do, you know. Not many people get to have real love. I'm not willing to give it up just because it's not 'normal'. I'd do anything for them, and they'd do anything for me. They're what I want. When I picture my future...it's them, it's always them. They're mine, and I'm theirs. Nothing else matters"

"I don't really get it Ever" Matt admits slowly, and I prepare myself for another rejection, "But I know you. I know that you've never done anyone in your life half way, and that you've always known exactly what you want. You never give up, and you always fight for what you believe in. And your instincts have always been solid. So, if you say this is _right for you_ , then I trust you"

I practically throw myself at Matty, my arms wrapping around him tightly,

"You're the best Matty. Love you for being my friend, I'm real lucky to have you"

I feel Matty roll his eyes and he chuckles,

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now get off me before we get seen by one of your many, many, boyfriends, they'll kill me if they see me touching you this much"

I snort out a laugh,

"No they won-" Matt gives me a raised eyebrow 'come on' look and I nod in acknowledgement, "Yeah, ok, they're a little possessive"

"A little?"

"Shut up, Aquaman"

"I'm Green Arrow, woman!"

"Stop lying to yourself Aquaboy!"

"Aqua **man**!"

"That's what I've been _saying_. Glad to see you finally agree"

Matt and I are laughing as he shoves me off his lap and onto the floor.

...

When I get home-I mean to the boarding house-Damon and Stefan are waiting there with some bad news. Great, just what we needed.

"What do you mean Klausy-pain-in-the-ass-wousy has made a deal with the Mayor?" I demand as Stefan and Damon tug me down onto our shared bed.

We all pull each other as close as we can get, and a wave of heat and warmth washes over me from my bond with Stefan, and a feeling like shocks of electricity zing through my nerve endings as mine and Damon's connection crackles, daring us to touch more.

Oh, and I really want to.

Damon starts playing with a curl of my long dark hair, something he does a lot without realising it. I don't mention it because I enjoy the feeling, but Stefan and I share smiles about it sometimes.

Stefan sighs and answers me,

"Apparently they've made a deal that if the council leave Klaus and his minions alone, then he'll leave them alone and protect the town."

"Madam mayor also wants us to give the coffins back" Damon adds, his pale blue eyes sparking with anger and annoyance.

"Which is insane, the coffins are the only leverage we have, we can't give them up" Stefan says with another heavy sigh. He looks into my eyes, and I see the tiredness there, I reach out to rub a thumb across his cheek over and over again soothingly. Stefan closes his bright green eyes and allows himself to be comforted by me, much to my inner pleasure.

I really enjoy comforting Stefan. Just like I enjoy my ability to calm Damon down whenever he's about to lose his shit about something not worth losing his shit about.

So many damn worries...

But instead of agreeing I just smirk and say,

"I think you'll both find they're called 'death boxes'"

Damon groans and runs a hand over my stomach, reaching under the fabric to splay his hand out over my hot skin. Embers of heat flare even more to life inside my core at the contact.

Stefan's fingers are intertwined with mine, and he opens his eyes, blinking at me,

"You spoke to Sin, didn't you?"

Still smirking I reply,

"Yep"

"When do you two even find time to talk?" Damon demands stiffly.

I shrug,

"We text"

Damon's hand tightens on me,

"So, no secret meetings then?"

In flinch without meaning to, and Damon takes that completely the wrong way. The possessive idiot.

" _ **Ever**_ " Damon growls, "What's going on with you and Sinbad?" his tone is harsh, and yes, extremely jealous.

Under any other circumstances it would be sweet, and I'd tease him a little. But this time I did actually feel guilty, because there was something going on. Just not anything like what Damon may be thinking.

" _Day_ " Stefan says in a soothing tone of voice, and amazingly, it works. Damon's body becomes a little less tense and he mumbles something akin to an apology for snapping at me.

I smile at Stefan, who returns it and kisses my lips tenderly, drawing it out until I'm making little sounds in my throat that has Damon pressed even firmer up against my back; his hand tight of my stomach again, but for a whole different reason.

But before things can take it's natural course into something more, I say gently, but firmly,

"I have something important to tell you both"

Damon and Stefan recognise the tone of my voice and immediately stop to give me their complete and undivided attention.

As I explain to my lovers about what Sin and I believe I am, a Guardian, I think about what my bindings to Stefan and Damon look and feel like. I hope they're strong enough to get through all this. Klausy wousy, the council, the mystery death box, the other Originals and now me being a Guardian.

Life just keeps on throwing those curve balls.

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

"Why exactly do we need to be out in the middle of the woods for you to give me my birthday present" Caroline asks me as she gets settles on the hood of my car.

I decided to take Caroline out to give her, her present. I dropped Jeremy off at his house after a full day together. Mostly in bed. But we got up...occasionally. Mostly to take showers. Together. It's important to conserve water, ok.

I smirk and wink at her,

"Because I plan on murdering you and turning you into a vampire-oh shit...wait...hasn't that already happened to you?"

Caroline rolls her eyes and laughs,

"Yeah, courtesy of your ex-bitchzilla"

I make a disgusted face at the mention of Katerina.

"Shut it Supergirl"

"When did you find time to talk to Ever?" Caroline asks, shaking her head and laughing again.

I shrug,

"We text"

"So, which did she decide you are?" Caroline asks with an amused grin.

I waggle my eyebrows,

"Oh, baby, I'm Mr. _Incredible_ all the way"

"That's Disney, you big moron" Caroline exclaims.

"Yeah, but it describes me so _well_ "

"More like, arrogant bastard"

"Is he Disney too?"

"No!"

"Pixar?"

"Sin, you mentalist, give me my present already"

I laugh and reach into my jacket pocket, bringing out what I've been working on for weeks. Caroline tentatively takes the vaguely roundish object wrapped in black tissue paper and tied with a golden bow.

Caroline frowns as she carefully unwraps the present to reveal a black rock-like object. She looks up at me,

"Uh, a piece of coal? You got me...a piece of coal for my birthday"

I laugh smoothly and shake my head,

"No, Care, sweat heart...it's...well..."

I reach down to grab the bottle of water I brought with me and hand it out for Caroline to take, she does take it, but her eyes tell me she's obviously confused about why.

"You got me a piece of coal...and some water?"

"It's not coal!" Well it is, but it's not normal coal.

"Then what is it?" Caroline asks suspiciously, looking down at the black lump like she thinks it might leap up and bite her.

"Just...just pour the water over it and you'll see. But as soon as you pour the water over it you have to throw it into the air, ok"

Caroline looks at me in alarm,

"What? Damn it Sin-"

"Care, stop being weird, just do it!"

" _I'm_ being weird?"

" _ **Care**_ "

"Fine! I'm doing it, I'm doing it, crazy-ass vampire Guardian!"

Carefully Caroline does as I told her, she pours some water over the black lump. When it seems to light up from the inside Caroline gasps, but she doesn't look at me, she's enraptured by the almost blinding gold light trying to burst free.

"Now, Care, throw it!" I say.

Caroline seems to panic, but she follows my instructions and throws the now glowing piece of 'coal' up into the air.

I smile as moments later the golden light explodes out of the 'coal' and burns bigger and brighter second by second. Until eventually the golden fire starts to take a form.

"What kind of bird is that?" Caroline asks in awe as she stares at it.

I smile wider and say,

"That's a phoenix"

"It's beautiful" Caroline whispers, her eyes shining.

A few moments later the phoenix fire begins to fade and whither away to nothing, it's black ashes crumple to the ground. The pile of ashes is big, but paper within it still peaks out.

Caroline notices it, and still without looking at me, she jumps down from the hood of the car and reaches into the ashes, gently, and pulls the black paper out. She gasps when she see's what's on it. A golden drawing of the same phoenix.

Caroline jumps back onto the hood of the car and stares at me, her eyes still shining,

"Sin...I...you...what...this...how did you do this?"

I shrug one shoulder,

"I'm a Guardian. We have all sorts of tricks up our sleeve"

"Why...why this?" she asks, her voice cracking slightly with emotion.

I smile warmly at my friend,

"Phoenix's symbolise rebirth. Becoming something new, breaking out. That's you Caroline. You've changed so much since becoming a vampire, and all those changes have been good ones. You're the phoenix Care. Embrace it, ok, don't fight it. You're too brilliant for that"

Caroline's eyes start to water and she just about throws herself at me,

"Oh my God, Sin...this is the most amazing present ever! I really needed this" Caroline leans back so that our gazes can lock, "Thank you" she says sincerely.

The air around us feels way too intense, so to relieve it a little I say,

"So...Thor maybe?"

Caroline wipes her eyes and leans back a little, snickering under her breathe,

"Nah, I'd say the 'Human Torch'"

"I'm just that hot, huh" I say with another wink.

Caroline laughs and shakes her head,

"Shut up, Sin"

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I take it out, it's Ever,

**Told Mr. Anger management and Sir broody pants the truth.**

**Need assistance.**

**...Bring Kevin! xxx**

Oh shit. Here we go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so much happened in this chapter, I really, really, need some feedback, like, seriously, I really need it. So please, please, if you want me to continue, then do comment! xxx
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! xxx


	76. The Ties That Bind-Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, side note-I heard this song the other day and immediately I thought 'This is Sinbad and Ever's song'. And it really is. I beg you to listen to it, because in my head, this is Ever and Sinbad's relationship in song-form. It's not just the words either, it's the whole feel of the song. The song is 'Other voices' by 'Parade of lights'...it's brilliant personified people ;) xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-seventh chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Damon would be my favourite special snowflake.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

"I've been having these dreams for days now" Bonnie explains to me as my eyes take their natural perusal over the coffins.

Yep, just another ordinary day, coffin watching. My life is mad.

"It's like the witches are trying to send me a message" Bonnie adds when I don't say anything.

Things have been a bit frosty between Bonnie and I since Caroline birthday-funeral. I wish I could say one of us had broken down and apologised by now, but really, I don't think I have anything to be sorry for. Fair enough if Bonnie doesn't like my relationship with the Salvatore's, there's not much I can do about that, but she didn't have to flip her lid about it either.

I'm so tired of having to explain myself to people. People can fuck off for once.

But when Bonnie said she needed my help, I couldn't refuse her, even if she is being a difficult witchy person. Bonnie and I have been friends far too long to allow one fight to destroy us. At least I hope so.

I wouldn't be stressing so much about this thing with Bonnie if I wasn't already stressed about my fight with Damon and Stefan. Or I should say Stefan and Damon's fight with Sinbad. I meant it when I texted Sinbad for help.

Damon totally lost it after I told him the truth, and he blames Sin completely. I have no idea why.

Oh, ok, I guess I do understand where he's coming from. But he still shouldn't have said all the things he said to Sin. He definitely shouldn't have hit him. And Stefan, oh _Stefan,_ should NOT have just sat back with a satisfied look in his eyes and allowed it to happen.

I tried to get inbetween Damon and Sinbad, and at first Sinbad was trying pretty hard not to fight back. But then Damon had to go shooting his mouth off about the Originals and Jeremy and bitchzilla, causing something to snap inside Sinbad, who then went on to beat the living hell out of Damon. Without mercy.

I don't feel sorry for Damon though, he goaded Sin into it, practically begged Sin to have at him.

Stefan got involved after that, but not to stop them, as I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to do since Damon's first punch, but to defend Damon like a wolf might protect it's mate. The growl that tore free from Stefan, making him sound half deranged in his anger for both my sake and Damon's, is probably what clinched that analogy in my mind.

Anyway, after a bit of Salvatore brothers World war three action, the battle of Ever-is-a-Guardian. Take two. I managed to pry them apart enough to get their attention and focus back on me. The apparent 'sane one' of our strange little family this time around.

I mean, there is something really wrong with the world if _**I'm**_ the sane one. That's like some cosmic imbalance bullshit going on right now.

Sinbad left soon after the fight, looking pissed off but no worse for wear. He asked me if I was going to be ok alone. I told him to wait for me in the car because I wanted to go home. I figured he was going to see Jeremy anyway.

That did not go down well with my lovers. Well, good, they behaved like idiots, and I told them so. We had a blazing argument that ended with Damon storming upstairs. Stefan tried to talk to me, but I told him I needed some space. Respectful of my wants and feelings as always, Stefan reluctantly stopped fighting me, on the agreement that I only spend one night away from them to collect my thoughts.

It hurt to leave them, but I knew I had to before any of us said or did something we'd all regret. Stefan went after Damon, and I left with Sinbad.

Sinbad didn't make a fuss about any of it, and said it was bound to happen sooner or later. And I guess he was right, I could see resentment building between Damon and Sinbad for a while now. I just hoped the peace would last until after we'd dealt with Klausy wousy. The last thing we need right now is to be divided.

Bitchfit, a.k.a. Rebekah, was of no help at all during the whole fight scene ordeal. She just watched us all from her seat on the sofa, occasionally calling out encouraging exclamations to Sinbad. Not helpful AT ALL. Stupid bitchfit. I have decided that is her nickname, mostly because she's just so goddamn whiny. She complains about EVERYTHING, and throws a hissy fit when she doesn't get her way.

It's like having Regina the original werewolf from The Werewolf Diaries living with me. Speaking of...

"Did you watch the season finale of The Werewolf Diaries?" I did. I had to, once you start a series like the Werewolf diaries, you just have to finish it. Even with my busy schedule.

Bonnie nods, and for the first time since we fought I feel a bit of the old friendship spark between us,

"Yeah, it was awful. There wasn't even a good Silverstorm brothers moment. Damien and Steven SO deserved a brother moment, Steven was DEAD for Christ sake, there at least could have been a brother hug"

"I know, right." I say excitedly, because for some reason TV still excites me even though my life resembles a TV show. Sort of. More like a horror movie. "And I can't believe they killed off Damien and Ronnie. I almost threw my ice cream spoon at the screen, but Stefan stopped me. Damn that annoying Helena!"

"At least Eric is back now for season six" Bonnie says with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah, I missed Eric, but now there won't be any more Eric and Damien bromance until Damien comes back!"

"It's so unfair"

After that there's one of those lengthy pauses I hate.

"So these are the rest of his family?" I ask eventually, even though I know the answer already, I feel like I have to say _something,_ or I'll start bashing my head against a wall.

"Yeah, Elijah and two others" Bonnie answers, looking relieved to have something to talk about.

Sin told me all about the other two originals, Kol and Finn. Technically Sinbad never met Finn because he's been locked inside the box for more than nine hundred years. Kol, however, is someone Sin knows very...intimately. At least that's what I've managed to deduct from what Sin's told me about him. Apparently Kol was always a bit of a party boy who did what he wanted and didn't much care for the consequences of his actions until it was too late.

Sin said Kol was wild and free, and that his personality reflected that perfectly.

"What about the other one" I gesture at the coffin not even a shovel wielding Damon could get into.

Bonnie sighs in annoyance,

"We still don't know what's inside, or who's inside, all I know is that I think my dreams are telling me whatever's in that coffin will help us kill Klaus"

I almost correct her and say Klausy wousy, but my brain warns me Bonnie would not appreciate the humour in that. She's got her serious witchy constipated face on. And you don't wanna be messing with that. Trust me.

"Hey, what are you two _gorgeous_ supernatural women doing down here on this fine day with a bunch of death boxes?" Sin says with a grin as he practically skips into the room like the mental fucker he is.

"We're playing a game of 'What's inside the shmagical coffin?'" I answer in a fake enthused voice.

"Your hocus pocus still not doing the trick Bon Bon?" Sinbad asks Bonnie, who simply rolls her eyes at him. Sin winks at her, his striking blue eyes shining in an almost ethereal way.

I see a small smile tug at Bonnie's lips. I don't blame her, it's hard not to give in to Sinbad, he's got a personality like no one else in this world; it hits the room whenever he's around like a tidal wave, making it impossible not to share his moods right along with him.

"No" Bonnie answers, "But my dreams are showing me something" she runs her hand along the coffin, almost in a stroking motion.

Sinbad arches an amused eyebrow,

"I don't think petting it will help. Is that what your dreams have been telling you?" Sinbad takes on the voice of an old lady, " _'Pet the death box Bon Bon. Pet it good. Pet the death box and it shall reveal all Bon Bon!'"_

 _" **Pet the box! Pet the box!"**_ I chant in a slightly deeper tone of voice, "No Bonnie, not that bit, _**that bit.** Touch the box like that, like this, like all night long baby!"_

I start singing a modified version of _'Touch it'_ by Monifah, and Sin soon joins in, singing in the same old lady voice as before,

" _Do ya really wanna touch it? Do ya really wanna mess with that box tonight?"_

Then we sing together,

" _And if ya know how the box likes it. Would ya call it's name and give it to the box just right, all night? Then, we say, PET THE BOX! PET THE BOX! PET THE BOX, BONNIE, BABY!"_

Sin and I collapse into fits of laughter, pretty much hanging onto to each other so we don't fall over we're laughing so hard. And all the while Bonnie is staring at us with a look on her face that says loud and clear that she thinks we are insane.

Eventually when Sin and I have calmed down some, Bonnie still staring wide eyed at us, says,

"You two, are bonkers. Completely out of this world insane, you know that, right?"

I wave my hand dismissively and ignore her question, I'm sure she knows the answer anyway,

"So, uh, what were you saying about your dreams?"

Bonnie rolls her eyes again at us, as Sin and I are barely keeping our snickering to ourselves, and I daren't look at Sin or I'll lose it all over again.

"I think I know who can open the coffins. And I need you" she looks pointedly at me, "to help me find her"

I frown and I feel more than see Sinbad do the same,

"Find who, Bon Bon?" Sinbad asks in confusion.

Bonnie moves closer to us and takes something out of her back pocket,

"I couldn't place her face at first, then I realised..."

Bonnie hands me the tiny photo in her hands, my eyes widen and snap up to Bonnie's face,

"Oh, shit, Bonnie..."

Sinbad takes the photo out of my hands and looks at it for a moment before asking,

"Who is this?"

Bonnie rolls her shoulders back as if preparing for battle, and in some ways I suppose she is,

"It's my mom"

Holy biscuit tin on a shelf in bloody hell!

...

I show Bonnie a piece of paper with a photo on it, Bonnie looks at it for only a few seconds before saying,

"Too old"

I put the paper back down on the table and pick up another one at random. There really is no structure to this mom search. But hey, we found my bio mother. Unfortunately.

"Ugh, how many of these are there?" Bonnie asks.

I snort out a laugh, even though the situation is far from funny,

"A lot. I asked the sheriff's office to bring up every single Abbey Bennett in the country"

I realise Bonnie is looking at me, hard. Her brown eyes fixed on my face. I put down another Abbey Bennett info packet and wait for her to speak. Eventully, she does,

"Look, Ever...we haven't really been able to talk about...it's been weird between us...because of what I said before...so...thank you, for helping me with this. I know you have a lot to deal with-"

"Hey" I reach across the table and touch Bonnie's wrist, smiling slightly, "There's nothing more important Bonnie"

Bonnie bites her lip and fiddles with her shirt sleeves,

"It's surreal" she meets my eyes, "Having to track down a woman who bailed on her own kid"

My heart squeezes a little for that kid. That kid I still see so clearly inside of Bonnie.

"You know you don't have to do this, right? We could just leave it alone, find some other way to get Klausy wousy off our backs"

Bonnie scoffs,

"Like what, hand over Sinbad with a bow wrapped around his neck"

"He would make a pretty present" I agree. Although the thought of Sin leaving with Klausy wousy gives me chills. I don't want to lose him again, especially with all this Guardian stuff going on.

"Besides, the coffin is spelled shut, that makes it a witch problem. I want to help" Bonnie says, a thread of iron mixed into her words. She's not giving up. I think she wants to find her mom.

Jeez, Elena would be a way better person to talk to about this. She actually wanted to find our birth mother.

"I was bound to see my mom sooner or later anyway-"

"Sooner, actually" I hear Sinbad say as he comes striding in with Jeremy at his side.

"What?" I ask.

"Abbey Bennett Wilson, born in north Carolina, graduated Mystic Falls high, yadda, yadda, yadda" Sinbad says, and he hands over the folder he's holding to Bonnie.

I raise an eyebrow at them both and Jeremy smiles a little smugly at Sin and says,

"A little bit of compulsion sped up the search process"

Sin wraps a hand behind Jeremy's neck and pulls him roughly to his side, leaning down to mock whisper,

"Sssshhhhhh, don't ruin my moment, love" he then looks up at us, "I found her through sheer brilliance and detective skill thank you very much"

Jeremy snorts out a laugh,

"Yeah, sure babe, whatever- _ **ow**_. Sin! You bit me!"

Sinbad laughs deeply, and licks at the small trickle of blood now dripping down from Jeremy ear. He really did bite him, well, it was more of a love nip really.

"You love it" Sinbad says in that low growly sex voice that has Jeremy blushing crimson all over the place.

"Shut up, Sin" Jeremy snaps, hitting his boyfriend's chest.

Bonnie ignores them and opens up the folder,

"This is her" Bonnie says.

"Yep, road trip time. I call shotgun"

"Yeeeaaahhh, nope. You two are staying here" I say to Jeremy and Sinbad.

"Aw, why? I always get left out of your adventures" Jeremy complains.

I try my best to resist strangling my brother,

"First of all, they are not 'adventures', they are highly dangerous Evernappings, carried out by deranged vampires. Secondly, you're not coming. This is about Bonnie, she doesn't need a full audience. Especially not an audience made up of me, you and Sin. That's like Jerry springer the mini series on tour. No. No way."

Sinbad holds his hands up,

"Ok, ok, we won't go, calm your tits, woman!"

"What about Damon and Stefan?" Jeremy asks me, "Are you gonna tell them you're going?"

Um, no.

I haven't seen them since last night, and I don't think I'm ready to make up yet. I gotta prepare what I'm gonna say so we won't descend into another horrible fight. I hate sleeping away from Day and Stef, I love them so much it hurts to be without them. But I don't want to just brush away our problems so we can go on pretending we don't have any.

The honey moon period is over. It's time to get real about our relationship and our future and what we mean to each other.

Seriously, I'm not ready for that conversation yet.

I shrug half heartedly,

"Sure. I'll call them on my way there." Sin gives me a hard look and I sigh heavily, "Look, I just really don't want to have it out with them again yet"

Bonnie frowns and asks,

"Why? What happened?"

I try to form words...but...they...won't...come...out...gaaahhhhhh!

So Sin talks for me,

"We found out Ever is a Guardian like me. She told my brothers. They got all pissy and tried to kick my ass. They failed. It. Was. Hilarious. Now Ever's upset with them for being assholes...or for behaving more asshole-like than they usually do"

Bonnie looks at me for confirmation. I clear my throat,

"Um, basically, yeah. That's what happened"

"It was pretty funny" Sinbad says with an amused smirk on his face.

I punch Sinbad in the arm and glare at him, then I can't help but smile,

"Yeah, it kinda was. Sin went pretty ninja on them."

God, I miss those ridiculous assholes.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

I walk into the boarding house to find Nick drinking some of Damon's favourite bourbon and lounging, yes _lounging_ , on my sofa. Luckily Damon and Stefan are out with Alaric otherwise they'd be having a cow and flock of fucking sheep about this.

I might have to burn the sofa to hide all evidence.

God knows I don't need another thing for my brothers to be pissed at me about.

He has the radio blasting some classic rock and I slowly move over to the turn down the volume.

"What are you doing here Nick?" the back of my neck buzzes with awareness like it always does when Nick is close. When Nick's eyes dart up to meet mine I almost double over.

Damn him for having the power to affect me like this.

His whiskey coloured eyes bore deeply into my skull, and I feel like he can see right down to my soul. It's unnerving, I'm meant to be the soul seer around here thank you universe. His appraisal of my body makes me shiver. He smirks at me.

Bastard.

I remember so many nights of us laying together in bed, or on a sofa, or outside on the grass or on the roof of some beautiful town house in France or Rome or England. I liked England best. It was cold, wet and breathtakingly gritty. But I loved it there. Nick and I had some of our best times in that small, strangely compelling country.

We used to spend days just painting, having sex and talking about everything and nothing. Suddenly a pain so harsh it shocks me, cuts through my heart and sears my insides.

Fuck, I loved him _so much_. It hurt. It still fucking _hurts_.

And I hate him for making me feel this way. I hate that I can't seem to completely let go of him, even though he's done some damn awful things to me. Things I would never forgive anyone else for.

But somehow I always forgave Nick. And he always forgave me, because I did some god awful things to him too.

We just keep coming back around, no matter where I run, or how hard we both fight it. And trust me, Nick fought falling in love with me harder than any man has ever fought falling in love with anyone.

And still it wasn't enough. Nick and are like a tornado and a hurricane, both of us unstoppable forces that leave chaos and destruction in our wake.

Right before I met Nick, when the witches sent me to kill him, there was one witch who disagreed with sending me. She looked right into my eyes and said in that overly wise voice most old witches have,

**_"When a tornado meets a hurricane, nothing is safe."_ **

She was right. Nothing is safe when me and Nick are...well, _us_. Even though the universe seems to be yanking Nick and I together again and again and again, no matter how much it hurts us both.

And, personally, it hurts a fucking lot. Every single time. But, there doesn't seem to be any escape, not for either of us.

Isn't _that_ depressing?

"I'm enjoying our stale mate, Angel" Nick answers me, his eyes still locked with mine. The intensity of his gaze has my heart thumping loudly in my chest.

I clench my hands into fists and get out the words,

"What. Do. You. Want?"

"Better question is, what do you want?" Nick fires back at me without missing a beat.

Damn him for that ability too.

"I want you to leave me the hell alone!" I shout, suddenly unable to contain my emotions any longer, "I want to get on with my life! I want you to _fuck off_ out of my life, for good this time! I want you to understand that WE ARE OVER!"

Just like that I'm being slammed up against the wall by Nick, his breathe hot and heavy against my lips. I press my head back against the wall and try desperately not to get aroused by this scenario-oh-ah...nope, too late.

Well thank you body, you useless fucking sex crazed machine!

"Don't lie to me, Angel. I know when you're lying. I've always known" Nick wastes no time in pressing his body flush against mine, his own impressive hardness burning my hip and stomach. I feel my own cock reciprocate in almost childish eagerness.

My body sucks, it's always at war with my brain. Those two son's a bitches can't ever just agree.

I slide my hands up over his chest, and jesus something in my stomach flips at the feeling of his hard chest beneath my hands. Nick has me boxed in, and any movement I make just rubs some part of us together.

No good. Not good. Not good.

I can feel his lips only inches away from mine and it's pure torture to have them that close. All the wicked things they used to do to my body...NO!

"Nick, get off me" my voice comes out more of a whispery plea than the harsh demand I meant it to be.

"Why? I quite like it here, my Angel" Nick whispers back in that impossibly sexy accent.

DAMN. HIM.

I can't believe he has the audacity to ask 'why' with such genuine bewilderment.

"Nick. I'm serious. No means no, haven't you seen the adverts"

"I really don't think those rules apply here, Angel"

Yeah, this probably isn't the scenario they had in mind when they made them.

"I don't want this Nick"

"Lie"

"I don't want _you_ Nick!"

"Lie"

"Nick, I swear, get off me or I'll make you"

"Another lie"

"For fucks sake Nick, I'm not lying, I want you to let me go"

"Yet more lies. How much more bullshit do you have stored up there?" Nick taps my temple, I can feel the smirk on his face.

And there goes another full body shiver. Great.

"All you heard in that sentence was 'I want you', right?"

"I hear everything you're saying. I just don't agree with most of it"

"Fucking hell, I almost forgot how much of a stubborn pain in the ass you can be"

"You missed me, admit it"

I can't help but choke out a strangled laugh at that,

"I admit nothing, you fucking mentalist"

"Mentalist? Is that another word for psycho, Angel?" Nick asks, he moves back so I can see his eyes lighting up with a spark of humour I've...damn, that I've missed. More so than I ever realised.

I clear my throat, tears I have no intention of shedding sting my eyes,

"It's one of Ever's words. We like to borrow each others words sometimes"

Nick smiles at that, and in response my stomach does that stupid floppy thing again. Ugh. I disgust myself.

"Ah, yes, the Gilbert girl. She's really quite...something"

I find myself nodding despite myself, Elena would not approve,

"Yeah...she really, really is. You shouldn't talk about her. You murdered her sister"

Nick tenses and stares into my eyes, I stare right back.

"That's quite a strong statement coming from the one man who has the ability to bring back the dead, and yet is choosing not to"

I grit my teeth and growl at him,

"You _know_ it's not that simple. I have no way of knowing if the council would allow me to return this time, let alone take anyone with me. Or what they would do to Ever, or Elena, if they got caught in the crossfire, which they _would_ if I tried to bring Elena back. I would have to die first anyway. And it wouldn't count if I did it to myself, I'd just wake right back up. To get to _that place_ , I need to be murdered. You _know_ that"

"I do know that"

"Then why would you say something like that. Are you actually trying to make me feel guilty?"

"You seem to be doing a fine job of that yourself, my Angel"

"Please tell me you did not just take the moral high ground"

"Powerful you have become, the darkness I sense in you" Nick whispers, his whiskey gaze narrowing slightly.

"Well thank you Yoda."

"You're welcome Luke"

"We did not just argue using Star wars characters"

"Wow, Angel, you are on a roll with denying things these days"

"Oh... _shut up_ "

We both laugh, and it rumbles through us like a wave of relief. Nick...being with him like this...it's...familiar, and yet exciting, dangerous, the ultimate thrill, all at the same time.

Although I can't deny one thing; Nick _feels_ like **home** to me. He always has.

"Please go" I whisper, and he must hear something different in my voice this time, because he actually does move away from me, his expression hard as granite and yet his eyes are soft. Loving. It's an impossible mix for an impossible man. And Nicklaus Mikaelson is the very epitome of an impossible man.

I can't move away from the wall yet, I feel trapped in that one place, unable to move.

Nik turns back to me right before he leaves, his gaze cutting into me like a knife made of fire,

"This isn't over. We aren't over. We're never over, Sin, my Angel, haven't you learnt that by now"

I take a deep breathe and choke on the words,

"I know"

What am I going to _do_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so, obviously some big stuff happened here. I'd really love your opinion on all it. What do you think about Sin and Klaus? Or Ever, Damon and Sinbad. I'm planning some brother bonding next chapter!
> 
> Anything you want to review or comment on, please don't hesitate to do so! xxx


	77. The Ties That Bind-Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Please read the authors note at the end, ok. It is vair vair important.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-seventh chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Damon would be my favourite special snowflake.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

"I just can't believe I'm actually gonna see her. Or meet her...sort of...since I don't really remember her" Bonnie says, anxiousness lacing her tone.

I turn to look at my friend, one of my best and oldest friend's. She's trying hard to look calm, but I can feel that she isn't. Her grip on the steering wheel is turning her knuckles white. I know this must be so difficult for Bonnie, she's struggled with feelings and insecurities about her mother leaving since she was a young child, and now all those feelings of abandonment and resentfulness must be shoving at her like a pissed off goat.

"You don't talk about your mother much, Bon"

Bonnie shrugs,

"What's to say, she left, never wrote, never called. Not even when my Grams died"

I hesitate before asking this question, but I guess I kind of have to since we haven't spoken about the issue yet.

"Do you think he'll be with her? I mean, will she have kept him all this time?"

Bonnie bites her lip and a spark of pain flashes in her eyes. I immediately regret even asking.

"I don't know. Maybe. She's the one who decided to take him"

"Do you want to...meet him?" I ask tentatively.

Bonnie doesn't say anything for a long time, and I begin to worry that I've truly upset her, but then she cuts though the silence,

"He's as much a stranger to me as she is. But..."

"But what?"

"I do wonder if he's like me"

"You mean...like you, as in similar to you, or like you as in **_like_** you"

"I mean I can't help wondering if he's got magic, yeah"

"He might. You are twins"

Ok, I guess I should explain. The one thing that must sting worse than having your mom run out on you, if that she decided to take your twin brother and leave you behind. Ugh, bio mothers suck. In my case literally.

"What's his name again?" I ask.

"Uh, Trick. His name is Trick"

That is an awesome name, but I don't say so. Now is not the time, brain, be normal for once. But seriously though, the irony of Bonnie's brother being a warlock and having the name 'Trick', isn't lost on me. He'd make one hell of a magician. I wonder if he owns a top hat and cape. He could always borrow mine.

But Bonnie sounds tense as hell, and I reckon a new topic is needed, like, right now.

"So...you and Matt have been getting pretty close lately it seems" I make sure to put as much suggestion as I can into my voice when I say it.

Bonnie practically jerks in her seat, her eyes slant towards me,

"I have no idea what you're talking about. There's nothing going on"

I hold my hands up defensively and smirk at her,

"I never said there was"

Bonnie rolls her eyes,

"Yeah, well, there isn't. So you can stop with the matchmaker eyebrow wiggles"

I make an insulted sound, slap a hand over my heart and put on a mocking impression of Bonnie,

" _'I have no idea what you're talking about',_ you blithering fool!" I add the last part to amuse myself.

Bonnie reaches over and hits me in the stomach,

"Shut up, Ever, you dork"

I open my mouth wide and dramatically pretend to fall back against the car door,

"OW! OH MY GOD! YOU **_ATTACKED_** ME! I'VE BEEN ATTACKED! I NEED A HOSPITAL! I MIGHT ACTUALLY **_DIE_**!"

"Ever-"

"I'M DYING! I CAN SEE A WHITE LIGHT! NOOOOOO!"

Bonnie sputters and shakes her head at my fanatics,

"You're already dead" is all she says.

I pause for a moment, and then shout,

"OH MY GOD, IT'S TOO LATE, YOU KILLED ME!" I point at Bonnie accusingly.

Bonnie sighs and hits me again,

"I did not!"

"YOU JUST KILLED ME AGAIN! YOU VIOLENT CREATURE!"

"You are such an idiot, Ever"

I clear my throat and huff haughtily,

"You shouldn't speak ill of the dead you know. Especially not when you're the one who murdered them"

Bonnie scoffs and snaps,

"I'm probably the only person in your life, apart from Matt, who isn't actually a killer"

I smirk and raise an eyebrow at Bonnie,

"Wow...you talk about Matt a _**lot**_ "

Bonnie starts sputtering even more and slaps the steering wheel in frustration, probably worried that I'll start shouting again if she hits _me_.

"I do not talk about Matt a lot"

"You just mentioned him. Twice" I argue.

"Once. I mentioned Matt _once_ "

"Three times now. Bonnie, I think you're obsessed"

"I swear to God Ever-" Bonnie starts, but then my phone starts ringing. I don't even reach for it, I know who it is. Its the same two people who have been calling nonstop all damn day. And I'm not ready to answer yet.

Moments later I feel another barrage of emotions hit me from both sides of my bonds with Damon and Stefan. I can feel them both trying to break through the barriers I've put up. My head starts to hurt, so I open up my connection to Damon just a little bit.

Instantly Damon is inside my head,

_**"Where are you? Are you alright? What's going on?"** _

_"Oh for fucks sake, call me again and I'll answer"_

**_"Promise?"_ **

_"Nope"_

Mere seconds later my phone is ringing and I answer just like I said I would.

"What can I do for you today, sirs?" I ask innocently.

"Don't start. Are you alive?"

"No. Bonnie killed me" I answer easily, and Bonnie gives me evils from the drivers seat. I grin at her.

"You probably deserved it" Damon says dryly.

"Rude. Very rude."

"Where the hell is she?" I hear Stefan in the background. Apparently I'm on speakerphone.

"Where the hell are you two?" I snap back, putting off telling them the truth for as long as I can.

" ** _We're_** with Alaric-"

"Is Sinbad with you?"

"What is it with you and Sinbad?" Damon growls, that possessive/jealous tone striking and powerful in his voice.

" _Damon_ -stop it" I hear Stefan saying in a low tone.

"Shut up Stef. I'm busy" Damon doesn't sound angry though, he just sounds frustrated. I feel sorry for Stefan, having to deal with a frustrated Damon all on his own.

"Where are you, Ever?" Stefan asks calmly.

I lean back against the head rest and sigh,

"I'm with Bonnie"

" **Where?** " Damon practically hisses.

"I dunno. There are fields. And tree's. There's a lot of road involved and-Oohhh look a _cow_!"

"That's a rock Ever" Bonnie says tiredly.

I scrunch up my nose,

"Bonnie says it's a rock. False alarm. There are no cows"

"Ever for fucking hells sake, why aren't you telling us where you are?" Damon snaps angrily.

"Because- _life is a highway_!"

My favourite road trip song comes on the radio, 'Life is Highway' by Rascal Flatts.

" _ **Ever**_ -" Damon starts.

"Day, Stef, look, just let me have today ok. We'll talk when I get back. It's fine. I'm safe. I promise. Trust me." I hang up before they can argue and I put up my emotional walls tall and thick inside my head. I meant it, I need this time alone to think.

Bonnie looks over at me, sympathy in her eyes. I feel guilty then, this isn't about me or my drama, it's about Bonnie. And having a kickass road trip. Before Bonnie can say or ask anything I lean forward and turn up the radio to an almost ear-splitting level.

"LIFE IS A HIGHWAY! I wanna ride it...all night loooong. If you're going my way. I wanna drive it...all night long" I sing. Loudly.

Bonnie laughs at me and sings back,

"Through all these cities and all these towns. It's in my blood and it's all around. I love you now like I loved you then"

We start laughing hysterically and singing together,

"There ain't no load that I can't hold. Road so rough this I knooooww. I'll be there when the light comes in. Just tell 'em we're survivors! LIFE IS A HIGHWAY!"

God, I love road trips!

...

"You ready?" I ask Bonnie when we pull up outside her mom's place.

"No" Bonnie answers with a nervous chuckle. I reach over and squeeze her leg, in what I hope is a reassuring way.

"Ever, stop making your molesty face" Bonnie wiggles her fingers in front of my eyes.

I slap her hands away,

"I can't help that you're so gorgeous. I've been in love with you for ages"

"So we're lesbians now, that's how it is?"

"What, you don't think I go on these adverntures for FREE, do you? Everyone else pays in sexual favours, why not you?"

"You're so creepy, Ever"

I cackle evily,

"Yeah, I know" I spindle my fingers like an evil mastermind. I am an evil mastermind. All the best people are.

Bonnie and I get out the car and I practically skip up to the front door. Bonnie follows me in a more subdued fashion. I stop when I reach the front door, tipping backwards and forwards on my toes. Bonnie gives me a strange sort of smile and says,

"I'm really glad you're here, Ever"

I tilt my head curiously,

"Why? I mean, apart from my obvious use of being positively fabulous"

Bonnie smiles a little wider at that,

"I'm glad because if things get truly awkward, you'll save us all by being a complete and utter lunatic"

I scowl at her,

"I am not a lunatic, you twatwaffling fool!"

"Twatwaffling?"

"Yeah, Sin used it a while ago, and I think it deserves a comeback"

Bonnie just shakes her head and presses the door bell.

When no one immediately answers I go to knock, but then my spidey senses (otherwise known as vampy hearing) picks up on two people approaching. I move closer to Bonnie and assume a protective stance. Bonnie frowns at me, but suddenly her eyes go wide and she spins to look towards the corner of the house.

Moments later two young men come into view. I take a quick stock of their appearences. Both of them have similar colouring as Bonnie, a rich dark chocolate. I've always loved Bonnie's dark beauty.

One of the young men has broad shoulders, wide set features, and an almost country boy-eque face. The other is slightly taller and slimmer, his face is immediately more striking and his features are delicate. A pretty face, but too handsome to be feminine. I mark him as Bonnie's brother. They've got the same almond eyes.

Plus, I can sense the magic in him. I'm guessing Bonnie could too and that's why she reacted so suddenly.

Another thing that sets the two young men apart is their clothing. Country boy is dressed just as I'd expect a country boy to dress, in simple jeans and a flannel shirt, he reminds me of Matt. The one I dubbed as Bonnie's brother is dressed in black leather pants and a black wife-beater that show off the tattoo's that practically cover every inch of his upper body. Most of them appear to be symbols of some kind, and I wonder if they are actually directly related to magic or not. He has a silver bar through his eyebrow and a look on his face that seems to tell the whole world that he doesn't have time for bullshit.

I believe I have found a new friend. A new magician friend.

Bonnie's magician brother is staring straight at her, his dark eyes intense as all hell, whilst country boy directs his attention to me,

"Hey there"

I nod at him,

"Hello, young sir, we are looking for Abby...Wilson" I try to catch Bonnie's eye, but she's locked in a staring war with our new magician, so I decide to take some kind of lead on the situation.

"She's not home" country boy in forms us with a wary expression on his face, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Our magician steps forward and wraps a hand around country boy's arm,

"Don't worry Jamie. I know who they are"

He does? Well what a neat trick. Ha! Trick! Do you see what I did there? Did you see? Bah, you people are difficult to please.

Jamie/country boy looks at our magician in confusion,

"You do?"

The intensity in Trick's eyes has not diminished one bit, he nods towards Bonnie,

"Well, I know who she is"

"You do?" Bonnie murmurs softly, her eyes still wide and somewhat dazed.

I hope Bonnie doesn't collapse, that would be kinda awkward.

"She's my twin sister" Trick says smoothly, like it's an everyday occurrence for your twin to suddenly show up out of the blue with her incredibly funny and attractive friend.

Jamie seems just as shocked as me, if not more so, and more than a little uncomfortable. He awkwardly coughs and says,

"So...do you want to come in?"

I reach over and squeeze Bonnie's hand, nodding at country boy as I do,

"Hell yeah, we would"

Jamie goes to open the door and I pull Bonnie in after him. Bonnie stares back at Trick and he follows us after a few moments hesitation.

Country boy leads us into the house and I watch as he tries to catch Trick's eye. But Trick has a thoughtful expression on his face that appears to mean that he's lost in his own mind. Bonnie still looks confused and stunned, which is fair enough really.

Jamie tries to offer us drinks, but the sentence kind of dies off as Bonnie and Trick start staring at each other again and seem to have forgotten mine and country boy's existence.

I wonder if Elena and I ever looked at each other like that. If we did, I can't remember a specific moment. For some reason that saddens me, like I'm forgetting Elena more and more every day she's still dead. It feels like a major betrayal, and I'm not sure why.

"So...I'm Ever. The designated passenger on this rollercoaster of weirdness"

Yep, real tactful, damn my big mouth!

Jamie exhales readily, prompting Bonnie to snap out of it a little and ask Trick,

"Are we related to...?" her eyes flitter over to country boy for a moment before returning to her twin's face.

Trick smiles wryly, which is kind of a shock after all the serious expressions he was giving us before,

"No. Jamie's not related to us, he's just a stray we decided to adopt" Trick says teasingly, he presses a finger to his lips, "Shhh, don't tell Animal protective services, they might take him off to the pound"

Country boy rolls his eyes at this and hits Trick on the shoulder good naturedly,

"Shut up, T!" He turns to talk to us, "Abby and my dad we're a thing back in the day. He was kind of a dead beat so when he took off, she took me in. Put me through school. Didn't freak out when I totalled her car. Twice."

"And yet, when I break the toaster by accident _one time_ -" Trick begins, throwing his hands up dramatically.

Jamie snorts and waves dismissively at Trick,

"You didn't 'break' the toaster, you burnt it to a crisp, and half of the house down along with it"

Trick leans against the wall and crosses his arms casually,

"Pffftttt, details, details. My point still stands"

They remind me of Jeremy and I when we play fight. Pain strikes my heart as I think of how it must seem to Bonnie. I squeeze her hand again and she squeezes back weakly.

All four of us stand around feeling awkward for a while. Or at least me and Jamie do. Bonnie seems paralysed to the spot, and Trick appears complerely unbothered. Just when I decide it really is time for me to say something wildly inappropriate again to get the conversation going, I hear the front door open and a woman call out,

"T, Jamie, who's car is that in the driveway?"

A woman comes into the room and Bonnie jerks into action again, she raises her hand lamely and says,

"That's...mine"

Bonnie and Bio mother the 'witch' edition make eye contact and there's a flicker of something there. Although it's Trick who takes the opportunity to say,

"Mom, this is _Bonnie_ "

Abby's eyes widen and dart frantically between Trick and Bonnie.

Oh yeah, now things are getting awkward.

Bonnie swallows hard and says,

"I'm your daughter"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right ok everyone, quite a few things to tell you-VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE HERE-I want to start by saying that after a lot of pulling out my hair and smacking myself (and others) in the face, I've finally figured out where to go with the Ever, Stefan and Damon situation. The story line I've decided on is a little outside the box, but I'm really looking forward to writing it (it will begin on the season finale).
> 
> Also, I will be introducing THREE new OC characters to my fic. Well, two are new OC's, but the third is...um...kind of already part of my story...ish...uh, it's hard to explain without giving anything major away. All new OC's will have their own P.O.V's, so I'll be jumping in between five minds instead of two as of season four. More hard work for me, but more fun for you ;) x.
> 
> Since I love you all, I will give you a few little spoilers about the new characters. So if you don't want any clues, stop reading NOW: One new OC will be a werewolf, his name is 'Evan Night'-I've me mentioned him before as someone who was in Sin's past. The other OC, is obviously a Warlock (Bonnie's twin brother), Trick Bennett. The third, and only 'new' female OC, is going to be a Guardian and we won't meet her until the season finale. Her name is 'Lyna'. I will give you one clue in regards to her: Remember Ever's full name.
> 
> One more thing, in case any of you are wondering about Trick and Evan's appearance's, I've picked out two people who remind me the most of what they look like in my head. Just look up:
> 
> Trick Bennett-Sacha M'Baye (pictures)
> 
> Evan Night-Mikkel Jensen


	78. The Ties That Bind-Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-eighth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Damon would be my favourite speshul snowflake.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

I watch Bonnie as she goes around picking up photographs of Trick and Jamie a.k.a country boy and the leather magician. She looks down at them with a wistful look on here face, and my heart clenches painfully.

Bonnie doesn't deserve this kind of shit, she's a good person. I kind of hate her mother for making her feel this way. It brings up all my old feelings and resentments towards my own biological mother.

I said it before, and I'll say it again, bio mom's suck. Hard.

"How you doing Bonnie...you know...just say the word and we'll leave, ok" I smile at my friend in what I hope is a comforting way. Although I have a feeling I look constipated and uncomfortable. Or just constipated. There really isn't a way to look comfortable _whilst_ feeling constipated.

Shut. Up. Brain.

Bonnie shakes her head a little,

"No. It's alright. I'm not here to get my mom back, I'm just here to get her help"

Lie. An obvious lie. But I don't push it. Bonnie has to deal with this in her own way.

Jamie left to deal with something out back. He was pretty vague about what exactly 'something' was. Trick looked at him and mouthed 'coward', which country boy ignored. I'm sure he just wanted to get away from the extreme awkwardness floating around the room. I kind of do as well. But I can't abandon Bonnie.

Trick is still leaning against the wall. He seems to be in deep thought, not paying us much attention.

I take the time to study him a little closer. Bonnie's brother is undeniably attractive, almost fae-like, and to me it's obvious they are related. It's not just the colour and shape of their eyes either, it's the look in them. I see the same quiet fierceness that I know stays dormant inside of Bonnie, until she needs to use it.

His humour is harsh, and he appears to be quite the 'I-don't-give-a-fuck' type. Maybe a little like Sinbad and Damon. But with the leather and almost pretty face, I'm picking up a slightly less manly and more flamboyant edge to him.

I'm almost positive that he's gay. It's just a vibe I get. Sin says there's no such thing as gaydar though.

But then, he also says that he wouldn't need it anyway even if it did exist, because _everyone_ wants him; them being gay, straight or bi, is apparently irrelevant.

Arrogant bastard.

It's just so frustrating that he's probably right. I wish I could say I'm the exception, but I already dated him.

Abby suddenly comes striding in with a trey of food,

"Hey, I hope you guys are hungry, because food is my go-to icebreaker"

She gives me a strange look. And I begin to wonder if she knows I'm a vampire.

Ok. Not cool.

"Your house is...pretty" I say out of politeness, but the words taste like ash on my tongue.

Abby smiles at me anyway and puts the food down on the table,

"Aw, you're sweet. Just like your mom"

I tense a little and narrow my eyes at her,

"You knew my mom?"

For a crazy moment I think she means Isobel. But then I mentally slap myself. That's impossible. Mostly because Isobel was about as far from 'sweet' as a person can get.

"Yeah, Miranda was my best friend"

I can feel the tension coming from Bonnie. She all but glares at her mother,

"You had a daughter and a best friend, and you still left?"

Abby seems unfazed by this and replies calmly,

"My best friend is why I left" Abby sits down and continues, "Fifteen years ago, a vampire came to town" Her eyes meet mine, "Looking for you, Ever. Looking for the doppelgänger"

Awwww, why is it _always_ **ME** the crazy psycho vamps want?

"No one could manage to kill him" Abby goes on, "So I lured him out of town and cast a spell to desiccate him in a crypt in Charlotte"

Oh, shitastic!

" _Mikael_. That son of a...that _fangy grandpa_!" I bring my fist down on the table in frustration.

At my outburst Trick arches an eyebrow and moves closer to us. His almond eyes are filled with a dark kind of amusement,

"Did you just call Daddy Original a 'fangy grandpa'?"

I shrug, nonplussed,

"I call 'em, like I see 'em"

Bonnie rolls her eyes and says,

"She calls Klaus, 'Klausy wousy' too"

Trick snorts out laughter,

"To his _**face**_?"

I scoff,

"Of course. That's his _**name**_. What else would I call him?"

Abby breaks in before Trick or Bonnie can say anything.

"It took every ounce of power I had. Almost killed me. I recovered. But my magic didn't. My powers never came back"

Ouch.

Bonnie's eyes narrow,

"And neither did you"

Double ouch.

Abby looks a little taken a back,

"It wasn't that simple, Bonnie-"

Bonnie cuts in,

"It wasn't? You cast a spell, put Mikael down, and...what? Took my brother. Left me behind with dad. Did you think that was fair for both of you to keep one of us?"

Woah, woah, snip snappity snap, things are getting a bit heavy in here.

My eyes dart to Trick, who looks surprisingly unbothered. Or that might just be his neutral expression. I can't imagine this is easy for him either.

"Bonnie" I say, reaching out to touch her arm.

Bonnie pulls away and shakes her head,

"This was a mistake. She has no magic, she can't help us"

She goes to storm away, but Abby gets up and calls out,

"Bonnie-wait!"

Bonnie doesn't stop though. Not until Trick steps forward and says in a surprisingly strong voice,

"Bonnie, please don't leave"

Bonnie turns around slowly, her eyes flitting between Trick and Abby. I wait for her next move, either to slam out of the house or stay. Trick takes a few more steps forward and holds a hand out to Bonnie, his eyes fixed on her face.

"Let us help you Bonnie"

"Please" Abby adds hopefully, but all Bonnie's attention seems to be on her twin brother.

She's conflicted, I can see it all over her face. I wish I could do something to make things better for her, but I don't think there is anything that will make this crappy situation better. Sometimes things are just shitty. Plain and simple.

But maybe it won't all be a total loss if Bonnie can reconnect with Trick, I know I'd do anything to have my own twin back. I miss Elena so much in that moment, I can barely breathe.

"I'll go wait outside" I say, making quick eye contact with Bonnie before leaving top sweet.

I take back what I said, I wish Damon and Stefan were here with me right now so I wouldn't have to pretend I'm ok. Because I'm not. I'm so not ok.

As soon as I get home we're gonna talk, forgive and move past all the bullshit. I love them, I really, truly do. I would rather spend my worst day fighting with them than spend the best day of my life with any other man.

That's not just love. That's always.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"You know, I don't think that's helping" I hear Elena say as I bash my head against the wall for the fifth time since Nick left.

Damn it, I'm losing my mind. Again. And there wasn't much there to begin with.

I groan and throw myself down onto the sofa, my arm covering my eyes.

"So...little lena...how are _you_?"

I hear her snort a little and answer dryly,

"Still dead"

I chuckle under my breathe. Since dying, Elena has developed a slight change in personality. She's still good 'ol nice Elena Gilbert, but there's a jaded sarcastic edge to her now. I quite like it to be honest, _I_ think it suits her.

"Why were you smacking your head against the wall?" she asks curiously. I feel more than see her sit down in one of the living room chairs, the one right next to me to be more exact. "Are you upset about something to do with Jeremy?"

I groan in protest. Oh God, why did she have to bring up Jeremy?

I am an awful person! Awful, awful, awful. Fucked in the head.

I love Nick.

And _why_? Because I'm a fucking moron, that's why.

I HATE that I love him. Hate it, down to the very depths of my soul.

I sound so much like a teenage girl right now. Actually, that's offensive to all teenage girls everywhere. I sound, like a whiny bitch. Or a heroine from one of those teen romance novels people seem to like so much these days.

In fact, I don't think I've ever sounded gayer than I do right now.

_'Oh, I love him. But I love HIM even more. Or do I? Do I love them both the same amount? He's so sweet. And HE sets my blood on fire with just one touch. I've hurt him so much already. But HE and I share so much history..blah, blah, blah, blah, BLAH._

Goddamnit!

Elena sighs heavily,

"Ah, so this is about Klaus then"

I feel even worse then, because Nick was the one who killed Elena. I should hate him even more for that. And I DO. But...

"I'm an angst whore, Elena. Save me!"

I reach out for her dramatically and scrunch my fingers in 'gimmie, gimmie' gestures. Elena rolls her eyes, but concedes and moves to sit down next to me on the sofa with her legs over my lap. I take her hand in mine and she squeezes it kindly. If nothing else, she likes that I can feel her.

Just another creepy thing I get to deal with because I'm a Guardian of the freakin' Dead. Hurray!

"Explain to me why you care about him so much. I don't get it. He's a monster" Elena says, her shoulder rising and falling in a half shrug.

"So am I" I say softly, which is the truth and not something I have an issue with.

Elena shakes her head,

"That's not true. _You_ feel remorse. He doesn't"

"He does. He feels a lot of things" I reply, unable to think of anything but the gentle nature Nick hides beneath all that bravado.

Now, don't get me wrong, Nick is a fucking scary-ass motherfucker a lot of the time. And he mostly doesn't feel much remorse. But that doesn't mean he _never_ does.

I know he feels remorse for what happened to his youngest brother, Henrik, all those years ago. I know he feels somewhat ashamed for being part werewolf, for being the result of his mother's affair and the object of Mikael's scorn.

I know he feels regret for putting a stake in Kol's heart when he found out about what Kol and I had been doing behind his back. I know he feels guilty for driving me away by being overly possessive. Although I also believe it isn't in him to behave any differently in regards to me. To Nick, I am, and always have been, his.

His to _love_ and _hurt_ and _fuck_ and _cherish_ and _protect_. His other half in every way. His only true equal.

And there was a time when I believed the exact same thing. I can't deny that there is still a part of me that feels deeply connected to him in that way.

From the moment we met, hell from the moment his eyes locked with mine...it was like... ** _fuck_**...nothing else in the world mattered, or existed, but us. I wanted him. He wanted me. It was instant. An instant connection.

He broke down all my defences, and I obliterated every one of his walls. We showed each other everything, bared ourselves like it was natural to do so, even though we'd never done it before with anyone else. Even though we both feared rejection.

It was like...like it was inevitable. Like _we_ were inevitable. Like we'd been waiting all our lives for each other to arrive. Like we'd just been pushing through life until we could _finally_ be together.

I've never wanted to give myself to anyone else like that, and I'm damn sure he hasn't ever want to either.

It's dangerous to feel that much for one person. To love so _fucking intensely_ that you could drown yourself in it, if you chose to let go.

Scary as all hell, I'll tell you that much.

Maybe that's one more reason why I ran. Because I couldn't handle it. Couldn't deal with loving someone that much.

But I'm not running now. Not anymore. I'm NOT.

I just...have too much to lose if I give in to him this time.

To Elena, I say,

"What I feel for Nick...I know it'll sound stupid...but our love...it was epic, it just _was_. Maybe it still could be. But life isn't that simple. Not for me. Not for any Salvatore brother, really. I think we were all born drama and chaos magnets. Even Stefan."

Elena actually laughs a little at that,

"Yeah. I kinda noticed that, Sin."

I smile at her apologetically,

"Sorry, little Lena...lets forget about me. I'm BORING, anyway. Tell me about you"

Elena huffs out a little breathe and squeezes her eyes shut,

"Uh...I actually came to talk to you about someone I've met"

I frown at her,

"Wait...wait...you've...'met' someone? Is there a ghost speed dating thing going on over there? Who is it?"

"Someone dead-"

"Well, yeah, obviously-"

"He says-"

"Ohhhh, so it is a ' _he_ ' then, is it?"

"Shut _up_. He says he knows you"

I stop smirking suggestively at her when she says that. Knows me? That can't be good.

"We used to talk a little from time to time whenever I saw him around. But this is the first time he's mentioned you by name"

"Ok" I hold my hand up, "Who is 'he', first of all?"

"' _He_ ', says his name is Evan" Elena answers, seemingly ready to fire more questions at me, but my mind has parasailed off a cliff by this point.

Evan...Evan _Night_? Must be. Can't be. Probably is.

Damn that blond fucker.

Elena takes note of my frown and asks,

"Who is he to you? An old...'friend'?"

I make a face at her, snapping out of my thoughts,

"Yeah. He was a good 'friend' of mine. But...he swings both ways like me, so feel free to go for a bit of ghostly action-OW!"

Elena hits me on the arm,

"Sin! Get your mind out of the gutter five second, would you? He's just a...friend. Sort of. Not THAT kind of friend. Just a friendly ghosty...friend"

I smirk at her again, unable to help myself,

"Oh, come on, he's hot. Like, really, really smoking sexy hot. Admit it!"

Elena scowls at me, her lips pressed together,

"I admit nothing"

I start snickering and Elena hits me again.

"Sin, just tell me how you know him"

"Didn't you ask your new ghostly _boyfriend_ that question?"

Elena huffs again and flicks my jaw,

"Yeah. He said it would be better to ask you that question. I think he wants to talk to you, actually"

"Did he threaten me with bodily harm?" I ask suspiciously.

"Uh...no. He sounded quite fond of you actually. Should he have threatened you with bodily harm? What awful thing did you do to him?"

I shrug humourlessly,

"I didn't really do anything awful to him. I was just the catalyst for his death, and Ariel's"

Elena sighs in thought,

"Ariel. His girlfriend. Evan told me about her"

I narrow my eyes at Elena, more curious than anything else,

"You two been talking a lot then, huh?"

Elena bites her lip, and if she were alive I think she'd be blushing right now.

"Not really" is all she says. "Ariel's passed on you know" Elena adds conversationally.

I feel a little sad twinge in my chest at that. Ariel was my friend too. I cared about her and Evan, them being killed hurt me a lot.

"Evan and I met at a bar" I explain, "He was there with Ariel. I figured out they were different pretty fast, so when they told me they were werewolves, I wasn't that shocked. They knew I was a vampire straight off too. It's those damn doggy noses they have. Anyway, we became...close-"

"We? As in _both_ of them?" Elena asks, clearly a bit shocked, her brown eyes wide.

"Yes, both of them"

"They cheated on each other?"

"No. It's not cheating if both parts of the couple are involved-"

"Jeez, Sin, how much sex have you _had?_ "

I flick Elena on the nose,

"Sssshhhh, it's story time Elena, don't ruin it with logical questions. There will be plenty of time for that during the Q&A session later"

Elena rolls her eyes, but slumps back and gestures for me to continue.

"Right, well. Their pack weren't very fond of the idea...you know, me being a vampire and all. They gave Ariel and Evan a choice, me or the pack"

Elena's eyes widen,

"Oh no, please don't tell me they chose you!"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"Excuse me! I happen to be very choosable thank you very much, little-miss-Lena-goodie-two-shoe-bunny-laces!" That nickname took me a while, I usually shorten it to 'little lena'. But this situation calls for full names.

Elena just shrugs and says,

"I just meant that you're not exactly good at relationships. Not proper ones."

"We weren't _in_ a relationship" I mutter irritably.

"Yes, but did _they_ know that?"

Ah, she's got me there. Did they? Jesus, I don't know.

But Elena seems to take my silence as an answer because she says,

"Ha, I thought so. You need to be more careful about other people's feelings"

I lean my head back against the sofa,

"Is this your roundabout way of giving me the big sister talk about Jeremy?"

Elena shakes her head,

"No. I think you should break up with Jeremy, you already know that"

I sigh in frustration,

"Yeah, yeah, I get it"

"I think you still love Klaus" Elena adds bluntly.

"I DO still love Nick, that was never something I denied"

"But you love Jeremy more?"

"I...don't know. I think I love them the same."

"Ha, last time I asked that, you said you definitely loved Jeremy more. Now you're saying you don't know. What do you want to bet that next time you'll admit you love Klaus more. I say that's pretty likely"

"Harsh Elena" I snap. Annoyed more with myself than I am with her.

"I'm just saying what you are already thinking somewhere in that messed up brain of yours" Elena says plainly, she wraps on my head like she's knocking on a door.

I sigh and meet Elena's gaze,

"Maybe you're right. I don't know anymore...keep me updated on the Evan front, if he really does come in peace, then bring him along next time you want to visit"

Elena narrows her eyes slightly, but doesn't comment further on my internal dilemma about Jeremy and Nick. I really wish I could just know what the right decision is. But the more I think about it, the more I realise that there is no right decision.

No matter what I do, someone is going end up getting hurt. And it's probably going to be me.

Which is why there's only one thing I can do. Or, two, actually.

First I'm gonna tell Becklsy the truth about the coffins so that she can get back on Nick's good side by telling him where they are. I'll just keep the last coffin for leverage, whatever's inside it matters to Nick, and I have a good idea of the reason why.

More importantly though, it's about time I bring back the only other person in this world who is as conflicted about his feelings towards Nick as I am.

Elijah.

**Trick's P.O.V**

"You've grown into such a beautiful young woman, Bonnie" Mom says, reaching over to weirdly touch my sister.

Yeah, that's not gonna go down well.

I've always known of Bonnie's existence. All my life I knew I had a twin sister who lived in Mystic Falls. But, the thing is, I knew about it in the same way everyone else knows that they will eventually die.

It's always there. Always the truth. But no one actually thinks about it, or properly acknowledges it. I felt the same way about my twin. I knew she existed, but it was never real for me.

Not until now. Now I'm beginning to wonder why I never pushed for more information about her from our mom. Not that mom could have told me much, she is the one who left in the first place after all.

Bonnie gets a pissed off look on her face that I've seen plenty on times in the mirror,

"Please, just stop...with the cupcakes...and the compliments...I just wanna know the truth...why didn't you come home?"

Every now and again Bonnie's eyes slip over to me and I do my best to appear as inviting as I can manage. I'm not really a people person, and I don't handle social situations all that well, either. But I figure pretending this is all ok is the least I can do.

Even though I think all three of us know that this is super fucking weird. It's not exactly everyday that your twin sister rocks up out of the blue with her doppelgänger friend in tow. We haven't seen each other since we were three.

I really hope she doesn't remember anything from back then, because I definitely don't. It would be extremely embarrassing if she expects me to remember the great crawling and pooping in unison race of '93.

Mom sighs heavily and her gaze flickers to me. I hold my hands up in front of me. I'm not helping, I already did my part by getting Bonnie to stay, although God knows why she actually did. I would have demanded my answers and then left without another word.

But maybe my sister has a more forgiving nature than I do. She'll need one if she wants a relationship with our mom.

Mom's eyes are still wavering between her two children when she says,

"I had no magic. I was in a new city; and I realised, I had the chance to be somebody else"

Yep, way to not sound like a selfish S.O.B mom. Sheesh.

I've never really agreed with my mom's reasons for running, but at the same time, there wasn't much I could do or say about it. She made her choices. All I can do is make my own, now that I'm old enough to know what kind of person I want to be.

I'll admit I've rebelled my fair amount over the years. Mom and I were never all that close, although that might have been my fault. I don't really _do_ being close to people. Getting hurt is just too much of a risk most of the time.

I suppose Jamie's like a brother to me, and we've had our moments together as a family. A really weird semi-dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.

Maybe mom and I would have bonded more if I hadn't developed my magic so early. There was always that in the background. I could use magic, and she no longer could. It wasn't like she hated me, but I understand why she felt a certain level of resentment. I might have felt the same way if the roles were reversed.

You never know.

I was in a relationship for a while, and I though that I was in love. It turned out I was just young and naive. But I'm hardly the first to fall into that trap, so I don't feel all that bad about it.

Mom continues, despite my telepathic shouting for her to stop. If she can't even be bothered to read my mind, then I'm not helping her. Obviously she'd have to gain the ability to read minds first. But in my opinion, the fact that the human race can't read minds is just pure laziness on our part.

"I had a chance to be Abby Wilson, the woman. No Abby Bennett the witch...I'm not proud of what I did"

I watch Bonnie face become tighter and tighter with each word our mother speaks. I really don't think this is helping, but, fuck, no one wants my opinion most of the time, I hardly think they do now. Especially since my advice would be, 'lets all just have a drink, maybe smoke a bit of weed, and pretend to like each other'.

Because that's what families do.

The pretending to like each other part, not the weed and alcohol part. Although...

"I ran, Bonnie" Oh, God, it's still happening, "I know I ran", We all know that, Mom, it's not a secret, bit late to pretend you were kidnapped, "But you had your dad and your Grams...who, lets face it...your Grams is way better at this stuff than I am"

Bonnie blinks rapidly at that, she tilts her head to the side and I get a bad feeling.

"You don't know"

Don't know _what_? Jeez, what is it with women and being blatantly ominious. Explain things people!

I'm glad I'm gay. I mean, it's not a choice for me, but still, even if it was a choice, I'd still probably rather be attracted to men. Far less complicated.

Bonnie seems to get her point across well enough without explaining though, and mom says in a choked voice,

"How?"

"We were doing a rough spell, and we both exhausted ourselves" Bonnie sucks in a harsh breathe, "Her more than me"

Without thinking, because I'm an impulsive idiot like that, I reach across the table and grab hold of Bonnie hand. She, surprisingly, doesn't shove me away.

"She raised you right" Mom says, "I'm sure she would have been proud of you"

I squeeze Bonnie's hand. Sometimes it's better not to say anything. I don't know if it's because we're twins and we can feel the old Bennett magic between us, or because we're just alike in that way. But Bonnie's squeezes back, both of us understanding, without having to speak, that whatever happens in the grand scheme of things, we won't let go now that we've found each other.

"Why did you take Trick with you and not me?" Bonnie seems shocked that she even asked the question, although it is a perfectly valid one.

Mom wipes her eyes and sniffs once before answering,

"I had to take Trick with me that day. Mikael wanted to use him as collateral if I went against him"

Nice. Real nice. I've known for a while that mom only took me with her because of circumstance. But it's still not the most comforting thing to hear from your own mother.

Before Bonnie can ask any more questions about that, I say,

"Let's forget about my worthlessness for a moment...why are you here Bonnie?"

Did that sound rude? Did it? DID IT?

"It was a dream, actually." Bonnie's gaze darts to our mother, "I thought that you were supposed to help us. But if you don't have any magic..."

"Spells, no" Mom murmurs, "But I'm not completely useless"

That is honestly debatable by this point.

Damn, that was catty, even for me.

"Let us help you, Bonnie" I say, "My magic...it's strong. And Mom has her herbs. Just tell us what you need"

And I'll try my best not to screw it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think about Trick's pov?
> 
> How should Sin handle his insane love life?
> 
> Teaser: Things are about to explode. Prepare yourselves. ;) xxx


	79. Bringing out the dead-part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the seventy-ninth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Damon would be my favourite speshul snowflake.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

Eli slams Nick into the floor and they continue to fight; original vampire style.

I look over at Becksly and she rolls her eyes. She forgave me rather quickly for not telling her about the death boxes when I told her she could use the information to get back in good with Nick.

But now Elijah is beating the shit out of Nick, completely ruining his new lovely house. Like, seriously, I really do think this house is great, Nick's done a good job.

I remember when we renovated a house together back in England. We argued almost the whole time, he wanted to go more classical and high end, whilst I preferred rustic and understated. I almost smile at the memory. We fought hard, and fucked even harder on every surface available when we made up. Make up sex is a favourite of mine. Nick and I had a lot of it.

I lean against the door frame to the living room and yawn dramatically,

"Are you two done yet?"

Becksly snickers from her place on the sofa.

Apparently they aren't done because Nick snatches the dagger out of Kol's heart and wields in over Eli's chest, threatening,

"Don't make me use this again Elijah!"

I frown and stand a little straighter, no way am I allowing that to happen. Nick knows I won't, I can only assume he's ignoring my presence in the vain hope that I won't intervene. Which I won't. Unless I feel like I have to.

Eli surprises me by using his calm-and-collected angry voice to say,

"Go on, use it, I dare you; then you'll have Kol to deal with"

Oh, fuck, _Kol_. I thought for so long about releasing him, but honestly, if peace is what we're going for, then having Kol back really wouldn't help.

Obviously realising the truth of this, Nick lowers the dagger slowly and slaps out his trump card,

"Mikael is dead"

Eli straights immediately,

" _What?"_

"I killed him. With his own weapon. He's gone Elijah, forever"

Eli remains shocked for a few moments, but then his jaw tightens and he grinds out,

"Why do our family remain in these coffins? Finn for over nine hundred years, Kol for over a century"

Uh, right, that might be my fault a little bit.

Nick looks right at me, his gaze heavy and intense, it makes my bones shake and my stomach churn almost pleasantly. I hate it. The power he still has over me is not at all acceptable. Not. At. All.

"Ask Angel, the Salvatore's and their little band of teenagers have something of mine. Something that could destroy us all" Nick pins me with another hard stare, and I do nothing but stare mutely right back.

Eli frowns at his brother, but his expression softens when he looks at me. God damn, I've missed Eli's calming nature. He almost makes me feel calm, and right now, that is no small feat. I smile at him and he smiles back, somehow managing to seem reassuring.

Nick growls and his dark eyes turn molten. Eli's head whips back around,

"What are you talking about, brother?"

"I need you to stand by my side, be my brother. There are things I've not told you, about our mother, things I never wanted you to know...help me" Nick is gripping Eli's arms now, the intensity in the air between them makes me shiver. Just like old times.

I have my suspicions about what's in that last death box, just as I have suspicions about Nick and Eli's mother. I really, really, hope I'm wrong.

** Trick's P.O.V **

"Jeez, could you guys have hid this coffin anywhere **more** creepy" I mutter as I follow the vampire brother, Stefan, through the cave/tomb/creepy as all fuck hiding spot.

"This is the safest place for it" Stefan replies stoically. I'm beginning to wonder if this guy even has any other tone of voice.

"Come on, Trick, you agreed to this just like I did" Mom says.

I make a face at her,

"I say a lot of things mother-'Hey, nice corduroy pants suit Miss Taylor.' 'Dating someone you met on the internet, great idea Charlie, I bet that guy is a total keeper.' 'Yeah, sure, I'll help you find a way to kill a super badass vampire original, why not?'" I throw my hands up and let them fall back to my sides with a dull thump.

Stefan the oh so stoic one actually barks out a short laugh at that. A laugh. He laughed. **Laughed**. So vampire man has layers. Goodie for him.

"I'm sure you and my brother will get on quite well" Stefan remarks, teasing.

I frown at him,

"Which one? I was under the impression that you had two"

Stefan nods,

"I meant Sinbad"

My twin sister scoffs and gives us a strained smile,

"Please keep my brother away from yours, Jeremy doesn't need any more competition"

Stefan shifts uncomfortably and shrugs.

I raise an eyebrow in interest,

"Is Sinbad really that hot then?"

Stefan just keep staring straight ahead, his mouth tightly shut. Bonnie just stares at me dryly for a few moment sand then looks away,

"Yes" she mutters, "But he's also taken"

"By Jeremy?" I ask, there is so much going on in this town.

There's a hybrid who's running around causing havoc, a newly made doppelganger vampire who has two vampire brother boyfriends, an original family locked up in coffins and a town council who are meant to hunt them all down but ars now apparently best buddies with the psycho hybrid.

I'm gonna need to start taking notes or something.

"Yeah, sort of" Bonnie says with another shrug.

"Although it's Klaus who'll kick your ass if you go near Sinbad" Stefan says, with a mixture of amusement and dread in his voice. Quite an interesting combo.

I think about that for a while. Why would an original hybrid care about a vampire's sex life? Unless...

"Do Klaus and Sinbad have...history?" I ask, for the first time genuinely interested.

"Unfortunately" Stefan mumbles.

"Yeah" Bonnie says, "They have loads of 'history'-most of it insane. Apparently Sin is the love of Klaus's life. He's a bit...possessive"

I nod slowly,

"Jeremy probably isn't too happy about that"

"You could say that" Bonnie replies distractedly.

Bonnie and Stefan make eye contact, something serious passes between them, and I begin to wonder if this whole Klaus/Sinbad thing is a more serious problem than they're making it out to be.

...

I end up leaving Bonnie and our mother alone together after only a few hours of searching. It turns out all we need to do is somehow find Mom's lost magic, and then everything will be all-freakin'-right in the world.

The spell on that stupid coffin requires the bloodline from two generation i.e. Bonnie and our Mom. I could do it too, but Bonnie seems adamant that she be the one who opens the coffin. For someone who says she wants so badly to not be involved in vampire business, she thrusts herself into it quite a lot.

We got into a ridiculous fight about that and I left before one of us set fire to something by accident.

I walk around town for a while, until I come across 'The Mystic Falls Grill'. Jeez, is everything in Mystic Falls named 'Mystic Falls- _something_ '. Mystic Falls High. The Mystic Falls hospital. Mystic Falls square.

Just sayin', a little bit of originality can go a long way.

I really need a drink right now, but I'm guessing even a town like this doesn't serve minors. Sometimes I hate living in America. Then again, there have been times in my life when I've just hated living, period. But those moments are far too emo for me to think about for too long without feeling like a freaky loser.

I get enough of that from other people being assholes. God forbid anyone be in any way different from the social norm for fucks sake, gotta keep pretending we're all happy dappy moody hipster shit heads who don't think about anything other than cutting up our skin for kicks, our oh-so-dramatic love lives, and of course, how in tact our virginity is.

I mean, who actually gives a flying fuck if you've had sex or not? It doesn't make you a better person or anything. Honestly, I still regret having sex with Zander Flynn when I was fourteen, it hurt like a bitch and it didn't make me feel any older or mature, in fact I felt like an idiot at the time.

I've been with a few people since then, but I never really cared about anyone until I met my recent ex, a tattoo artist just like me, Holton Wilder.

I guess I thought I was in love with him. Because I was a naive moron who believed all the lies that prick fed me. I won't ever be making that mistake again.

Ok, now this is starting to feel a bit angsty. So I'll stop.

I go into the Grill despite it's stupid name, if only so I can sit down and draw for a while. I swear my sketches are the only thing that keep me semi-sane sometimes. I get out my sketchpad from my bag as I walk, not really paying much attention to anything around me.

I'm so deep into my own thoughts that I manage to collide with another solid body. A person, obviously.

"ohmmff" Yep, that's the very attractive sound that comes out of my mouth.

I grab onto the person, male, who I bumped into and instead of keeping us both upright, this guy trips over a table leg and we both go down. And we go down hard.

My back hits the ground and I suck in a breathe full of pain. I can take pain at the end of a tattoo needle, but having a heavy guy fall on top of you is always gonna hurt like hell. Not that the guy is fat or anything, he actually just feels tall and broad, highly muscled maybe.

I blink a few times and push away the pain I feel in my back. The weight on top of me only stays for a few seconds before the guy scrambles to get up. He starts apologising before I can even process what the fuck is going on.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" the guy's voice is young, smooth and kinda hot. Don't ask me how I know that, I have a thing for voices, ok.

I attempt to sit up and wave my hand at the guy,

"Whatever, don't worry, it was my fault"

I manage to sit all the way up before I actually meet the guy's eyes. When I do my heart skips a few fucking beats. Jeez, he's not just hot, he's gorgeous, the voice did not lie.

He's got deep dark hazel eyes, much darker than my own green ones, and messy chocolate brown hair, a few strands fall over his eyes, and I have the strangest urge to brush them away. I curve the impulse just in time, balling my hands into fists at my sides. He is broad, and has a very handsome face that has probably just stopped being cute.

Sexy voice is frowning at me now and looking a bit self conscious, it's actually totally endearing. Oh fuck, what is happening to me, if anyone else made that face at me I'd ask them what the hell their problem was. This had better be just because he's attractive, it definitely isn't because I'm polite, that was always more Jamie's thing.

He stares at me for a while longer before seeming to shake himself and he says,

"Well, I'm still sorry, so...um...let me help you up"

I shrug and move myself onto my knees, yeah, because I've never been in that position before-HALT! Bad thoughts, must stop now please. Not the right thoughts to have in front of an attractive stranger. At least not right now in a place like Mystic Falls, I'm pretty sure they might still burn gay people as witches here. Never mind that I actually **am** a witch.

I reach out to pick up my dropped sketchpad, which has unfortunately fallen open as well, but sexy voice beats me to it. He grabs up my sketchpad and I watch as his eyes widen as he looks over the drawings. Yeah, I'm pretty good, I guess. Holton always said so, but then he was a lying asshole, so I can't really take _his_ word for it.

Sexy voice looks at me then, and his dark eyes are now full of something close to awe,

"These...these are amazing, like, seriously, they're way better than mine"

Sexy voice draws? Interesting.

Nope, no it isn't. I made a new rule after Holton, no getting involved with artists, they make crap boyfriends. Not that I'm thinking of this guy like that..because..just...damn it!

"Uh, thanks...they're actually tattoo sketches"

Shit in hell, why did I say that?

Sexy voice smiles at that, and it lights up his whole face, making it even more handsome.

"Wow, that's really cool", his eyes seem drawn the tattoo's I know he must see along my chest, since my vest doesn't do much to hide them.

I think it's then that we both realise we're two strangers kneeling together on the floor of a busy bar, talking about fucking sketches. I get up quickly and so does he. I have no idea what to say next, and it seems like he doesn't either.

Sexy voice awkwardly holds out my sketchpad and I awkwardly take it from him. Our fingers touch accidentally, and just like in the stupid fucking movies, a spark seems to shoot through me at the brief contact. I figure he feels it too because he jerks his hand away from mine in something like shock or surprise.

"Uh, hi, um, I'm Jeremy" he says softly.

My whole world kind of tips on it's axis. Surely not, this can't be _**the**_ Jeremy, the one my sister told me about. That would be way too much of a coincidence. But then, thats what happens in small towns, right.

God, I hate small towns.

I don't say that obviously, I do have some social skills, sort of,

"I'm Trick Bennett"

Jeremy's dark eyes widen and he replies,

"You're Bonnie's brother. I'm a Gilbert, Ever's brother"

I nod reluctantly,

"Ah, right, Ever, the vampire with two boyfriends. I met one of them, nice guy, very...intense"

Jeremy actually chuckles at that and my heart does one of those bullshit flutters,

"Yeah, you mean Stefan?"

I make a wild hand gesture at him, because I'm super gay like that,

"Yep, that'd be the one. Very stoic. Not exactly what I expected from a vampire" I admit.

Jeremy laughs again and leans closer to me as if he's about to impart a secret,

"Just a until the meet my sister's other boyfriend, Damon, he's more like what you were probably expecting"

"I'll look forward to that then" I move forward almost without thinking.

I stop myself before I get too close though. Jeez I'm coming off as a complete freak right now, what is it about this guy?


	80. Bringing Out The Dead-part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Sexual scene here my peoples. You might not like it. Especially Jerbad fans. But, I'm asking you to keep an open mind and remember how much history there is between Klaus and Sinbad. Try not to judge Sin too harshly. I feel this scene is necessary for later reasons. Also remember that I like my twists, so never assume you know how my story is going to play out, because you will most likely be wrong)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the eightieth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I might just slap Elena for the way she's acting right now on TVD.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

_(Sexual scene here my peoples. You might not like it. Especially Jerbad fans. But, I'm asking you to keep an open mind and remember how much history there is between Klaus and Sinbad. Try not to judge Sin too harshly. I feel this scene is necessary for later reasons. Also remember that I like my twists, so never assume you know how my story is going to play out, because you will most likely be wrong)_

"What is wrong with you?" I shout at Nick as I storm through the front door of the boarding house, only taking a moment to check that we're indeed alone. The last thing I need is my brothers snide remarks (Damon), or disappointed head shakes (Stefan).

No one's home, although God only knows where people fucking are right now. I don't even know where Jeremy is. We've been going hot and cold for months now and it's driving us both insane. There's been so much to work through, so much to think about and worry about and stress about. If I have to deal with any other crisis' this century, then I think I might just drop dead on the spot.

I know Jeremy can feel my uncertainty and my confusion, but every time I bring it up we just end up arguing. It's like Jeremy thinks we won't break up as long as we don't talk about our problems. Then again, our main problem is standing about ten feet away from me, so maybe Jeremy's got a point. I don't want to explain my relationship with Nick to anyone, not even Jer. Maybe especially not Jer.

"I think you're over reacting a bit, Angel" Nick comments calmly, in that fucking irritatingly sexy accent.

I hate it. It turns me on. And I hate it.

I spin on Nick and point at the asshole in the most dramatic way I can manage just to piss him off,

"You asked Eli to help you kill my brothers!"

Nick shrugs carelessly,

"He didn't actually agree to help me"

I clench my hands into fists and desperately try to contain my anger. Being a Guardian of the dead means I'm supposed to have great emotional control. I believe the Guardian council lied to me on that front.

"That's not the point, you lunatic!"

Nick sighs, he actually fucking _sighs_ at me, the bastard,

"Calm yourself, Angel. Your brothers aren't in any danger, I know how you feel about them. Elijah would never kill your brothers" There is a strange edge to Nick's tone, his expression guarded. I realise suddenly that Nick is...jealous. Of what exactly?

He really is a great big loony tune sometimes.

"Then why did you even ask?" I deflate somewhat, but I still keep as much distance between us as I can. And by that I mean I keep as much distance between us as Nick will allow me to.

I'm curious despite myself. I really don't like how difficult it is for me to stay away from the Originals. They somehow always know just what to say or do to reel me back in, even after I swear I'll never go back. I feel like I'm cursed to always be part of their fucked up world. Hell, maybe I am, the Guardian council do have a sick sense of humour when it comes to me.

Nick seems to be looking at anything in the room but me, and it's very frustrating. A nervous Nick is...well, a sight to behold to be honest. Finally Nick seems to make some sort of decision and he vampire speeds towards me. I end up backed up against the door frame, with Nick's stunningly handsome face only inches away from mine.

I've always been so attracted to Nick. There was electricity between us from the moment our eyes met all those years ago, it was almost tangible back then, and it still is now. Sometimes he steals all the breathe from my body with just one look, and I have no idea how to stop myself from feeling so much in his presence.

It's so strange really, now that I think about it, because Nick and Jeremy really aren't all that alike. I've been with a broad spectrum of lovers, so I can't say I have type, but I've only ever been truly _in love_ with three people. First Katerina, although I still don't know if that was real love or just boyish wishful thinking. Then Nick, _Oh God_ , **Nick**. And now Jeremy, my Jer. All three of them completely different.

Katerina, with her wild and unpredictable ways. Nick, so very dominant and all consuming. Jeremy, that fierce and strong teenager.

What is it about them? What made me fall in love with _them_?

Was it their boldness? Or their passion for life, for everything really.

I don't know, I can't put my finger on what made them so special to me, what _makes_ them so special to me, even now.

All I know is that I love Jeremy with all my dark heart. And that I love Nick with all my battered soul.

I must have said some of that out loud, because Nick is suddenly smiling. Sadly. It's definitely not a smirk this time. I'm captivated by Nick's eyes, the true emotion in them, as he answers the question that has been plaguing me almost my entire life, with one simple sentence,

"Angel, you fell in love with _us,_ because we were all broken, by _death_ "

I cannot for the life of me think of what to say to that. I feel like my whole world has been tilted on it's axis, with no hope of ever righting itself.

Is Nick right? Did I fall for them all because I saw how warped they had become by death. Is it all really that closely linked to my Guardian nature?

I want to shake off Nick's words, tell him that he's wrong. But is he? And if he's not, what kind of person does that make me?

Definitely not a good one, I'd wager that much.

"Sin, Angel?" He whispers, his voice low and intense.

"Nick?" I choke out in a desperate whisper.

_Nicklaus?_

My skin tingles from the electrical currents flowing through my veins, and my entire body is in a state of heightened awareness that is almost painful. I want to ask how the hell Nick knows...that. Why he'd never told me before now. I want to ask if Nick always knew. But I don't.

And I also don't know how I even heard my hybrid over my own frantic thoughts, but I do, I hear Nick whisper,

"Yes," against my cheek in answer to yet another unasked question, and fuck, that could mean so many damned things. Too many to give a shit about parsing, and in the wet, hot desperation, my mouth finds Nick's instead.

We both groan into that first kiss. Months and more of longing released in a frantic rush that starts out fast and rolls into something more, faster than a gathering storm and threatening to do far more damage. And I don't give a fuck, am not able to stop myself from rutting against Nick, the friction of the fabric between us and Nick's hardness sending shockwaves through my system. And I was finally alive again. Holding onto my lifeline in the flesh, knowing that it had almost been too late.

I brush that thought away for what is real right now—Nick's hands in my hair, keeping me close. Nick's thighs spread for me when we hit the floor, heavy boots landing on my ass and locking around my lower back so the heels dig in, spurring me to rut harder. Nick, holding me in place from that oddly submissive position.

And I'm fucking Nick's mouth with my tongue, the way I want to fuck Nick. The way I want Nick to fuck _me_. Nick is matching me kiss for kiss as we alternate between wet and messy, ferocious to lingering, lip-biting to tongue-sucking. Everything else falls away but Nick. The dark pasts, meddling siblings, the harsh truths, the volatile emotions . . . the ever present danger, all are merely physical barriers to overcome right now. The easy shit. The fact that I was in Nick's arms again meant we'd already dug into the hard shit. Nick pulls back from the kissing to bite my neck. I hiss, bucking my pelvis, and a low shudder runs through me.

I feel like Iv'd been caught by a flashbang—I can barely see straight from lust, my ears ring, and staying conscious is more like an accomplishment between us, because we can both barely believe how it got to this. But neither of us ler the other go, because we aren't done. Just the opposite—we are so far from done, how I'd even considered it was laughable.

"I'm fucking insane," I mutter as Nick pushes me up against the nearest wall.

"Makes two of us," Nick growls as he bends to unlace his boots and get them off, holding onto me for support. And then he's yanking my t-shirt over my head, letting it fall to the floor with a loud thwack, as I reach forward to unbutton Nick's jeans and work them down his hips. Would've made more sense to each strip ourselves, but neither of us had any goddamned semblance of sense.

We're both angry and turned on, and more than halfway to feral.

"Do you feel this too?" I ask, barely able to drag my gaze away from Nick's cock, "Feel like I'm high. Like I'm coming _home_ and I'm high on something"

I toss Nick's shirt away. I catch sight of the thin leather bracelet still on Nick's wrist and drag my eyes up to Nick's darkly intense ones. Nick has seen me note the bracelet. It's a bracelet I gave Nick years ago, I can't remember exactly how many. We were in Russia, Moscow, and I found a bracelet made by one of the local village children. The bracelet has a metal pendant weaved within the leather, with a set of angel wings carved into it.

The hybrid's gaze dares me to say something about it, and when I don't, Nick replies,

"I always feel like this around you. You make me crazy with wanting you, Angel"

"Jesus, fuck." I run my hands over Nick's naked body. Running fingertips over where the cords of muscles are, because I'd taken to doing that in my mind over the past months. I realize with a start that Nick is checking me over too, cataloguing my tattoo's, lingering on the words _'No regrets'_ on my chest, beneath my throat and collar bone.

Nick smiles against my mouth, no doubt reading me again with that original-hybrid-vampire-mindfucking-shit. Nick has been able to do that right from the start, and that probably pisses me off the most. Because I might've actually missed him knowing me like that. During our time apart, I'd forced myself—viciously—not to think about Nick. Barely slept in order to control my dreams sometimes, kept myself too busy and in too much danger to worry about much more than basic survival, in the hopes that everything _Nick_ would burn out and fade away. It's backfiring now, though, because every muscle and fiber of my being is now intent on licking, sucking, touching, inhaling Nick like a starving man at a buffet. I can't stop.

I would be embarrassed to be so goddamned needy, submitting to my hybrid's intrusive touches, if Nick wasn't been exactly the same.

"What the fuck did you do to me, Nick?" I don't realize I asked Nick outright until I hear,

"Same thing you did to me." Like Nick had imprinted on me. I could fuck my way through a million men and women—and sometimes during the past hundred years it felt like I'd tried—and I've never come anywhere close to feeling like this.

"Like a fucking spell."

"Like I'd do this to myself on purpose," Nick snaps back, before biting and sucking on my nipple. I hiss and tighten my grip on Nick's hair in the hopes my hybrid will do it again.

Nick doesn't seem to care about my transparency and obliges me over and over, staring up at me the entire time he abuses my nipple, concentrating on the one with his mouth and pressing the other hard between finger and thumb. Needing someone this much can't be fucking normal. But then, what about my life has ever been normal?

Finally, Nick pulls back, grabs for his jeans and, when he straightens, holds up some lube. Then he pushes himself against me, our cocks and balls rubbing together, chest and thighs sliding together, a perfect fit. I brace myself as best I can, preparing to let Nick take me there and hang on for dear life, and at the same time, knowing Nick won't let me fall.

My hybrid has always been physically strong, but since becoming a hybrid his body has hardened even more. Nick's hands stroke my shoulders and biceps, every touch firm and sure, a reassurance that I am actually here, and that I'm ok. Physically. Neither of us is ok on the psychological side of things.

After some quick preparation, we never need much, Nick says,

"Okay, Sin. I'll go slow." I want to tell him not to bother, but the look in Nick's eyes makes my breath catch in my throat. And then Nick leaned in, slid his cockhead back along my ass, then urged,

"Come on, Sin, baby . . . that's it. Let me in," as his cock slides inside. I nod, closing my eyes, and willing myself to relax at this new assault on my system. Part of me is already floating, flying, but another was listening to the sound of warning bells. I ignore them, letting Nick back in, because I know I really have no other choice.

...

_When a volcano meets a hurricane..._

**Ever's P.O.V**

"I can't believe we're doing this" Damon whispers harshly.

I shrug and ring the door bell of Klausy wousy's massive home, and when I say massive, I mean like properly fat-ass big. Simon Cowell would be jealous as shit on a park bench. And I've seen _his_ house. Well, Caroline showed me pictures of it in some kind of women hating magazine. Cosmo? Heat? GQ? You know, one of those magazines that might as well be called 'women getting dressed', or 'what do you hate about yourself most women of the world?'.

I said that to Damon yesterday. He laughed and called me a gap year feminist. I don't know what that is. But his tone suggested bad things, so I just hit him with Kevin. Just to be safe. Stefan thought it was hilarious, he almost fell off the sofa with laughing so hard.

No, I'm serious.

It's hard to make Stefan Salvatore laugh, but once he gets going, there's no stopping that train of fun. Toot toot, _yeah_ fun times ahead! Do the bunny hop!

Bunny hop! Bunny hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!

Bunny hop! Bunny hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!

Bunny hop! Bunny hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!

HOP! HOP! HOP!

"Stop that you insane woman!" Damon wraps his arms around my waist and stop me from hoping on Klausy wousy's porch. Damn him, why must he ruin the ambiance. Hhhhmmm ambiance.

Stefan hides a chuckle hehind his hand, but I SEE IT! Ha! Stefan is amused, my mission is complete. Point one for Ever. Take note of that jeeves.

"You cannot contain me, you mere mortal!" I claim, struggling to free myself.

I feel more than see Damon roll his pale blue eyes, God I love those things, it's like looking into two perfect pieces of blue glass. Yet somehow they smolder. It really is a talent.

"Ever, I'm a vampire, I'm immortal, you know that"

I wave a hand dismissively,

"Vampire, smampire, I'm still a God compared to you, now, _bow to my greatness_!"

A flood of humour hits me from both sides. Happiness fills my heart like sunlight as Stefan smiles at me, his floppy hair just begging to be tousled. Damon appears to have the same idea, because he reaches over and messes up Stef's hair. Stefan tries to shove his brother away, but I pull him closer and smash my lips against his.

Pure heat assaults my nerve endings and I feel like I'm on fire. I groan, and so does Stefan, our emotions mingling and mixing together like honey and syrup, all gold and devastatingly sweet.

I feel Damon kiss my shoulder and suddenly a part of me want to say, fuck this, and go home. But this is important. We need to figure out where Elijah and Klausy wousy stand. We need to know what their plan for the future is.

But since reconciling, me and my Salvatore's have been pretty damn inseparable again. I think even Caroline is becoming sickened by us, which is pretty rich coming from Carebear and Tywuv. Not even a joke people, I literally heard them say that to each other when I was only one room away listening cough spying cough.

Some people should not be allowed to come up with nicknames. They should leave it to the professionals. A.k.A. Me.

I pull away from Stefan and both the Salvatore's sigh heavily when I say,

"Come on, we have to do this, it's important"

Damon scoffs,

"I say we stick with plan A"

I raise an eyebrow at him,

"Which is?"

Damon gives me a look like I'm an idiot. I am not an idiot. I have smarticles.

"Ever, baby, surely you've known me long enough to know what my plan A _always_ is"

I roll my eyes,

"Uh, kill people"

Damon clicks and smirks at me,

"Ding, ding, ding. Kill people, or in this case, original vampires"

I shift so that I can look up into Damon's face properly, Stefan only inches away on my other side,

"So...you want us to kill Klausy wousy and his hoard of crazy family members...with...what...a stick?"

"A magic stick" Stefan suggests dryly. I smirk at him.

"Like in Harry Potter!" I exclaim excitedly.

"Is Harry Potter the one with the glasses?" Stefan asks.

Damon looks exasperated with both of us,

"I thought the whole point of finding mommy witch and twinny witch, was so that they could shazoom the coffin open and find something inside that can kill Klaus"

Stefan nods and pretty much grunts his agreement. Ever the silent speculative one, Stefan is looking around suspiciously, as if he thinks we're about to be attacked by a hoard of koala bears any moment now. Or original vampires. Meh, basically the same thing I say. Creepy. Weird hair. And strangely endearing to me. Plus, Sin likes Koala's.

Damon on the other hand is scowling like he just got told this would be a alcohol free party. _**My Day has become very grumbly in his old age.**_

 _ **"I heard that, you curly haired brat"**_ Damon snips inside my head.

I slap a hand over my mouth dramatically,

 _ **"HOW DARE YOU!"**_ I push Stefan's shoulder, "Stefan, your older brother just called me names, I demand retribution!"

"Bring it on pipsqeak!" Damon taunts me.

Oh, that is it! He is going _down_!

I feel them before I see them, but I'm so focused on taking Damon down that I don't fully realise we're being watched until I hear Klausy wousy say,

"Why is she wielding a bat at your brother?"

I hear Sin reply,

"That's no bat, that's Kevin, her sidekick, and second in command during all disciplinary situations"

I get a firmer grip on Kevin and my eyes snap up to meet Sin's. There's something different in his voice. When our eyes connect I almost fall the fuck over. What the hell? Something's happened, something big. But...wait, why are they just arriving.

Before any of us can say anything, Elijah finally opens the front door, takes stock of the situation with one sweep of his eyes. He looks at me though when he says,

"Ah, you brought Kevin"

Ha, Elijah just acknowledged Kevin! I leap over and give him a hug, which he, surprisingly, quickly returns.

Damon and Stefan practically vibrate, their growling is so loud. I move away from Elijah quickly before they both do something silly, like challenge Elijah to a duel. Which Elijah would win. Even if he fought both of them at the same time. Mr beautiful hair is just snazzy like that.

Elijah's gaze darts between Sin and Klausy wousy, finally settling on his brother. Elijah's eyes narrow, and Klausy wousy smirks...and...it...almost looks...triumphant.

I stare hard at Sin, and he seems to be avoiding my gaze...putting all the puzzle pieces together...Oh, no, Sin...what have you _done_?

I shake my head, wanting it not to be true,

"Sin..." I clench my none Kevin wielding hand into a fist.

Damon frowns, sensing the tension and feeling the emotions pulsing through me. Stefan tries to take my hand, his own confusion mixing with mine, but for a whole different reason.

"Am I missing something here?" Damon asks.

Elijah answers, his voice polite and cold, it sends shivers up my spine,

"It seems my brother and your brother have reunited"

Reunited? Have they fuck! What about _my_ brother?

There are far too many brothers involved in this.

Damon's eyes widen and a sudden surge of fury washes through our connection. Uh oh.

"You fucker!" Damon snarls at his youngest brother.

Damon moves the lunge at Sinbad,

"Day, no!" I shout, moving forward to stop him. I needn't have worried, Stefan is by his older brother's side almost immediately, and he holds me still. Damon outs up a fight, but Stefan whispers into Damon's ear and that seems to calm him down some.

Sin shakes his head and vamp speeds away. Nick moves to go after him, but Elijah, Rebekah now at his back, says something that makes Klausy wousy freeze,

"Mother wants to talk to you"

Mother, wait, what the hell? I hear Damon and Stefan mutter similar sentiments, but I don't stay to find out what's happening. I don't care, I really don't. All that vampire shit can piss off. My friend is hurting, and he needs me.

I vamp speed after Sinbad, not worrying right now if Damon and Stefan follow or not.

When I get back to the boarding house I head right for Sinbad's room. I find him, standing there, staring out of the window; the expression on his face so fucking hopeless that my heart aches for him.

I move slowly closer to Sin, both eager to touch him, and afraid that Sin might break at any moment.

Klausy wousy looked so damn pleased with himself back there, and suddenly I feel fear for Sin, rather than anger. I know him so well, and it pains me to admit that I understand how conflicted he has been feeling. I even defended him to Jeremy. To everyone. But now it seem Klausy wousy has burrowed his way behind Sin's walls completely, and I have no idea how to drag Sin away. How to save him.

How can I when he's actually _in love_ with the pyscho hybrid? What if it was Damon, or Stefan, would I be able to just stop loving them because my friends wanted me to?

No, obviously not. I know all too well what it feels like to be torn by two people you love. And it's not like Sin can do what I did. That really would be weird.

"Sin..." I try again, my voice careful and quiet. Respectful of the silence stretching between us. I drop Kevin onto Sin's bed.

Sinbad finally looks at me, his blue eyes so wide and strangely dark, yet somehow bright too. Full of love. For Klausy wousy. What the hell am I going to tell Jeremy?

"I'm" Sin appears to choke on the word "... _sorry_ "

In that one word, I hear over a hundred years of sorrow and heartbreak moulded and smashed together into one huge clusterfuck of madness.

Without hesitating I grab hold of Sin, my best friend, my ex lover, my fellow Guardian, my first love, my soul brother, and I pull him into a harsh embrace. A sob escapes from somewhere deep inside of Sin, and his body is wracked with deep bone chilling shivers.

I hold on tight to Sinbad as he grips me tight and falls apart at the seams in my arms, both of us sliding to the floor.

...

_Trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you've never met._

_You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it._

_The longer you dance with the devil, the longer you stay in hell..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, big emotional stuff here folks, please let me know what you think. Even the bad stuff. Just...try to understand. Sin's been through so much, and love is the most complicated thing on earth. xxx
> 
> Ask any questions you want, I welcome them!
> 
> Also...no, this does not mean 'Kin' (Klaus/Sin) is officially endgame. Nor does it mean that they aren't. I like my twists, you all know that. So prepare yourselves. xxx


	81. Dangerous Liaisons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-first chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...I would have high fived Enzo for kicking some sense into Stefan for acting like a little bitch and a bad brother
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"It was their Mother, Esther, who was trapped in that coffin" I explain for about the millionth time to everyone. Mostly because Damon refuses to believe anything that comes out of my mouth now, after...what I did.

As soon as I got near that house, Nick's house, I felt her presence. But I wasn't sure until Ever told me what Eli said to get Nick to stay and not come after me. I am eternally grateful to Eli now. I may need to get him something. Like flowers. Or an engraved tea cup. Alternatively, I could just give him a free 'hug from Sin', coupon. I would put glitter on it.

Yeah, great idea brain, getting that close to another original is exactly what I need to do after the momentious fuck up of yesterday. How about I go kiss Kol while I'm at it, ask Finn out on a date maybe, and finish it all off by proposing to Becksly; at least make it a full house for fucks sake.

"As in the original witch?" Damon questions. Again. I'm going to smack him right in his stupid face if he keeps asking that.

In. The. Face.

"Yes, as in mummsy original" Ever says, her dark eyes staring at Damon, hard, a silent warning in her tone. Damon heeds the warning with a dramatic sigh aimed at the world around him, and he flicks his hand to show how 'not bothered' he is. Sometimes I swear my brother never stopped being twelve. And I'm being generous when I say twelve. Most of the time it's more like six.

"How is she even alive?" Stefan asks, seeming to want this conversation to move forward at least a little bit. My other brother seems able to stand the sight of me, but he doesn't exactly look happy with my existence at the moment. It kind of sucks. But, it's all my own fault that my brothers are pissed at me, so I can't really complain.

I mean, I _could_ , quite easily, my brothers are genuinely irritating, but I'm too worried about...everything else, to care too much about what they think of me. They can't possibly hate me as much as I hate myself right now. The only thing that's making any of this bearable, is Ever. Even though she's not happy about what I did either, she's still on my side. As much as she can be, all things considered.

I am dreading telling Jeremy. But I can't lie, as much as I want to. It would be an even bigger insult to Jeremy if I pretended nothing had changed. Which it has, irrevocably by this point. Nick still fills my thoughts, no matter how much I try to push him the hell out. As Ever said to me last night, Nick has well and truly sunk his claws into my mind.

"I thought her hybrid monster of a son murdered her" Jeremy intones thoughtfully. His brown eyes bright and alive as ever. It makes my whole body hurt.

I've carefully kept my distance from him, staying close to Caroline. Bonnie, her new brother, who I have yet to meet, and their mother are meant to be coming sometime soon. But they already know what's going on, Ever filled them in last night, since Bonnie was worried when she and Sabrina senior opened the coffin and found it to be 'empty'.

Or whatever. I wasn't really paying attention to much of anything last night, except the deep burning hatred I now have for myself. I wonder if this is what Stefan feels like all the time? I don't like it. I object to all these feelings. OBJECT I SAY!

"He did" I say neutrally, avoiding eye contact with Jeremy as much as I can, eve though it feels like he's staring at me, "But Esther was... _is_ a powerful witch. She most likely had help from the other side"

Yeah, just hopefully not the Guardians. Because that really would put another nail in things. If the Guardian council are involved then there's absolutely no telling what is going to happen next. Something bad probably. Something very, very, bad.

God damn Guardians making my life even more complicated!

Ever catches the look on my face and raises an eyebrow at me, but she doesn't ask any questions. Probably guessing that this is really not the time. Not that there ever is a good time to discuss our impending doom. Ever shrugs and crosses her arms causally, a smirk playing about her lips,

"Yeah, she most likely has some witchy _fwends_ back in Ghostville, fwends that she probably made during her years at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry"

"What even is Hogwarts?" Damon asks, frowning up a storm whilst sitting on the back of the sofa next to Stefan, both of them flanking Ever, as always.

Ever gasps dramatically and slaps a hand over her mouth, her eyes going comically wide as she stares at Damon. She pokes him hard in the stomach,

"Hogwarts, is a boarding school for wizards and witches, _dumbass_ "

"There's a school for witches and wizards?" Damon looks genuinely surprised, and just a little bit intrigued. I wonder why, until he continues, "So, when does Bonnie leave?"

Ever brushes Damon away from her, removing his hand from her waist slowly, as if he's a bomb just waiting to blow up at the slightest provocation. Although her face reads more like she thinks he has a deadly disease,

"I don't think we can be together anymore" Ever dead pans, backing slowly away from Damon, her hands held up in a defensive gesture, "You don't know what _Harry Potter_ is"

Damon narrows his eyes in bewilderment,

"Who the hell is _Barry Plopper_?"

Ever gasps again and makes shunning gestures at Damon. Stefan seems to be struggling not to laugh, as is everyone else, including me.

"BLASPHEMY!" Ever shouts, she tightens her jaw and glares at Damon, "Look, I didn't mind when you had no idea what Bambi was, even though it's a Disney classic. And that when I finally did get you to watch it, you laughed when Bambi's mother died and blamed Stefan, leading to me having nightmmares about Stefan murdering Bambi, you _stupid bubble head_. I didn't mind when you said you thought Spongebob was a stupid name. It isn't, it is an amazing name, you asshole **bubble head**. What kind of name is _Damon_ anyway? Sounds like a detergent. Sounds like a cheap detergent. For pants. **Bubble head**. I didn't mind all those things. **_But_** , I will not have you speak out of turn about Harry _freakin'_ Potter. He is my idol. I love him. You will respect the boy-who-lived God damn it, you...you...you..."

"Bubble head" I suggest, going with the theme.

Ever gestures wildly at me,

"Yes, yes!" She points at Damon, "BUBBLE HEAD!"

Damon and Ever have a stare off for about three minutes. The whole room is silent. Because, who cares about Nick, the originals, the Guardian council and a potentially undead witch. Screw all that shit, Damon doesn't know who _Harry Potter_ is.

The freak.

After a vey, very, very long pause, Damon finally says,

"So...is he, like, famous?"

Ever looks like she might have a heart attack right here in her own living room after that question.

"Harry Potter is a fictional character, Damon" I feel compelled to say, before this really gets out of hand and Ever murders Damon in the name of her idol.

Caroline scrunches up her nose and adds,

"Like, seriously, who doesn't _know_ that?"

"Yeah Damon, you useless excuse for a brother, what's _wrong_ with you" Stefan says, looking highly amused again.

"God, Damon, you're so _weird_ " Jeremy furrows his brows, as if disappointed in Damon.

Then we're all laughing. We laugh way harder than is warranted. But the look on Damon's face is pricelessly funny.

"Oh... _Barry Plopper- **Potter**_." Damon mutters, shaking his head like it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard.

**Ever's P.O.V**

"There is no way we're going to that" Damon snaps, his tone implying finality. I blatantly ignore it. Mostly just because it's become more and more amusing to me as of late to wind Damon up and watch him try to contain his angry ninja bunny rage. I smile just thinking about that image.

Not long after everyone else left, including Sin and Jeremy, who went to 'talk', I found the party invitation from the Original family on my doorstep.

I waggle my eyebrows suggestively,

"Of course we're going. It'll be super fun times."

"You're even more insane than I thought if you actually believe that, Ev's" Damon leans in closer to me to re-read the party invitation again. For about the billionth time. He's so picky.

"It's just a party" I argue, "There might even be cake" Hmmmmmmm... _cake._

"Ever...maybe Damon's right. It would be way too dangerous, with all the originals running around. We don't have any leverage to hold over them." Stefan says, his expression pensive. I can feel the apprehension flowing through our bond, and I reach out mentally to sooth him. Sending light and reassurance. He smiles gently down at me and intertwines our fingers together.

I snatch the invitation away from Damon's face and scowl at him,

"Damon! This invitation was addressed to me and Sinbad, not you."

"So?" Damon matches my scowl with a much sexier version of his own.

I sigh heavily and tap him on the nose,

"It's illegal to read other people's mail you know. I must go now and call the police, to inform them of your treachery"

"Go ahead. I've got an in with the sheriff" Damon replies with a smirk and a shrug. I feel that smirk all the way down to my bones. Even after all this time, Damon still affects me so God damn much. It's all consuming to be as connected to him as I am. And I love it. I love _him_. My crazy little psycho bunny.

I pretend to think about it. Stefan wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the side of my head. He suggests,

"You might have to call in the big guns for this one, might I suggest the FBI"

I nod in agreement,

"Right you are Dr. Steffy. Go get me the numbers for the FBI, CIA, NIA, American navy, Russian intelligence agency, MI6, Sherlock Holmes and, most importantly, my Matty. Between them all, I should think they can come up with a suitable punishment for Damon"

" _Matt_?" Damon says, sounding shocked and offended.

I give Damon a look, like I think he's a dummy. He is a dummy. A big dummy _bubble head_.

"My Matty could so totally kick your ass. He's got Kevin-like qualities, they are very similar"

"In what way, his complete lack of personality?" Damon snarks.

"Kevin has a wonderful personality. He's just shy."

"And his stupid hair" Damon adds as if I hadn't spoken.

"Hey, what did I do?" Stefan asks, thinking the hair insult must be aimed at him. Hair based insults usually are.

"Kevin has wonderful hair, Damon, you're just jealous" I state scornfully.

Damon snorts derisively,

"Ever, Kevin doesn't _have_ any hair!"

"So?" I imitate Damon, using the same tone he used earlier "You're the one who brought up hair, Day, you crazy fool"

Damon throws his hands up in exasperation and all but shouts,

"Oh, for fucks sake, forget all that. I refuse to let you distract me. We _aren't_ going to that party. End of discussion."

I cough loudly,

"Um, excuse me, _Damon **Vivian** Salvatore_. This invitation was addressed to ME, therefore I get to decide if I go. Or if I even bring _you_ with me."

Damon's eyes turn from playful and causal to cold and hard within moments. His once crystal blue eyes now appear five shades darker than before, and it makes my blood hum and my body ache. Fucking hell, why must the Salvatore's be so attractive when they're angry? It's very inconvenient.

Damon moves forward in a flash of vampy skill and grips my face in his hands firmly, his gaze burns into mine with the power of a thousand suns. I can do nothing but stare at him as he growls like an enraged panther,

"And you're _**mine**_ , so I get to decide if you throw yourself into the lions den. No way in hell are you going without me" his intense eyes flicker up to meet Stefan's for a moment before he adds, "Or Stefan"

There's a long pause where the three of us take turns staring at each other intensely. That is until Damon blinks rapidly at me and says,

"Wait a second, Damon _**Vivian**_ Salvatore?"

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

"What is it you want to talk about, babe" Jeremy asks, he looks at me expectantly.

I internally cringe at the thought of admitting to the boy I love how much I fucked up. He'll never forgive me for this.

And there's at least a small part of me that hopes he won't, so that I can go back to Nick without anything holding me back. Which just makes me feel even more guilty.

 _As it should you fucking asshole._ My self hatred whispers inside my head.

I worry my lip between my teeth for a while, and Jeremy begins to look tense. I can't blame him, to Jer it must seem like I'm losing it a little. Which, to be fair, isn't that far off the truth. I did have sex with Nick after all, how much more messed up can you get?

"I did something bad, Jer" I admit suddenly, my voice low and quiet. I really don't want to tell him, but I have to. He deserves at least that much from me after all we've been through.

Some of the light goes out of Jeremy's eyes and I can't stop myself from flinching. Jeremy slowly shakes his head, running a hand through his brown hair an avoiding looking at me.

I begin to panic as Jeremy says nothing. He won't look at me. Maybe he knows. But, how could he?

"I don't want to know" Jeremy finally whispers.

The expression on his face just about crushes my heart. Last night I fell apart in Ever's arms, I felt broken, truly broken, for the first time in over one hundred years. But now, watching Jeremy desperately try to keep the pain and devastation off of his face, I feel like _nothing_. Like I'm worth nothing. Like I'm completely worthless and it hurts so _much,_ that I can barely stand it.

I've never felt so guilty in all my life. Which is definitely saying something, considering all the shitty things I've done. Hurting Jeremy is the last thing I ever wanted to do. But now I have, and there's next to nothing I can do about it.

"Jer-"

"NO!" Jeremy shouts at me, his brown eyes now burning with anger and betrayal, "I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!"

"Jeremy, _please_ , baby-"

Despite the desperation in my voice, Jeremy shakes his head fiercely and scrubs at his eyes, like he wants to gouge them out, just so he won't have to look at me.

"No, Sinbad, I don't want to know. I don't want to know how you fucked the man who murdered my sister. I don't want to know how you've always loved him. I don't want to know, that, no matter what you feel for me, you'll never be completely mine, because that...that hybrid _bastard_ , will always mean more to you. I don't want to know that you're leaving me for _him_. I've...I've lost so much...and you promised to always be there. You promised that I'd always have you...so...please, don't tell me. Because I can't stand the thought of losing you, Sin"

I feel like everything solid has vanished. My whole world has crumbled with those few words from Jeremy.

I make a sudden move towards him, and Jeremy squeezes his hands into fists, moving back away from me. Jeremy closes his eyes, which I'm guessing is another attempt to avoid looking at me. It makes my chest clench, and I want nothing more in this moment than to go back in time and undo every hurt I have caused Jeremy.

"I _love you_ , Jer" I whisper in a harsh breathe. Because I do, truly, love Jeremy. He's the light in my life, the one person in the world who makes me want to be a good man. A better man. A man who deserves someone like Jeremy.

But, the truth is, I'm not. I'm not a good man. I'm not a better man. And I definitely don't deserve Jeremy Gilbert. I never did. I probably never will, even if I lived for a thousand years. Even if I was human.

"You...you don't know what love **_is_** , Sinbad Salvatore." Jeremy opens his eyes and fixes me with a stare so cold and unforgiving that I almost fall to my knees with grief.

I've ruined everything. I let my past rule my present and now Jeremy will never forgive me.

I don't deserve his forgiveness. Not this time.

I turn away from Jeremy, unable to handle the genuine agony in his gaze.

"There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give to take this back, Jer. You mean more to me than I could ever explain. Please know that"

Jeremy's breathing hitches, but I don't turn to face him. I think maybe he needs me not to see him right now.

"I can't do this anymore, Sinbad...it's breaking me apart, piece by piece" Jeremy's voice is strained, and I can hear him trying not to cry too obviously, "I need more than what you can give me. I need to know that I can trust the person I'm in love with. And I can't trust you. Not now. Maybe not ever again. I...I...don't _know_ "

Jeremy leaves then, as if he can't bear to spend a single more moment alone with me.

I...I can't...I can't handle this. It's too much. My emotions overwhelm me, and I want so badly to feel something else, anything other than this endless pain.

All I can think is: I've lost him. I've lost my Jer, my _baby_ , and even worse, it's all my own fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And no, for the record, this does not automatically mean the end of Jerbad forever. Maybe just for now. We shall see. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought. And yes I am skipping the whole ball/party thing. Mostly because I thought it was stupid in the show, and added nothing to the plot as a whole. Why couldn't Esther just talk to Elena? Have some tea and cakes maybe, go full on British on Elena's arse.
> 
> Anyway, I'm gonna be moving the plot along a bit faster now, because I really want to get to the series finale. It's gonna be pretty mind blowing. And weird. Teaser for finale: We finally get to meet the Gaurdian's council!


	82. All My Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-second chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

That cold voided darkness.

The kind that burns with fire whenever I draw an invisible hand out to touch it, like lava before it's been cooled to shining obsidian . It's all over me, wrapping its ethereal self around the glowing white core with the comfort of a blanket.

But it 's constricted, the void tenses and retracts until it coats my dead frame like a full body mask. My muscles spasming and twitching with pain that make me scream in agonizing tones I didn't know my voice carried. The fire becomes smouldering, but it still remains, it burns in my throat and sears away the saliva , I can feel the skin of my mouth slough off and fall to my tongue.

I try to swallow, but it is a piece of meat trying to slide down sand paper.

Time does not exist in this excruciating limbo, I have accepted many times in my torment that this is my new eternity, but in the next moment I am screaming and taunting death that he will never have me.

Death. I am Death. I am the Reaper of souls.

Then an icy chill, the first notion of temperature, a sensation I had all but forgotten. In the next moment, or perhaps the next year, I do not know, I feel the slow thrum of my heartbeat. A desperate low beat at first, but the longer I listened the stronger it gets.

It beats to a tune of a song I have never heard, but every time I hear it, it seems like an old friend greeting me on a sun bleached porch. With a hand out stretched, I reach out my own; he laughs and pulls it back. I am not invited, not this time. The man smiles, and as he does the corners of his eyes crease, he looks back at the house and says something to me. In a voice I have come to dread.

My own.

A reflection of myself stares at me through viciously cold eyes.

I have trouble figuring out where he ends and I begin. We are intertwined. My monster within and I. Forever shall we be each others strongest enemies and closest allies in the darkness.

Darkness, darkness, darkness...everywhere. Floating in endless space. To reach a destination of pain.

I am a creature like no other. My monster whispers it's needs. I shout back my own. But we are trapped. Burning together in an inferno fire of our own making. Our own mistakes led us here. Our own power. Our own choices.

I open my eyes.

I'm staring at a wall of dingy grey, with a warm dim light illuminating the room. It smells wrong, and it looks wrong. Everything around me; what I feel, what I smell, and what I see is alien. The engine in my brain struggles to turn over; I feel a prick of anxiety and confusion as I try to raise myself. This place smells like the things in it. An odd way to say it, but that's how my mind processes it. I can smell the mattress, the bed, the lamp.

This place...feels like a prison cell.  _The witches..._

I try to sit up, I feel sounds around me but they are a garbled, a broken moment continuing on and on and on. I shift my body so I am sitting up. The room spins.

"Be still, young creature. Sinbad Salvatore."

I heave my body up at that voice, my eyes fix on the image and as I stare, she comes into focus.  _The_  witch. Esther.

A deep and unsettling feeling builds up inside me, filling my dry mouth with bitter liquid. The witch is giving me the most complicated look I have ever seen. She is cold, and so is her expression, but past her facade of calm I see her determination.

Behind the strange old eyes, I see what she truly feels towards me. The hope. I do not know what she wants of me. Not this time.

Or maybe I do, and that's why I feel so much fear gripping my throat in a chokehold.

My eyes squint, trying to erase such an uncomfortable realization from my groggy mind, when I open them again I hear a different voice. Like a homing device my eyes immediately shoot to the direction of the voice, they focus like a scope and pull him into view. Finn? I feel my eyes blaze, my head lowers and I feel my teeth start to grind together.

"What do you want  _now_?" I groan snappishly.

God damn witch vampnapped me. I really should be embarrassed by how many times I've been captured by a witch. I'm practcally a Disney princess. Fuck, I'm Sinpunzel!

But with better hair.

"Now, now, Sinbad, is that really any way to speak to an old friend?" Esther's voice is soft and heavily accented, almost melodic. In a strange way her voice has always reminded me of Elijah's similar calming tone.

Except whereas Eli has always looked upon me with care, if not always love, Esther on the other hand seems to be watching me like a very pissed off eagle. A very pissed off eagle with a plan. A very pissed off eagle with an  _evil_  plan.

A very pissed off eagle with an evil plan that I'm most likely going to be forced into being involved in.

Again.

And isn't that just fantastic.

Right, Nick, this is the perfect chance for you to prove yourself. Save me...like... _now..._ uh...on the count of three...

...1

...2

...2 and a half...

Nick if you save me I'll be with you forever and ever. I shall fucking...declare my intentions...or marry you...or...something.

...2 and 3 quarters...

...3!

Yeah, ok then. Looks like I won't get to play the damsel in distress role today. I'll have to save myself. Drat.

I wish Ever was here, she gets vampnapped all the time, she's practically an expert.

Esther reaches out and touches my face 'gently'. I jerk away on instinct.

"Back off crazy pants!" I make some dramatic wavy motions with my now much looser arms, "You are not  _permitted_  to  **touch**!" I gesture wildly at myself.

"Leave him alone, Mother" I hear Nick's harsh tone from the doorway.

I force my heavy body to sit up on the bed. I lock my eyes with Nick and my mind explodes with emotion. Like it always does with that man. God damn you Nick.

Wait a second...Nick?

Did he hear my silent plea?

Great, now I'll have to marry him.

So, I'm not vampnapped then?

"Nick..." I murmur uncomfortably, as Esther is still technically staring me down.

"My Angel" Nick breathes, and he comes towards me tentatively. Like he thinks I'll bite him.

I might.

I hold a hand up, and Nick stops moving, thankfully. My world is still spinning and I have no idea what's happening right now. The last thing I remember is drowning my sorrows with whiskey over the end of my relationship with Jeremy. I was invited to the ball, just as Ever was. But I declined the old fashioned way by simply not turning up. The only reason I would have to go to that ball would be protecting Ever, and she's already got two bodyguards on either arm.

I couldn't stand the thought of facing Nick, after everything that's happened lately. Not to mention Eli and Kol. Oh  _Kol_.

Plus the crazy witchy Queen. I know from Ever that Esther has been spouting some old shitcake about wanting to be a family again with her vampiric children. But I ain't buying it. I ain't even renting it.

The last time I spoke with Esther, she made a deal with me to kill her children in exchange for my freedom from the dark witches who experimented on me for years. So, yeah, I'm definitely not going for the whoe  _happy families_  thing.

"Nick...what the frik is going on? Why am I here?" I run a frustrated hand through my wild dark hair.

Nick just stares at me, a mixture of anger, pain and devotion in his whiskey brown eyes. I always felt like I could drown in those eyes and feel contented for all my life. There's just something about Nick that gets under my skin, no matter how much we hurt each other. And trust me, we've hurt each other plenty over the years. Enough that if we laid it all out then anyone would think we were completely mad to still feel anything like love between us.

But I do love Nick, I'm completely in love with him, always have been. I guess he's the love of my life, or at least by this point that seem like the most likely explanation as to why we always end up back where we started. Loving each other. Hating each other. Wanting each other. Sometimes all three at the same time.

It's freaking exhausting.

"I brought you here." Esther intones in that creepy melodoc voice of hers. Makes me shiver God damn it.

"Uh..." I pause, my eyes flickering between Nick and his mother, "This is the part where you tell me  _why_?"

Esther shows no outward reaction to my words, but I feel a shift in the room anyway. The ju ju is a'grumbling.

"I know how...close you have become with my children. You are practically family" Esther tilts her head to the side, her eyes locking on my face, and I read all kinds of things into  _ **that**  _particular gesture.

"I know you're connected to Niklaus in a very...intimate way-"

" _ **Mother**_ " Nick practically groans, and I have to stiffle the snicker that threatens to erupt at the sound of Nick reacting to his mother in the same way any normal man would when embarrassed in front of a boyfriend. Or a potential boyfriend.

Maybe.

I'm an idiot.

"Niklaus" Esther snaps sharply, in the way only a mother can, "I want be part of you and your siblings lives. Part of that is getting to know the people who are important to you all. And I think it's safe to say that Mr. Salvatore means a great deal to you, yes?"

I can't help but watch Nick as he turns to me, his gaze fixed on my face. Nick nods slowly, the weight of the world somehow in the tone of his voice as he answers,

"He means everything to me"

And fuck it all if I don't feel exactly the same way. Because, despite everything, against all odds, Nick really does mean that much to me.

My heart clenches painfully, and I can't seem to stop myself from standing up and making my way over to Nick. I stop in front of him and reach for his hand, the passion and fire between us is ever-present, complex as hell, and  **completely**  uncontrollable.

And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Nick grips my hand hard, and uses his other hand to cup my now darkly stubbled jaw, his thumb rubs gently over my skin, making sparks erupt and my whole body reacts like it always has to Nick's touch.

It's like the rest of the world has fallen away, leaving only Nick and I behind, which sounds ridiculous, but it's true nonetheless. I feel free, for the first time in a long, long, time.

Which is ironic given my current situation.

"Heard you're stopping by for lunch" Kol's voice breaks through the haze and kicks me in the face with my past. Our past.

Nick stiffens, and I can practically  _feel_  the anger begin to fill him up.

"Long time, no see, love" Oh, no, Kol, please don't "Not since the night Nick daggered me after I asked you to run away with me, actually. What fun times, eh"

Aaaaannnnd life is complicated again.

Goodie.

**Ever's P.O.V**

**When the world, leaves you feeling blue**   
**You can count on me, I will be there for you**   
**When it seems, all your hopes and dreams**   
**Are a million miles away, I will re-assure you**

**We've got to all stick together**   
**Good friends, there for each other**   
**Never ever forget that**   
**I've got you and you've got me, so**

**Reach for the stars**   
**Climb every mountain higher**   
**Reach for the stars**   
**Follow your hearts desire**   
**Reach for the stars**   
**And when that rainbow's shining over you**   
**That's when your dreams will all come true**

I hum along with the song, singing the chorus like a doped up lunatic.

I'm pretty happy in my own world. That is until my annoying boyfriends, Damon and Stefan come barging in and ruin it.

They stand there in the doorway to my room. Damon wearing an expression of exasperated amusement, Stefan, as always, looking more reserved. But I can feel through our bond that he's not sure whether to ask me why I'm sitting alone in my room with S Club blasting from my stereo, or fall about laughing at me.

I decide to push him a little. I cross my arms and narrow my eyes at them,

"What?"

Yep, that does it.

I'm not sure which one of my lovers starts laughing, but in the end I guess it doesn't matter, considering they both end up staggering towards my bed, eventually falling down on it still laughing like raving loons.

God I love it when they laugh, makes them both look so young and carefree, even though I know they're not either of those things.

I thread my fingers through Damon's dark hair and then Stefan, tugging on them gently. Damon wraps his arms around my body and pulls me against him so my back is pressed against his hard chest. When he's finally calmed down enough to move, that is. Stefan twists his body so his head is in my lap, my fingers still twisting in his hair lovingly.

I smile to myself, this is one of our favorite positions.

Not like  _that._  Those kind of positions are totally different.

"So" Stefan begins as Damon kisses the side of my neck, causing a shiver to run through my body. "Why are you sitting alone in your room listening to S Club?"

I shrug and gesture around me like it's obvious,

"Listening to S Club alone in my room, is my happy place" I leave the 'duh' part unsaid.

I hear Damon choke on another round of laughter as he forces out the words,

"Right. Of course. But...uh...is there a reason for S club specifically?"

I click my fingers and answer confidently,

"There's no party like an S Club party"

"Oh dear God" Damon buries his face in my hair, silent laughter making his body shudder against me.

"Makes perfect sense" Stefan says. The actual understanding in his voice and through our bond makes me pause, and then Damon as he feels it vibrate through our connection.

"Stefan..." I start, and I can feel Damon smirking against my neck.

"Anything you want to admit to us, little brother?" Damon asks slyly.

"You feelin' the S Club vibes Dr. Steffy?" I add playfully, looking down into Stefan's handsome face. I can feel that he's relaxed right now, and I love the fact that he can let his guard down with us even more these days.

Stefan's tilts his head from side to side and makes a 'sort of' gesture with his hand, before eventually replying at least semi-seriously,

"I'm more of a 'Steps' man if anything, give me a dark library and some 'Tragedy' any day"

And, with that one sentence ladies and gentlefolk, I fall a little more in love with Stefan Salvatore. My broody Dr. Steffy, with his floppy hair and rare smiles, how could anyone not love him? I lean down and press a hard kiss to Stefan's mouth. Stefan kisses me back sensually, the tenderness in which he touches me and slides his tongue along mine makes my toes curl.

Then of course Damon's got to chime in with,

"Screw them both, it's the Spice Girls and a bottle of bourbon or nothing, that's my happy place"

I roll my eyes and Stefan scoffs.

"Day, your happy place is ' _anything_ -and-a-bottle-of-bourbon'"

Damon just smirks wider,

"Awww, our woman knows me Stef"

Stefan sits up and arches an eyebrow at his brother, "Hhhhmmm, yeah, she does. Lucky for you." Damon grins darkly and reaches out to brush a few strands of Stefan's hair away from his forehead. Stefan doesn't flinch away from the touch at all, the gesture now a familiar one between them. Watching the open tenderness between Stefan and Damon makes me truly happy like nothing else in this world. I feel privileged to be loved by these two wonderful and complex men.

My thoughts turn to last night, and all the madness that insued. I ended up meeting the elusive Esther. Not something I'm keen to repeat by the way, that woman's scary as fuck. Seriously. She says she has a plan to kill Kaus, a plan that includes me and Sinbad. She wouldn't tell me much, not with Damon and Stefan so close, and obviously I wasn't stupid enough to go about being alone with her. Sin warned me strongly against doing anything that foolish.

Plus it wasn't worth the argument with Stef and Day. I know how to pick my battles in this relationship, and so do they.

Anyway, Esther says we'll know more soon. It felt a lot like a 'when the time is right young jedi' moment.

Of course then I got into a massive row with Jeremy this morning over the whole Sin thing. Apparently he thinks by being a friend to Sin I'm somehow insulting our sister's memory. I heavily disagree. Elena was the forgiving sort, she would probably be the first to comfort Sin, I know it. Sin is going through some tough shit right now, and he needs my support and understanding.

But then, so does Jeremy. I keep trying to be there for both of them, but Jeremy is making that impossible by basically forcing me to make a choice. A choice I refuse to make. So really, we're all just spinning in circles.

We stayed here at my house tonight so Sin could have the boarding house to himself and regroup a little. I worry that he'll start to spiral. Vampy people have a tendency to do that when they're stressed. Except me, but that's because I'm an extra special snowflake. Not everyone can be this great, but then, I do have the ultimate edge a.k.a. Kevin.

Just then my favorite S club song (and _yes_  I have a favorite S Club song) comes on 'Never had a dream come true' and I start singing out loud. I force Damon and Stefan to sing along with me at full volume, promising them sexual favours in return for their efforts. And that's how Ric and Jenna find us, sprawled out on the bed singing to each other " _ **I've never had a dream come true. Till the day that I found you. Even though I pretend that I've moved on. You'll always be my baby.**_ "

I haven't felt this much like a kid since I was seven and my teacher asked me what I thought love was and I answered,  _"I know what love is. Love is a baby elephant. A baby elephant named Dave."_

I'm still not sure I was wrong.

Jenna and Ric take one look at us, exchange a glance, and say in unison,

"We don't want to know"

** Trick's P.O.V **

"Woah, might wanna slow down there, Gilbert" I watch as Jeremy downs another mouthful of vodka like it's water, barely even wincing at the taste anymore.

Not good.

"I hate him, T-Trick" Jeremy all but sobs for about the millionth time since we met up about three hours ago.

Jeremy suggested getting drunk in the forest via text, and I had nothing better to do. Now I seem to be Jeremy's pity party audience of one, and ain't that just grand. Jeremy's told me pretty much every detail of his and Sinbad's relationship by this point, and if I'm being honest, I think he's better off out of it, no point in fighting for someone who's already been won a hundred times over by an immortal hybrid.

But then, I haven't got a single romantic bone in my body. Not anymore. My ex Holton took the last of it. And for the most part I'm glad. I don't think love was ever meant for me anyway.

Jeremy on the other hand, now he's prime love material. I can imagine why someone would fall for the damaged doe eyed artist. Hell, a few years ago I would have myself.

I rub Jeremy's back soothingly, trying to subtly take the bottle of alcohol from Jeremy death grip,

"I know Jeremy. But, listen, I know you feel shitty right now, but that'll pass, I promise. Eventually you'll wonder why you ever cared at all"

Jeremy's face crumples like paper, and immediately I feel like an asshole. I'm really not good at being sensitive to other people's feelings, it's never come naturally to me. But something about Jeremy makes me want to wipe all that hurt away and replace it with something-anything-else. Damn kid's breaking my heart just looking at him.

A real sob breaks free from Jeremy and his whole body shudders with the power of his emotions,

"I love him  _so much_...It hurts so  _fucking much_ , Trick...I can't stand losing him"

Ok, now I'm dying inside too. I wrap an arm around Jeremy's shoulders and tug him close to me. Jeremy turns his face into my chest and continues to sob like crazy, my tank quickly becoming damp with his tears. God, Sinbad Salvatore really did a number on him.

I smooth Jeremy's hair in what I hope is a friendly manner. Like I said, I really suck at this.

"Seriously, Jeremy...it...I mean...guys can be bastards...um...you can't let a relationship define you-"

"He promised me he'd always be there" Jeremy's voice sounds lost and throaty from all the crying, and the vodka.

I take a swig of my own from the almost empty bottle and sigh heavily,

"And maybe he will be...like...as a friend or something"

Jeremy shakes his head fast and hard,

"I don't want to be his friend. I want him to love me"

I sigh again, not at all sure what the right thing to say is. Finally, after a few more large gulps of the foul tasting liquid I decide on,

"Well, you said he said he does love you, so maybe-"

"Not enough" Jeremy whispers, heartbreak thick in his tone, "He never loved me enough to let go of...of Klaus. Klaus is part of him in a way I won't ever be"

He says the words with a finality that seems to clunk between us like iron scrapping against my brain.

"Maybe that's for the best" I wince even as I say the words. I half expect Jeremy to punch me for sounding so lame, no matter how heartfelt and honest the words actually are.

But Jeremy doesn't hit me, or even call me a fucking socially inept moron, as he probably should. Jeremy just grips onto my jacket and snorts,

"Trick, hypothetically, how open are you to no-strings forest sex?"

Damn, we're gonna need more vodka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, I know I've got some explaining to do because of how long it's taken me to update. It was a mixture of things really. One was work, because I'm real bogged down right now. Second is that my computer got infected with a bug (God damn technology) so I had to send it away to be fixed. And thirdly was that I lost a little inspiration for the story for a while, and I hate writing if I don't enjoy it, because I think the story comes out forced and flat. But, last night, I was in my room listening to my ipod, and suddenly 'Reach' by S Club 7 came on and I actually ended up singing along to it and dancing around like a twit. And I suddenly thought 'huh, this is so something Ever would do', and for whatever reason all my inspiration came back, and so now I'm really excited again to get on with this story.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter, and any questions are very welcome. Please, please, please leave reviews, I really do love the crap out of them.


	83. Do Not Go Gentle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-third chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

I'm in hell.

"Isn't this lovely" Esther Mc creepy pants simmpers, whilst at the same time smiling around at all of us in a way that makes me want to curl up in a ball and die right here, right now.

And by all of us, I really do mean me, Nick, Rebekah, Finn, Eli and Kol.

All of us.

Sitting at a table.

Together.

Eating lunch.

All of us.

_Together._

With Nick's palpable tenseness radiating off of him, his hand on my knee like a vice under the table.

With Rebekah volleying between smirking at her brothers and giving me sympathetic looks.

With Kol staring at me with both rage and longing in his eyes.

With Esther casting knowing glances my way, like she's got a secret I want to know.

Worst of all might be Eli. He's refusing to even acknowledge my existence. I'd be lying if I said that didn't hurt just a little bit.

So I'll reiterate, I'm in hell.

"It is nice, isn't it, to have the family together again" Finn answers in a level tone, his gaze landing heavily on me.

Alright momma's boy, bring it on.

Eli suddenly slams down his silver fork and, still without even looking my way once, says in that chiling 'angry Eli' voice,

"Do we really need to do this mother? Having Sinbad here is obviously only going to instigate-"

Esther cuts off her son with a raised eyebrow and a swift,

"Enough Elijah. Sinbad is important to your brother, so I want to get to know him better"

Oh, fuck a duck, no.

Eli's eyes darken considerably and his jaw even clenches a little. I frown, it isn't at all like Eli to lose his temper so drastically. What the hell is going on with him now?

Eli takes a few calming breathes, but before he can speak again, Nick speaks first, his voice hard and strong,

"Elijah is correct, Mother. There are certain things from the past that make this situation...less than desirable"

Kol snorts out a harsh laugh, and my eyes quickly fasten onto his without meaning too. His lip curves into an almost snarl and again I am struck by memories from so long ago. Kol was once my best friend. The best friend I ever had. He's also a pretty little fuck. Although it's thinking like that, that ruined everything last time.

Keeping it in my pants has always been a bit of trial for me. Blood lust I can handle just fine. Even soul-lust I can keep under control for the most part. But plain old fashioned lust between two people seems to be my kryptonit. I was an unapologetic slut as a human, although a kind, happy-go-lucky one, and it only got worse once I became a vampire. Damn heightened personality.

Kol gestures at me angrily,

"You want to invite that  _worthless_   **whore**  into our  _family_ -"

Ok, I admit to the 'whore' part, but the whole 'worthless' thing really does depend on who you ask.

Nick is on his feet before I can gab him and pointing a very violent looking finger at his younger brother,

"Don't you  _ever_  speak about him like that, or I'll put you right back in that box, brother"

Kol just smirks at Nick and says mockingly,

"It didn't take much, Nicklaus, to get your little boyfriend into bed. A few drinks and one kiss. He's worse than Rebekah"

Rebekah takes far more offense to Kol's words than I do, she glares at her brother,

"Screw you too Kol, at least I don't go around seducing my brother's boyfriend for kicks"

Seducing? Yeah, there really wasn't any of that, I am admittedly pretty easy sometimes.

Nick makes to go and attack Kol from across the table, and I just about manage to clamp my arms around his waist, stopping him mid lunge. Nick tries to fight my grip, but I refuse to let go, I pull him back until he's practically in my lap. At the same time saying to the over protective idiot,

"Nick, babe, stop, he's doing it on purpose to antagonize you, leave it"

Turns out it wasn't just Nick I should have made a grab for. I hear the loud thump of someone being thrown and hitting a wall. I look around Nick to the sight of Elijah standing tall and proud, breathing a little heavily, more with unbridled anger than anything else, whilst Kol lays slumped on the floor having slipped down the wall Eli threw him at.

"Eli" I breathe, my own voice barely a whisper in the sudden silence.

Eli turns to me, and the fierceness in his eyes makes me wince. Powerful emotions wash through my mind and body as I stare dumbly at the Mikaelson who least deserved to have me in his life. I feel awful for being someone Eli thinks worth caring about.

It was always different with Eli. Less intense than it was between Nick and I, more...sensual, I guess. The kind of passion that only comes from connecting with someone on a level way beyond the physical. The calm peace inside Eli was like a flame to my inner moth back when we first met.

I'd just 'escaped' from Nick and I had my humanity back. I was in desperate need of some peace, both inside myself and in my life outside my own head. Eli gave me that to me, and I'll never be able to repay him for it.

Sometimes, people come into your life at exactly the right time. They're what you need in that moment, at that point, and maybe it won't be forever, but that doesn't make them any less special.

Eli doesn't say anything to me, instead he turns away and strides over to a disgruntled looking Kol. He snatches hold of his brother's shirt and holds him against the wall, leaning in close to speak in a quietly threatening way that only Eli can pull off.

"Don't make more trouble than you're  _ **worth**_ , Kol. Or I'll put you back in that box myself"

Ohhh, using the 'worth' thing, nice one.

Eli strides out of the room without a backward glance at any of us, his posture practically screaming 'follow me at your own peril'.

Esther, who stayed mysteriously silent throughout the whole dramatic scene, stands up and says lightly,

"I see he situation is more...complex than I first thought"

Her eyes fasten on me and I fight back a glare. Esther leaves the room without another word, Momma's boy hot on her heels. After a lengthy silence, Rebekah rolls her eyes and snaps,

"This is completely ridiculous" She points at Kol, "You shouldn't have tries to steal Sinbad" Becksly aims her finger at me next, "You shouldn't have encouraged him" and finally she points at Nick, who is still half on my lap, not that I'm complaining, "And you, Nik, shouldn't have daggered Kol, or made Sin feel like a pet and a prisoner when you  _knew_  he would act out in response" She pauses for a moment and then continues forcefully, "Now, can we all just move on from the past"

Nick regains some of his composure and stands, reaching back a hand to slide his fingers into my hair possessively. Oh, damn, here we go.

Kol gets to his feet without much grace and glares daggers at me, blatantly ignoring both Beckly's words and Nick's aggressive/protective stance by saying,

"Miss something, did I?" Obviously meaning Elijah's reaction to his badmouthing me "Two Mikaelson's not enough for you? How about Rebekah? Or Finn? Want to try for them too?"

Alright, enough's enough. He has a right to be pissed, but I cannot deal with this much drama anymore, it's making my head feel like mush.

"Shut up! Back the fuck off Kol. I'm sorry for what happened, but I never meant to hurt you"

Kol shakes his head in denial,

"Ha! Hurt me?  ** _Hurt me?_** Are you fucking joking? You made me believe you wanted me! We were meant to be best mates! I thought you loved me, you arsehole! Fuck you and your apology, Sinbad, you fucking tore my heart out just to get back at my brother! Don't you dare tell me you ' _never meant to_ '! That's crap, and you know it"

I wince and start cursing myself inside my head, and a stange thought occurs to me: Jeremy and Kol might just get along right now. And then I feel shitty for hurting Jer all over again.

"I know what I did was shit, Kol, I really do. But I was a different person back then,  _please_  don't hate me"

Kol's rage fades away, his expression lost, his shoulders slumped in defeat,

"I don't hate you, Sinbad"

And then, just like his brother before him, Kol walks out. With one last mouthed 'sorry' at me, Becksly races after her brother, possibly to try and get him to calm the frik down. Hopefully. I don't think my heart can take much more abuse.

Speaking of...

I turn to Nick, our gazes lock, and for one true moment, everything feels right in the world.

Nick tugs on my hair, pulling our faces closer together as well as our bodies. He wraps a hand around my neck and squeezes possessively, those whiskey eyes holding onto my own pale blue gaze with a strength I have no will or want to fight against.

"Tell me it won't be like last time" I whisper, my lips brushing over Nick's as I speak, "Or like every time we try...this"

Nick breathes deeply and his hold becomes tighter, one of his hands moves to my waist, his thumb gently stroking my hip,

"I promise to do everything I possibly can to keep you calling yourself mine"

I swallow hard, a wrecked shiver coursing through my body like lightening as Nick's teeth skate over my bottom lip. Promising.

"I want this to work" I manage to choke out. Somehow.

"Good" Nick replies steadily, "Because what we have between us is the only thing I've ever wanted this much. I won't lose you again, Angel, I'd rather die"

I laugh a little at that,

"More like you'd rather kill everyone else. Anyone who gets in your way"

"Our way" Nick corrects me with a small smirk of his own.

"Right" I can't help the grin on me face, "Our way"

"Nothing can ruin this if we don't let it" Nick murmurs, almost to himself more than to me.

I nod and nip at Nick's lip gently,

"Not even your mother?"

I'll admit that I'm still really worried about that.

Nick replies with a force in his voice that inspires trust in my heart,

"Definitely not my mother"

"I love you, Nicklaus Mikaeson" I whisper meaningfully.

Nick smiles against my lips,

"With all my dark heart"

I smile in return,

"With all my battered soul"

"My Angel"

"My love"

"Always"

" _Promise?_ "

" **Promise** "

Nick finally kisses me then, with a passion that I know in my heart will never fade. And for the first time since I first fell in love with Nick, I feel hope that maybe our future will be a happy one.

** Ever's P.O.V **

"So Jeremy's blaming you for his split with Sin, and now he's gone off by himself without telling you where. Yep, sounds like drama central in the Gilbert household" Caroline says as we make our way through the school gym.

It's school dance time. Yay.

Not.

Yet again I've been pulled into decorating a dance I have no interest in going to. I wish Elena were here, she liked this stuff. She liked helping people too. I like neither. I really miss my evil twin.

I sigh heavily,

"I just don't know what to do to make things easier for him. He's my brother, I love him, I hate seeing him like this. I want to help him"

Caroline and Bonnie exchange a look, and Caroline says,

"Maybe you can't"

I frown at her,

"What do you mean?"

Caroline bites her lip for a few moments and stops at a table full of school dance decorations,

"I mean, maybe he needs someone who...isn't so close to Sin to help him through his break up. Someone he can bad mouth Sin to, someone who doesn't love Sin the way you do"

That hurts. A lot. The thought that I can't be the one to help my little brother when he's hurting. It hurts even more because I think Caroline's right. Maybe Jer does need someone who is not at all connected to Sin. But who the hell would that be?

"We all love Sin, though" I argue thoughtfully, "He's our friend"

Bonnie makes a face and mutters dispassionately,

"Well, there is one person"

I look right at my friend and raise an inquiring eyebrow,

"Who?"

Bonnie looks reluctant to tell me, but I manage to stare her down with my super sonic friend stare. It takes real skill, you have to keep your eyes open and everything.

"Fine. I might know where Jeremy is"

"What? Where?" I ask, shocked.

Bonnie shifts uncomfortably, but says,

"He's...he's with my brother. They're...hanging out together. Trick texted me earlier this morning, he told me not to tell anyone, that Jeremy wanted to be alone"

I have no idea how to react to that. Our new leather magician is 'hanging out' with my brother. Ohhh, that cannot end well. I feel it in my stomach. Bad feelings of woe I say. But hell, it's not my life, I can't control Jeremy. Well I  _could_ , technically, but I won't, that wouldn't be right. Jeremy can make his own mistakes, I'm not exactly in a position to judge anyone's love life. Sex life. Or any aspect of anyone's life in general really.

I mean, I'm an eighteen year old vampire/Gaurdian of love, with two vampire brother boyfriend's. I think the only normal thing in my life is probably Kevin. My noble steed in bat form. I reach over and squeeze Bonnie hand to let her know I'm ok with the whole Trick/little brother thing. If it even is a thing.

"How have things been with your...Trick?" I ask carefully, since it's still a pretty sensitive subject for Bonnie,

Bonnie shrugs and tilts her head to the side in thought,

"Not...bad"

I consider that for a moment before saying,

"Good...good...not bad is...good...ish...right?"

Bonnie grimaces a little,

"Uh, right...he's a bit..."

"Annoying" I suggest, "Yeah, don't worry, all siblings are like that, you'll get used to it"

Bonnie shakes her head at me,

"No. I mean, he's...he's..."

"Whingy?"

"No-"

"Scary?"

"No-"

"Pissy?"

"No-"

"Gay?"

" _ **Very**_ "

We both burst out laughing at that.

"But no" Bonnie continues, "I meant to say he's a little bit...jaded"

I nod in understanding,

"Ah, so he's your gay, leather wearing, sarcastic, grumpy, tattoo artist twin brother. And you don't know how to relate to him at all"

"Pretty much"

"Fair enough"

"What should I do, we have nothing in common" Bonnie stresses, she runs a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Uh...you could get a tattoo"

"Ever, be serious for two seconds, please"

"Alright, alright...well, what about magic"

"What about magic?"

"You know, he's a magician-"

"A warlock"

Ha, 'warlock', sounds like a witch with a sexual identity crisis to me.

I wave her correction away flippantly,

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, anyway, you both have magic, why not bond over that"

"I guess" Bonnie sighs, sounding tired as all hell, "He's just so secretive and sharp tongued towards everyone. He shuts me out all the time"

"Hate to break it to you Bon, but that's just what having a sibling is like. You gotta break through the hard stuff before you get to the good part" I say gently.

Caroline turns around suddenly, interrupting my moment with Bonnie by snapping shrilly at Matt and Stefan, who are hanging paper stars in unnatural harmony. Damon refused to help set up the dance on the grounds that...on the grounds that he's  _Damon_.

"What are you  _doing_?" She sounds like they've just committed some heinous crime, and the stunned looks on their faces make me laugh internally, "You can't just  _hang them_ , they're supposed to trickle down" Caroline whines in annoyance.

I shake my head at them and call out,

"Yeah, you big dummies, I think I speak for everyone on the dance committee when I say  _you are fired!"_

Bonnie's shoulders shake with laughter,

"Ever, you're not even on the dance committee"

I gesture at Stefan and Matt,

"Pffffttt, I know, exactly, if I  **was,**  then I'd never employ people like these two bozos to hang up stars." I call out to Matt and Stefan, "Useless, the pair of you!"

"Ever, you're the one who brought them" Caroline says, rolling her eyes.

I nod in agreement,

"Yep, that's why I'm not on the committee"

Caroline bursts out laughing,

"Oh, yeah,  _that's_  why"

I narrow my eyes at her,

"I have no idea what you are insinuating, Sir"

Caroline scoffs,

"Last time I let you be on the dance committee, you tried to get us to throw a Ice cream/Capes themed dance"

I grin madly at her,

"And I stand by that plan. We could all have dressed up as either ice cream or just wear a cape. Or both. An ice cream cone with a cape! Hot damn, that would have been fun"

"What are you saying over there about capes?" Stefan calls out to me.

I wave overly enthusiastically at him,

"Oh, Stefan would look so good in a cape! Is it too late to change our theme for tonight?"

"Ever, stop saying stupid things please" Caroline says, hands on hips, glaring at me.

"We could all wear capes! It could be called 'Capestravaganza!'" I start clapping. My plan is brilliant, I must inform the world! Capestravaganza must happen!

"Are you done being insane yet?" Caroline asks, Bonnie is too busy falling apart laughing at me to say anything at all.

"Never!" I shout. I then proceed to do the unvictory dance, it's like a victory dance, but not. It includes cartwheels.

I suddenly feel Stefan's arms envelope me, his face buried in my neck as he picks me up and spins me around. I laugh loudly in response.

"Stefan! Put me down!"

Stefan stops spinning, but he doesn't put me down. He lifts me up into his arms instead and smiles down into my face. I see the love in his eyes, and I feel it cascade through our bond like a waterfall of golden light.

He leans down and kisses me on the nose,

"I love you, Everlyna. Never stop being insane"

I grin up at him, so madly in love with my that I can barely think of anything but him. Although one thought penetrates,

"I really do think you'd look good in a cape, Stef"

Stefan nods slowly, as if considering the possibility,

"I know" he says finally, "You've told me that before"

I frown,

"I have?"

"Yep"

I slap his chest with the back of my hand,

"And yet, you still haven't worn a cape for me...quite frankly Dr. Steffy, I feel let down"

"I understand" Stefan says solemnly, "Maybe I'll wear one for the dance tonight"

"Ohhhh, no you won't" Caroline practically screeches.

I start laughing, but then stop, rethinking his words,

"Wait, we're not going to the dance"

"Ohhh, yes you are!" Caroline shouts at us, before pulling Bonnie over to help her carry some lighting stuff.

I'm about to argue with Stean that I most definitely am not going, when I hear Damon's voice inside my head,

**"Sin is missing"**

**What?! What do you mean missing?**

**"Sinbad is gone. Klaus called me. Apparently he spent the night over there, they had this big family thing at lunch or something. Klaus fell asleep in bed with him apparently, and when he woke up, Sin was gone. He called me to ask if Sin was with us"**

**He's not with us!**

**"I KNOW!"**

**So, maybe he's just not with any of us, that doesn't mean anything.**

**"Ever. Esther is gone too."**

**Oh fuck! Go to the boarding house, we'll all meet there.**

**"Hurry, Ev's, I don't want you alone"**

I'd already struggled out of Stefan's hold and had been striding through the corridors during my conversation with Damon, Stefan right by side, not hearing what we were talking about, but sensing the feeling through our bond.

I turn to Stefan as we get outside and say,

"Sin is gone. Esther is gone. Code red, code red!"

Stefan nods, understanding without needing to ask questions.

But that's when everything goes wrong.

"We shouldn't assume anything yet, Everlyna, Sin's probably fine. We just need to get to Damon, then we'll all figure something out" Stefan tries to reassure me. And himself a little I think.

I look over at him as we move quickly towards our car, there's no one around. Or at least that's what I think until we're about to turn a corner and a blur of vampire comes at us. Both Stefan and I are so caught off guard, having been in such a rush to get to Damon, that the blur of vampire snaps Stefan's neck without any problem.

I shout Stefan's name, my heart bursting at the sight and sound of Stefan's neck breaking. My eyes flicker up to our attacker, and I have only moments before he comes at me.

Being a little more prepared, I fight back, using every skill the Salvatore's have taught me. Now, I'm no rambo, but I can kick some ass. Even vampire ass these days.I am not going quietly any more, that's for damn sure.

I manage to get in a knee to the gut and a hit to the head, slamming the vampire up against the wall whilst he's weak. I blink, startled, when I see that it's Finn, Klausy wousy's brother, staring at me. And that's all the hesitation he needs to twist out of my hold and get a good grip on my head. I struggle to release myself but then-

Darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so, plot speeding along at a super sonic pace now. Mostly because by that point in season three I was getting bored anyway. But, hopefully my story will never bore you ;) xxx


	84. Before sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-fourth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...
> 
> Review please, thank you

**Trick's P.O.V**

(Sexual stuff warning here my peoples)

"Jeremy...um...I don't think-" I begin stammering like an idiot.

But then Jeremy's hot mouth is on mine and it's all I can do to remain upright. Jeremy's kiss is fevered and desperate, almost as if he's trying to wipe away the memory of Sinbad by taking all that hurt and frustration out on me.

Now, usually, I wouldn't be complaining. I mean, Jeremy's hot, and intense and smart and cute and an amazing artist. Basically, he's my type. But Jeremy's also got one hell of a tortured soul, and I don't think I'm doing him any favours by letting this happen.

I try to pull away even though my body, specifically my dick, wants nothing more than to continue kissing and touching. But Jeremy wraps his hand around the back of my neck and holds me tight. He's actually pretty damn strong.

My world is spinning, and not just from the alcohol. Jeremy kisses me harder, drawing out a strangled whimper from me. I feel so damn embarrassed by that, but I also feel turned on. The two combating emotions go to war inside my mind and body, and I have no idea which will come out on top. I know who will come out on  **top**  in  _this_  situation though.

Jeremy's not gentle or careful at all when he knocks the bottle of vodka out of my hands, distantly I hear it smash, but all my attention is on Jeremy, and the way his other hand is pushing down past the seam of my jeans. His big strong hand cups my ass and he squeezes it with a surprising amount of possessiveness. I begin to wonder if Jeremy is re-enacting what Sinbad used to do to him.

It's hard for me to be subjective when a hot guy is kissing me like I'm the only thing in the world that exists, like he needs my lips beneath his more than he needs to breathe. Jeremy is taller than me, broader than me, stronger than me, honestly, I don't think I have the ability to stop him, not even if I really wanted to. Which, I might as well admit, I don't.

I don't want Jeremy to stop. I know that makes me selfish, but God damn, right now, I really, really, couldn't give a fucking shit. I'm a bad person, so sue me. Besides, I'm not Jeremy's mother,or his sister, it's not up to me to stop him from making stupid reckless decisions that he might regret later. Right?

Jeremy dominates my mouth pretty easily, and when his dry finger pushes at my hole, I gasp, moaning into his mouth like the bitch that I am. I can't help it, something about Jeremy has made my usual level-headidness go flying out of the window. Jeremy actually laughs against my lips, it's a dark laugh, almost predatory. And I know now that he's using me to vent. Or at least, he's using my body.

And strangely, I'm ok with that. Because I'm fucked up in the head, if anyone hasn't already realised that by now.

With that in mind I start kissing Jeremy back properly, my arms twining around his, pushing my body closer, and grinding down against his finger. I hope he's getting the message: take it.

Jeremy growls into my mouth and surprises the fuck out of me by suddenly scooping me up into his arms, bridal style. I flail for a moment, and only a moment, before Jeremy falls to his knee's and slams me down onto the earthy ground of the woods. I get a few seconds to breathe before Jeremy's mouth is back on mine, and I use that limited oxygen to power my brain and wrap my legs around his waist. I can feel those washboard abs even through his t-shirt, and fuck if I don't shiver with anticipation. I wanna know what he can do with all his strength.

Fuck me senseless I hope.

His hands are suddenly everywhere, in my short hair, pulling so hard that it hurts just right, ripping my jeans and my underwear down in one movement, grabbing my own hands and placing then above my head. " _Don't move them_ " Jeremy practically hisses, and my body responds to the tone of command in his voice.

I'm panting hard, and so is he, this crazy, but I don't have it in me to tell him to stop. Jeremy tears off his jacket and drops next to us, then his big, hot, tightly coiled body is back completely covering mine. My cock is throbbing already and I'm embarrassed again when Jeremy reaches down to palm me roughly at how eager I must seem. Fucking pathetic actually.

But Jeremy either doesn't care, or is choosing to ignore it, because all he does is nibble on my bottom lip, dragging another long moan out of me.

"Don't come," he whispers, letting go of my dick and meeting my gaze for the first time since he started this, "I want to come with you. I'm so hard, so ready. It'll only take a second. God, you're sexy."

Jeremy's eyes are sparkling in that peculiar way they sometimes do when he's completely sure of a choice he's made. Jeremy reaches down and unzips his jeans, shoving them down his thighs. I bite my lip and give him my sexiest come-on look as I grab my dick and start stroking.

"You gonna fuck me right here in the woods, Gilbert?"

Instead of answering me, Jeremy snatches me up and spins us so I'm on top. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around him, hooking my ironic cowboy boots together behind his ass. Holding me up easily with his left hand, he spits into his right and rubs it against my hole, lubing me and working me open.

"Dammit," he says, reaching around me to get to his jacket. He retrieves a condom and a small tube of lube.

"You came prepared." I just about manage to get out.

"I'm never gonna be unprepared. Not with you around. I've wanted to do this since we ran into each other at the Grill" He rolls the condom on and squirts a healthy puddle of lube into his hand, smears it onto me.

I clamp down on my bottom lip with my teeth when I feel the head of his dick stretching my hole and pushing inside. "Oh, Jesus, fuck,  _Jeremy_ …" I grunt as he thrust up and sheaths himself completely inside me. The fullness is almost more than I can handle, and I whimper against his throat. Then I start to bounce on his cock, using my legs as leverage.

"That's it, baby," he growls, grabbing a handful of my hair and yanking it back, making me cry out. "So damn beautiful"

He bends over at the waist, using one hand against a nearby rock to support himself, and using the other one to support my back as I hang from his body, my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He bounces his hips into me, and I let my head fall back, my world is spinning even faster now than ever before.

I'm loving the way Jeremy's using my body to pleasure himself like an animal, like he has no self-control, but his eyes tell a different story. They're full of pain, and a strange kind of tenderness.

"God, should have done this ages ago" he groans. "I want to come inside you so badly, Trick"

"Go ahead . I'm ready." I tighten my grip with my legs enough to get the right angle so that his big cock glances off my prostate on every stroke. He pounds into me so hard I see stars, and I notice too late that I'm crying out. Jeremy's grip on me tightens to painful level and grinds out his orgasm inside me. The power of his release tips me over into my own, and I shoot several jets of cum all up inside his shirt.

I stare wide-eyed at him for a few weighted seconds as we both come down from our mutual orgasm. Then something seems to snap inside Jeremy's eyes, because he pulls roughly out of me, pushing me away from him in the process, and is on his feet so damn fast that I wouldn't be surprised if he has whiplash.

Jeremy takes off the condom and drops it to ground like it's burnt him. He pulls up his jeans and grabs his jacket from the ground. I can see that he's panicking, and a little bit of guilt mixed with fear slices through my heart. I quickly dress myself as best I can and ignore the pangs of pleasurable discomfort stinging my asshole. Jeremy starts running his hands through his hair madly, a crazed look now flashing in his brown gaze.

I back up slowly and try saying,

"Jeremy-"

"No!" Jeremy suddenly barks, his eyes fastening on me and shining with emotion so intense that it sears my insides. "I can't...I didn't...I'm so sorry Trick...that wasn't meant to...I-"

"You what?" I ask carefully, "Please, calm down, Jeremy, it's...it's not that big a deal-"

"Not that big a deal?!" Jeremy shouts, he starts to pace, looking like a caged animal, "It's a HUGE deal! I just fucked you in the middle of the fucking woods! I'm not even into guys!"

Ok, that sets me back a bit.

"Uh, Jeremy..." I say gently, "I hate to break this to you...but...Sinbad is a guy. And you've been 'into him', for quite a while now"

Jeremy throws a sardonic/panicky look at me,

"Sinbad isn't just a  ** _guy_** , he's...he's...he's fucking  _Sinbad Salvatore_. Sin doesn't count. Before him I was always attracted to girls, still am. Sinbad was...he was different. He's  _special_. There's just something about him, something that attracts you that goes way beyond gender or sexuality"

I narrow my eyes, taking that in. Damn, I have got to meet this son of a bitch. I'm officially interested, what makes Sinbad so fucking special that everyone I've met so far in this town seems to love him in some way or another.

"Are you saying you've been thinking of yourself as straight this whole time?" I ask, staring at him open mouthed, genuinely shocked at that implication.

Jeremy shuffles, as if uncomfortable under my scrutiny. He shrugs,

"I don't know. It didn't seem relevant if I was gay or not. I just wanted Sinbad. Nothing else mattered."

Well, that's healthy.

"Alright, whatever" I mutter, "If you say so, Jeremy. Be as straight as you like, but don't go around roughly fucking guys and then freaking out about it just because  _ **you're**  _having a late sexual identity crisis. That's not cool"

Jeremy's self indignant anger seems to deflate and he sighs heavily, eyes skittering away from mine,

"I'm really sorry, Trick. Did I hurt you?" he meets my gaze again, and I see genuine worry in those pools of chocolate.

It melts the ice around my heart a little to see such innocent caring in his eyes. Like he really is sorry. Like he really does give a shit if he hurt me.

I huff quietly, wanting to slap myself for those kinds of thoughts. Jeremy's just like any other guy. An asshole. I can't trust anyone, especially not artists with dark pasts and sweet smiles. I've learnt that lesson the hard way.

I shake my head at Jeremy,

"Nah, I'm ok"

Jeremy takes a step towards me, real concern now creasing his handsome features,

"Are you sure, Trick? Maybe you should let me check you out, we can go back to my house and you can take a shower, and we then we could talk about-"

"No, thanks, I'm  **fine** " I snap, I take a few purposeful steps back, away from Jeremy, "Seriously, back off, Gilbert. Just because we had sex, that doesn't mean I'm suddenly some precious delicate  _girl_  who needs you  _take care_  of me"

Jeremy looks taken aback,

"I know that, Trick, I just thought-"

"Well you thought wrong" I grind out the words coldly, and before Jeremy can open his mouth to argue, I say, "Look, Jeremy, can we just move on from this? Forget it happened and go home"

Jeremy frowns at that, and for a very long moment he doesn't say anything, then finally,

"Can we still be friends?"

I blink rapidly, confused and unsure. I mean, what do you say to  _that_?

"Um, yeah, if you want"

Jeremy smiles slightly, his eyes brightening, and my heart clenches in my chest. God, I hate myself sometimes.

** Ever's P.O.V **

Ok...stay calm...so, I've been kidnapped...again...

AGAIN!

VAMPNAPPED! AGAIN!

COME  _ON_!

This shit just ain't funny anymore.

I try to sit up, but a pounding in my head and an ache coursing through my neck makes me wince. Ow, damn it, why must all bad things happen to ** _me_**. There I was, just trying to live my life as an ordinary vampire/Guardian with my two vampire brother boyfriends, and this is what I get. Vampnapped. Stuck in a fucking cemetary and feeling like my head is going to explode.

My eyes dart around a little more. I knew from the moment my eyes opened that I was in the cemetary, and that alone gave me bad feels. When my eyes focus on an unconcious Sinbad, those bad feels intensify by a hundred. When I feel the blood on my arm from a recently opened and healed slash, those bad feels go up by a thousand. When my head clears enough for me to see Esther Mc witcherson doing some freaky stuff with a bloodied big ass dagger and chanting some words into a creepy as all fuck couldron/alter, those bad feels reach code red panic station level.

I try my best to sit up, and my head spins. I desperately reach out to Damon through our connection, but my mind begins to burn and I scream out in agony, falling to the floor again. The pain stops almost as soon as it starts, and Esther turns to me, her calm eyes making me feel a fear like no other I've ever felt before.

"I apologize for that, Ever. But I couldn't have you alerting the Salvatore brothers to our whereabouts. I need a few more moments of your time, and then you'll be free to leave. I promise"

Oh, so she  _promises_ , now I feel so much fucking better.  **Not.**

I move closer to Sin, ready to protect his body with my own if it comes to that. I glare up at Esther,

"What are you  _doing_?"

Esther smiles tightly at me and I fight the urge to squirm.

"I'm binding you and Sinbad together"

Ah, well then, by all means, please do continue, crazy head.

"What does that mean? In what way?" I ask harshly, blood pounding loudly in my ears.

Esther doesn't answer me at first, and just as I'm getting ready to snap something at her, she says,

"Your lives. I'm binding your life to Sinbad's. Meaning, if one of you dies, so does the other"

I scowl, not sure if she's lying or not. How am I supposed to know, I don't speak insane dead witch.

"That's all? That's why you brought us here? That's your big plan?" I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in her lack of ambition.

Esther gives me a look like she's humouring me, and hell, she probably is, why else would she tell me all this.

"No. My 'big plan' has already been put into action. Binding you and Sinbad together is just a precautionary measure"

Uh oh, that doesn't sound so good.

"What have you done?" my eyes flicker to Sinbad, "What have you done to Sinbad?" because somehow I know her plan revolves around him.

Esther smiles at me 'politely' and it makes me shudder.

"Sinbad and I made a deal many years ago, I am merely making sure he completes his half of the bargain."

Real fear starts to set in. Right down to my bones. But I have more questions, and the more I know, the better chance I'll have of stopping whatever the hell is going on right now.

"What deal?"

I don't think Esther will tell me, but I'm proved wrong when she says,

"Sinbad was taken by witches. Tortured horribly, for years. From the other side I spoke to him, I struck a bargain with him. I would help Sinbad escape, and in return he would use his soul sucking abilities to kill all of my children"

Um, fuck.

I gasp, the very thought making me feel ill,

"That's awful!"

But then something else occurs to me,

"Sinbad didn't kill your children, though"

Well done captain obvious. Shhhh brain.

Esther's expression darkens for a moments and I fight the need to curl into myself. I have to be strong right now, to protect Sinbad, and keep us both safe from this crazy kid killing bitch.

"Exactly" Esther sighs, "He fell in love with Niklaus instead. But now I'm here to correct his mistake"

Sounds good crazy, why don't you go take a few more puffs from that crack pipe. God damn birth mothers! Does  _anyone_  have a birth mother who's sane? Apart from Caroline.

"What do you mean by correct his mistake? Sinbad won't ever kill the Originals, your children, he cares about them. He loves Klausy Wousy, and Elijah, and Rebekah is like a sister to him"

Esther arches a strangely sophisticated eyebrow at me. I didn't even know eyebrows could look sophisticated, but hers do.

"Klausy  **wousy?** " she questions.

I roll my eyes. Ok, people really need to stop focusing on that.

"Yeah, Kausy  _wousy,_  that's his name" I say as if I'm talking to a child. A stupid child.

Esther frowns,

" _Klausy wousy._  That's completely ridiculous"

I hold my hands up in a defensive gesture and say,

"Hey, you're the one who named him, not me"

Before Esther can respond, something crackles inside the alter and I'm suddenly distracted by the searing pain that shoots through my brain like a piercing scream. I shout and clutch at my head, everything going blurry around me for a few moments as something seems to latch onto my mind like a vice grip. Then the pain is gone and I feel a heavy weight pressing down on me, a heavy mental weight that I instinctively know is attached to Sinbad.

She did it, the bitch actually did it. Sin and I are now connected. Till death, apparently. Fantastic.

"You are free to go now, if you wish" Esther says absently to me, her creepy gaze now competently riveted on Sinbad.

She begins to walk towards him and I growl at her, pushing to my feet and lunging at Esther in one swift motion. But then suddenly I'm being grabbed from behind, strong arms around my wait, yanking me backwards.

Finn. Like a true life asshole, he came out of fucking nowhere.

"Restrain her" Esther commands Finn, and his arms tighten around me. I struggle like hell, but he's got just the right amount of grip on my body to make it impossible for me to move.

All I can do is watch as Esther leans over Sinbad and whispers some mumbo jumbo magic words. I have no idea what she's doing, not until Sinbad awaken with a loud gasp. His body jerks to an upright position. I'm almost relieved for a moment, thinking maybe Esther's spell didn't work, and that together, Sin and I can escape. But then I see the look in Sinbad's pale blue eyes.

They're blank. Just...blank. It's even worse than when his humanity was off, and that's really saying something. What the fuck has Esther done to him?

Esther moves a step backwards and Sinbad get to his feet. I try saying his name, calling to him, but apart from a cursory glance, he doesn't knowledge my existence. Sinbad stands so damn still that I swear it terrifies me. No one and nothing should be able to be that still, it's unnatural in the worst possible way.

Esther speaks then, her eyes focused on Sinbad,

"Who are you?"

"Sinbad Salvatore" Sin answers in a voice that can only be described as stonily monotone.

Esther nods,

"What are you?"

"A Guardian of the Dead" Sinbad answers in the same tone of voice, his gaze passive, his face expressionless.

"What is your purpose?" Esther asks him.

Sinbad pauses for only a moment before saying,

"To take the soul's of the Original vampires. To end their existence. To destroy all vampires"

Oh, shit.

"Good" Esther looks pleased, and I want so badly to slap that contented look off of her smug witchy face. How dare she do this to Sinbad. How dare she make him do this.

Esther has turned Sinbad into a monster. And I have no idea what to do to help him.

Hold on a second...

"How would killing the Originals destroy all vampires?" I ask, bewildered.

To my surprise, Esther actually answers my question,

"All vampires are linked to an Original vampire, the Original vampire who sired their line"

I take a moment to let that piece of insanity fuck up my world. But that means...that means...oh God...

"They'll die" I whisper, my voice breaking, "They'll all die! Damon and Stefan and Caroline...no...please, no, Sinbad, snap out of it, you can't do this!" I shout at Esther.

"It's for the best" Esther has the nerve to say to me.

"Like fuck it is!" I growl back at her, and then another thought strikes me, "What about Sinbad? He's a vampire, he'll die as soon as he kills the right Original"

Esther smiles, like she's got a secret,

"No. He's a Guardian. And so are you. That's why I bound you together. You are both above such things. Neither f you can die whilst the other lives. Sinbad will be unstoppable."

No! This cannot happen! I can't lose them! It'll destroy both me and Sinbad if they die. Sinbad will never forgive himself once he snaps out this weird trance, and I...maybe I won't be able to forgive him either.

Damon and Stefan...they mean everything to me. Them dying is not an option.

With an almighty scream, I tear myself away from Finn and plunge my hand into Esther's chest I caught them both off guard, so I have a few precious seconds to rip Esther's heart out and crush it in my hand. For a few bated seconds, Esther still stands, panting, but then her lifeless body falls to the floor with a satisfying thud. I let her heart roll our of my hand.

I feel good, that felt  ** _good,_**  and I realise, suddeny that, that was my first kill. I've never killed anyone before. I didn't know what I would feel when this moment finally came, but I definitely didn't expect to have liked it so damn much.

But I don't have much time to analyse that feeling, because a shout of rage comes from behind me and I turn just in time to see Finn coming at me with one hell of pissy face on. I ready my stance for a fight. A fight that never comes because Sinbad intercepts Finn as he comes at me. For a moment everything freezes, time itself appears to stand still.

Nothing I have ever seen in this life, not death, not torture, not destruction, has prepared me for the sight of Sinbad sucking out someone's soul. It's the most horrifying thing that I think exists in our world. To watch Sinbad literally steal someone's very essence is so many levels of wrong that I can't even begin to comprehend them all.

I know now that I'll never be able to look at Sin in quite the same way. Sinbad is truly dangerous, a monster in his own category.

As Sinbad drops Finn's body to the ground, I shiver and wrap my arms around myself, waiting for this new creature's next move. Sinbad turns to me, and nods slightly, but before I can react, he's gone.

Gone.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

I feel nothing.

Kill them. Take their souls and watch them die.

That is all there is.

It doesn't take long to reach their home. I walk in easily, my heightened senses telling me exactly where to go.

I see Niklaus first. I will take his soul and let it turn to ash at my feet.

I will soak in Elijah's soul. Rip out Kol's. Suck Rebekah free of hers.

Nick's expression goes from grief to surprise to complete and utter relief in the space of a few seconds. It means nothing to me. He means nothing.

"Baby" Nick says, striding towards me, "What happened? I thought I was going to have to tear this town apart to find you"

"Stop" Elijah takes one look at me from the doorway and reaches out to catch his brother's arm, "That isn't our Sinbad, brother"

I hope they die slowly.

** Ever's P.O.V **

I take the dagger and run.

I don't know why I take the dagger, I guess I hope it will help me stop Sin. Stop him, save him, bring my best friend back.

My mind is still scrambled so I can't call out to Damon and Stefan. I'm not even sure if I want to. What can they do? Nothing. Only me, I'm the only one who can stop this.

I get to Wickery bridge before I collapse. Something is wrong. My link to Sinbad is making me weak, I can feel it pressing down on me, the pressure is so immense that it takes every bit of strength in me to stay conscious. Obviously being physically far away from Sinbad is having some kind of affect. I hope it's having the same affect on him, but I doubt it.

Esther knew what she was doing.

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

I slam into Nick's body, gripping onto his soul fast and hard. The love and fear, not for himself but for me, is so clear and intense in Nick's eyes that I wonder at it for a moment as he stares up at me.

Elijah grabs hold of my body and tries to yank me away from his brother. Neither of them understand why this needs to happen.

"She's done something to him, Niklaus" Elijah shouts, "Our mother has changed him"

**Ever's P.O.V**

I don't know what to do. I feel weak. But I need to save them.

Damon and Stefan, my mind fills with thoughts of the men I love more than life itself.

Sin will kill the Originals, and his brothers and Caroline will die right along with them.

What do I do? Please, what do I do?

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

"Sinbad, stop this, whatever she's done, fight it" Nick grips my face in his hands as Elijah holds my body still.

I wrench myself free of them, gripping onto both their souls at once with my mind, pulling and ripping their souls away. I feel nothing. It must be done.

"You're stronger than this, my Angel, you can fight it" Nick chokes out the words, his whiskey eyes still somehow completely focused on mine.

I focus all my energy on Nick, forcing all the breathe from his throat. I cannot hear his words, they will distract me from my true purpose.

Elijah is free, and he uses that freedom to move into my line of sight. His gaze locks with mine, the emotion in his eyes reaching out to me and gripping my heart,

"Let go, Sinbad, this isn't you" he says steadily, "You don't want to hurt Niklaus. You love him."

There's a new pain in Elijah's eyes that I don't understand. I don't think even the version of me with emotions would understand it.

** Ever's P.O.V **

Even if I get to Sinbad, I have no idea what I'll do. His mind is completely jacked.

He won't stop.

And they'll die.

I can't...let...that...happen.

They are everything to me.

Everything.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"This must be done" I say. I take their souls. I rip them free. Drinking them both in faster now.

I feel nothing.

Elijah and Klaus fall to the floor. Life is still there.

Just.

I feel nothing.

They must die.

They love me. I can see it.

But love is not enough.

My purpose is clear.

I will kill them. I am killing them.

I feel nothing.

**Ever's P.O.V**

And suddenly, everything becomes obivous.

There is only one path.

Only one choice that will keep the ones I love safe.

Only. One. Choice.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Jeremy. Elena. Jenna. Alaric. Caroline. Bonnie. Damon. Stefan.

I'm sorry. I love you. I love you. I love you.

I muster up all the strength I have within me, every last shred of it. I grip the dagger.

And I plunge it into my heart.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

When I next open my eyes, everything is white. Everything is clear. Everything is light.

Sinbad is only inches away from me, his eyes flickering open and latching powerfully onto mine. They are no longer blank. He's  ** _my_**  Sin again.

Sin reaches out his hand and takes mine, I twine our fingers together.

" _ **Ever**_ " he breathes.

" _ **Sinbad**_ " I reply. Our voices sound somehow distant and melodic. It's strangely haunting and beautiful at the same time.

Sin's eyes are a more vivd blue than they've ever been. Like pools of liquid glass.

I see dread in those pools.

And I know, with cold certainty.

Sinbad and I are dead.


	85. The Departed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEASON THREE FINALE!
> 
> This is the eighty-fifth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

**This,** is not good. In fact, it's  **so**  not good, that all I want to do is become a turtle and then hide inside my shell for the rest of eternity. That's how not good this is.

I grip Ever's hand tighter and pull her body closer to mine protectively. Although I don't know why I'm bothering as there's nothing I can do to keep her safe. Not here. Not from  **them**. But having her by my side is keeping the need to fall to my knees and scream at bay, so yeah, I'm not letting go until I'm forced to.

Ever seems to be concentrating hard on not losing her shit, and I really can't blame her. No matter what we do from this point forward, we are trapped, with no choice but to wait and see what the council have in store for us.

I look around me briefly and take in the same glass walls, floor and ceiling. The 'sun' outside is so bright however, that everything just appears white at first glance. Of course this room isn't really made out glass. It isn't actually made of anything. The place that the Guardians inhabit is...unlike anything else that exits in the universe. In fact, I'm not even sure if they share the same universe as us. Myself and other human Guardians call this place, WonderWorld. Yeah, not very creative, but it's so much like Wonderland in the way that nothing really makes sense. In fact, it's actually fucking insane.

All the rules are different here.

We are outside of time. It could have been five hundred years since we died back home, or just five seconds. The Guardian council heed to nothing and no one. I have seen many parts of WonderWorld, each part of it is different, nothing is the same. Things change constantly and there is no map. Only the Guardian council can manipulate WonderWorld. I suppose it may because they created it, or because they are masters of it. I have no idea really.

I also never asked. Because I didn't want to know.

As far as I'm concerned, the Guardian council can keep their secrets. I know many people would drive themselves mad in WonderWorld, trying to discover why it exists and how. How it works. Where it is. But I don't care. Or at least not enough to ask. None of the other human Gaurdians ask either. And, in that, I think, is the key to why we were chosen to become Gaurdians. Because we never ask for answers to questions that would only destroy our tiny, fragile minds.

I happen to like my ideals of the universe and the existence of all things, I don't need it to warped by the truth. Or their version of the truth anyway.

There are no furniture in this part of WonderWorld. But there is a door. A door that appears to lead to nothingness. A door that happens to be part of the'floor'. God, I hate this place. It unnerves the hell out of me.

Ever shifts subtly, and finally she says dryly,

"Sin"

I look down at her as I say,

"Yeah?"

Ever's gaze locks with mine and I take in an audible breath at the beauty of her face. Yeah, WonderWorld also does things to  _you_ , that are weird. Sometimes it makes you seem beautiful, sometimes it shows you your true self, sometimes it makes you think your face is melting off. I'll say it again, I hate this place.

"On a scale of one to ten, how freaked out should I be right now?" Ever asks, her voice melodic and clear in this part of WonderWorld.

I consider my answer for a moment. I definitely consider lying. But then I remember that this is  _ **Ever**_ , my Ever. She's my soul mate, if such things exist. I know she can handle this. I have to believe that she can, or we're both fucked.

"On a scale of one to ten...about a thousand should do for now"

I wait for Ever to either scrape up all the courage within her and get on with it, or lose her mind and start shouting. I know which she'll choose even before she says simply,

"Damn" Ever's voice is cold and devoid of emotion, and I know it must be breaking her apart to be here. Away from my brothers and her family and her friends. But she did this for them. She killed herself to save everyone we care about, and for that, I will love her for the rest of my existence.

My heart begins to ache at the thought of the people back home. Nick. My crazy, damaged, beautiful Nick. It hurts like hell for me to even think about almost destroying him the way Esther made me want to. I can't get the look of love in Nick's eyes out of my head, the way he always seems to reach inside of me and grip my heart with pure emotion. No one makes me feel the way Nick makes me feel. I hope I get the chance to see those eyes again.

And Elijah. Well, what is there to say. His calm and composed nature has always made me feel safe in is presence. I miss that. I think I've been missing Eli for a long time, and just never let myself realise it until he was right there in front of me, asking for my trust. Trusting Eli hasn't ever been a hardship.

Of course then there's Jeremy. I've hurt that boy so much, and I regret it more than anything else in this world. He deserved so much better than me. I just hope one day he'll forgive my selfishness. I want Jeremy to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted for him.

I'm not even gonna mention my brothers, except to say that although we've been through some excruciatingly hard times, I know they'd always be there if I really needed them, and that I would always be there for them too if they truly needed me. That's the curse of brotherhood, it's the one bond that will never be broken. No matter how much we try to chew through the damn restraints. Yeah, I'm looking at you Damon, ya psycho.

I feel Ever's eyes darting slowly around, and I hear the very profound intake of her breathe before she says,

"Sin?"

"Yeah?"

Ever frowns at the floor,

"Should we be trying to get through that door?"

I hesitate only a moment before saying,

"It depends?"

"On?" Ever asks carefully.

"Do you trust yourself enough to stop falling?" I answer just as carefully.

"Yes" is Ever's immediate answer, and I am reminded of the reason why Ever is one of bravest people I have ever known. She follows her answer up with, "Of course I trust myself, what kind of idiot doesn't trust themselves? That's just plain spazzy"

I roll my eyes,

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I know, you're Batman. The Girl with the almighty Bat sidekick, how could I ever doubt you"

Ever pokes my side, hard,

"Show some respect Sinbad. I just died. The dead deserve respect, you know, R.I.P and all that wubbish"

I groan in mock exasperation,

"Oh my God, it's like you think you're the only person who's ever died. Most people die. I die all the time, and you don't see me wanting a parade"

There's a long pause then, and I can practically hear the insanity swirling inside Ever's brain. Suddenly she gasps and says excitedly,

"Would you like a parade? I could so get Caroline to throw you a parade. It would be epic, and I'd force Damon to wave a flag. A flag with your face on it"

See, madness.

I shake my head,

"You couldn't get Caroline to give me a parade, she never listens to any of your ideas"

Ever grumbles her agreement,

"I know. She's crazy, my ideas are pure gold. Did I tell you about my dance theme idea?"

I stifle a premature laugh,

"Nope, tell me. I bet it's brilliant"

Ever nods, jumping slightly on the spot,

"I want to throw a Capestravaganza. We could all dress up in capes. Or dress up as ice cream-"

"Or both!" I say, nodding my assent, "Imagine that, an ice cream cone wearing a cape!"

Ever grins widely,

"Exactly! That's what I said!"

Ok, alright, I'm fully aware that we're using this train of conversation to distract ourselves from our current situation, but right now I honestly don't care, because it's working.

It seems like Ever sobers instantly, and she moves a bit closer to the door in the floor. 'Floor'. She pulls me along with her, seemingly unwilling to let go of my hand. Well good, because I'm not letting go even if she tries to bite my fingers off to escape. I'm not gonna lie and pretend I'm alright with all this, because in reality I've been afraid of exactly this for a very long time. It's like all my nightmares are attacking me at once.

But it's not a nightmare. And it's not a dream. This is real, in fact this is pretty much as real as something can get.

Ever sighs, bends down, and reaches out towards the door handle, hesitating slightly before touching, as if afraid it might turn into a lion and eat her. To be fair, it might. WonderWorld is just that stupid. Its kinda like Narnia and Wonderland mixed together, but on meth.

"Guess opening this door can't make things much more fucked up than they already are" Ever says absently.

"We'll see" Is all I murmur.

Ever opens the door.

And then we're falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

The door sucked us in like a vacuum and now we're falling into nothingness. I don't know if Ever is screaming, because there is no sound. There is only silence. Endless sky.

And then we hit the ground. Sort of.

I realise I still have hold of Ever's hand, and I yank her to me, pulling us both up so we're standing.

The ground is grassy. And all around us is nothing but grass. A field. Sounds normal, right.

Oh, did I forget to mention...The grass is purple. And it sings. Don't ask me how grass can sing. I don't know, it just fucking does, ok.

Ever is breathing hard, her curly hair a complete mess, falling into her eyes. She blows it away with one puff and the grass sings louder.

"Sin?" she whispers.

"Yeah?" I whisper back.

Ever swallows hard and then whispers so quietly that I can barely hear her over the singing purple grass (and yes I feel insane even saying that to myself),

"Is this hell?"

I can't help the huff of laughter that escapes from my mouth at that. Only Ever would ask that. But then again...I have no idea how to answer. This could very well be hell.

I shrug,

"Better than hellfire if it is, eh?"

Ever pulls a face and nudges a piece of grass with her foot. The purple grass immediately begins singing louder...right before every blade of that patch turns into tiny butterflies that fly high up into the air, growing bigger and bigger the further away they get. They burst into black flames and become ash before they truly touch the sky. Or...something that could be considered a sky. The 'sky' looks like a giant mirror that spans the entire 'field'. It shimmers and ripples in places, reminding me of water. Silver water. Or melted silver. A silver sky that reflects only shadows.

Weird. I hate it.

"I think..." Ever begins, "That I would prefer the hellfire and such forth"

Same here.

"Thought you'd like all the madness, Ever" I say drolly.

Ever shudders and pokes me hard again,

"I don't like this Sin. It's making me feel uncomfortable. There's just something...off, about everything around us...I feel like...like-"

"-Like you don't belong. Like you're trespassing." I supply, understanding completely.

"You feel it too?" Ever asks, her jaw now hard and her expression strained.

I nod,

"More and more every time I come here"

"Do you know what this place is?" Ever glares into the distance, as if challenging anything more insane to happen.

"We...we call it WonderWorld"

"WonderWorld" Ever repeats slowly, as if tasting the new word. Her nose scrunches up, "That's oddly fitting"

Before I get the chance to agree, a blue slash of lightening smashes through the giant mirror and hits the ground only a few feet away from where Ever and I are standing. The purple grass's singing becomes darker, haunting. Foreboding. Which can only mean one thing; the Guardian council are summoning us.

The slash of lightening turns into a ten foot hole of blue light. It crackles like electricity.

Ever lets out a frustrated sound and snaps,

"Is that a fucking portal? I mean, seriously, what is this, Doctor who? Star Wars? Where is my motherfucking light saber? I expect to have a giant glow stick in situations like this God damn it!"

"Luke stole it for his rave party" I reply, already pulling Ever reluctantly towards the blue 'portal', if that's what we really have to call it.

I reach out a hand and touch(ish) the blue light, and suddenly all I can see, hear, smell or feel is that blueness. And yes, apparently in WonderWorld you can feel, smell and hear, colour. Deal with it.

**Evan Night's P.O.V**

"Stop panicking" I say calmly to Elena, hoping my tone will translate into action on her part.

"Screw you" Elena snips at me. Elena never snaps. She snips. I have long given up trying to control her irrational mood swings. She is dead after all, if you can't be crazy when you're dead, then when can you be?

"There's nothing to get all worked up about, Bert" I try, my voice cold and hard. But then, it always is.

Elena sniffs diversely at me,

"Easy for you to say. My sister is  _dead"_

I try very hard not to roll my eyes,

" **Ever's**  dead.  **Sinbad's**  dead.  **You're**  dead.  **I'm**  dead. A lot of people are dead. Everybody dies eventually, I don't see why you're so upset" I mutter, no longer caring enough to continue with this conversation rationally.

"It's not a joking matter, Evan" Elena argues vehemently, with a passion in her eyes that still surprises me even after so many months of being together on the other side, "My sister killed herself to save the people she loves"

I shrug halfheartedly,

"Then you should be proud of her"

Elena's eyes narrow dangerously,

"I am. But she's still my sister. I love her more than anything"

The blinding passion in Elena Gil **bert** 's gaze reminds me of the first time we met. She was seriously pissed off, and _seriously_  messed up in the head. I suppose she had, in the space of one year, suffered the loss of her parents, found out vampires, witches and werewolves exist, fallen in love with a vampire only to have him fall in love with her twin sister, been killed by a hybrid during a bloody mental ritual, and had finally become a ghost, stuck on the other side. With me. Yeah, I guess she has a right to be a little bit agitated.

I open my mouth to respond, but then realise how pointless that would be. Plus, Elena's gone back to watching everyone lose their shit over Ever and Sinbad dying. The other Salvatore's are the most entertaining, as their grief keeps swaying between agony and rage. I've watched Stefan sit silently and still for hours whilst Damon tears the house apart. Then I watched them switch places. I've watched them shout and scream and cry and break in a thousand different ways. Much the same as Nicklaus and Elijah, who both haven't left Sinbad's side once since he died in their arms. They won't let anyone near him, not even the witches. It's as if they know something that everyone else is missing. Like they're merely waiting for something to happen.

Everyone is at the Salvatore's home. Bonnie and her twin brother are trying to find some way of reviving Sinbad and Ever, although how they think they can do that is beyond me. Jeremy has been trembling since he arrived, scrunched up into a ball, his jaw gritted in pain so clear and fragile that I'm afraid he'll never speak or move again. Alaric is desperately trying to console a heartbroken Jenna, although I don't think there's much chance of that happening any time soon. Caroline hasn't stopped pacing. It's unnerving. Tyler looks bewildered and lost. Like a puppy left outside in the rain.

Now Matt...he's an interesting little bugger. I've never seen someone look so strong in the face of death. Matt is sitting upstairs with Ever, holding her hand and talking to her body. Clearly he hasn't given up hope yet.

Poor floolish boy. I almost feel sorry for him.

The Salvatore's keep coming inside to check on Ever. Or to simply lean against the wall, or the bedpost and stare at her. I can practically feel their heartbreak, like it's so powerful that their world can't contain it and it's spilling into the other side.

I watch them now-

* * *

_"I won't let go, Stefan" Damon snarls, "She's ours. Death can't have her"_

_Stefan reaches out a hand to touch his tense brother, placing it on his shoulder and squeezing harshly. Their eyes lock, and **so much**  is said in just that one intense stare. It says, we won't give in, no matter what it takes, we aren't done fighting. We never will be. Not when it comes to her. Our Ever._

_Ours._

_"She brought us together, brother" Stefan says, his voice cracking with emotion, he leans his forehead against Damon, closing his green eyes so that only Damon can see and feel his pain. Their connection is bent and twisted, but not completely broken, which gives them hope. If they still feel her between them, then she can't truly be lost._

_"Ever did more than that. She showed us that we could be who we wanted to be, she made us better men" Damon's voice is breathy and passionate, as if his world revolves around those words._

_"She's the love of my existence" Stefan murmurs, opening his eyes again to meet Damon's and hold his steady gaze. The fire in Damon's eyes breaks him somewhere inside, but it also makes him feel stronger. Stefan knows now, thanks to Ever, that he couldn't live without Damon. Wouldn't ever want to, not now, not after all they've shared._

_"Mine too, Stef" Damon says, the utter confidence in his voice speaking loudly of his belief in what they have. Together, with Ever. Their girl. Their woman. Their beautiful, funny, snarky, clever, brave, certifiably insane, Ever Gilbert. They could never love anyone the way they love her. And no one, could ever love them the way she does. With all her heart, body, mind and soul._

_Damon yanks Stefan into a hard embrace, one hand gripping the back of Stefan's head, his fingers in his brother's hair. With a fierceness in his voice that has Stefan holding onto his older brother like he's his only lifeline, Damon says,_

_"We will get her back. She will come back to us, Stefan. Because Ever belongs with us, **to**  us. Ever will fight, and so will we, and one of us will succeed, because there is no power in this universe that can destroy what ties us together"_

_Stefan nods, his arms squeezing Damon tighter, hope and hurt and fear tearing at his insides like a pack of wolves with razor sharp teeth,_

_"No two men have ever loved anyone as much, or as_ _fiercely, as we love Ever"_

_Damon smiles slightly against Stefan's neck,_

_"That's because there has only ever been one Ever Gilbert"_

* * *

"They really love her" Elena murmurs thoughtfully next to me.

I look over at her, and for a moment I see the pain flash in her eyes. A different kind of pain to the grief of the losing her sister and her friend.

I nudge Elena arm,

"I keep telling you, it's ok to feel a little bit jealous, or resentful. If you feel it, don't be ashamed. No one can see you but me, and I certainly don't give a crap if you're not perfect nice girl Bert"

For a moment I think Elena is going to get angry, tell me to eff off, or punch me, like she did last time I said something like that. But instead her whole body seems to sag, and she says,

"I'm not angry at Ever anymore. I guess I get that she was better for Stefan than I ever could have been. But it hurts to see just  _ **how**_  good she was for them. My sister brought Stefan out of his shell, she helped him control his demons, and he opened up to her about everything in his past, both good and bad. Their bond is solid and indestructible, that much is obvious. As for Damon, he's changed so much since I met him, and most of that is down to Ever, she saw something in him that no one else did. She loved Damon despite all his flaws. And now he could almost pass for a decent guy, which is pretty incredible considering how he started out only a year ago"

I wait for the punch line, but once I realise she isn't going to continue, I say,

"So? Yeah, ok, she's the most special snowflake in existence. That doesn't make  _you_  a shitty person"

Elena rolls her eyes at me,

"Shut up, Evan. You don't understand what it's like to have Ever as a twin sister"

I nod at that,

"True. But I am dead, and I've had time to think about life and people. A lot. Which means I've come to some conclusions. One of which, is that it's pointless wasting time thinking about all the things you can never change. My father, he used to have an fridge magnet, from his spardonic AA meetings, that read 'God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.' I used to think that was bullshit. But now I understand it, because it's real and true and undeniable"

"So" I continue, "Be yourself, as stupid as that sounds, just concentrate on being the best version of you, and leave everyone else to do the same. Because, really, your only other choice is to drive yourself insane worrying, and that's no fun"

Elena smiles, just a tiny bit, and crosses her arms, turning to face me, she says,

"Deep down inside" she pokes my chest, "you're secretly a nice guy, aren't you?"

I scoff at her,

"Take that back, Bert, I'm not a nice  _anything_ "

Elena smirks, the expression so completely out of place on her face,

"Whatever you say,  _ **fluffy**_ "

I poke my tongue out at her. I narrow my eyes and say flatly,

"I think you look fat"

Elena gasps mockingly and slaps a hand over her heart,

"Oh, I do take it back, you're mean. Not nice at all"

I bow slightly,

"Thank you"

I hear Elena mutter 'idiot' under her breathe, and I ignore it, merely muttering back 'priss'.

**Ever's P.O.V**

The blue wall of meh-ness spits Sin and I out onto a hard stone floor. And I'm just grateful it doesn't damn well sing. Floors should not sing. It's weird. And not in the good ice cream-cape way.

I force myself to stand, yanking Sinbad up with me. Then I almost fall to my knees again when I realise we are in Superman's house.

Like, seriously, imagine the fortress from the show Smallville, that is where I am right now. Apart from the fact that it's warm. Really, really warm. I feel like I'm boxed in by radiators.

"Sin?" I ask.

Sinbad squeezes my hand and says,

"Yeah?"

I take a deep breathe of minty tasting air (which by the way,  _what?_ ) and reply,

"Why are we in the Fortress of solitude?"

Sin's eyes skitter around for a moment, and then he leans in to whisper,

"Because this is where the Guardians Council live"

The Guardians council? Oh, fuck.

Before I can ask another stupid question I don't actually want to know the answer to, a booming voice comes from behind me,

"Court is in session, please do pay attention young Gaurdians"

I spin around so fast that I almost fall the frak over. Luckily Sinbad is there to keep me steady with a hand under my arm. What I see, however, makes my eyes almost bulge out of my head.

Sitting behind a very high desk made seemingly of ice, are seven beings. Although I find it very hard not to just call them Angels. Each and every one of them are beautiful, gorgeous and perfectly insane looking. I suppose these must be the seven original Guardians that Sinbad told me about.

Sinbad is frozen next to me, his body so tightly coiled that I worry he'll spring off into space if I let go of his hand. I've never seen him so tense before. I know this is a big deal for Sin, how could it not be? After all these years, he finally has to face them again, and I have no idea what to expect.

I find it hard not to stare open mouthed at the original Gaurdians. But somehow I find the strength to ignore that particular impulse. Which is fucking hard, it's like a fly trying to ignore one of those electric bug zapper thingies.

One of the Guardians leans forward, this one is female. I'm pretty sure. Her hair is long and white-gold, she has eyes the colour of moonlight, and cheekbones that look like they could cut through glass. She appears to be wearing a pink roman styled dress that fits her like a glove. This ones voice is high and sweet when she speaks,

"Ever Gilbert. My new Gaurdian of love, it is a pleasure to meet you"

Hhhhhmmmmm. Not sure if I believe that. Her tone says yes, but her eyes say 'I really  _don't_  like you'.

One of the other Gaurdians, a man with curled black hair, amber eyes, pale as marble skin, and wearing heavy keltic armour, leans forward and says in a gruff tone of voice,

"Don't be glib Love. Allow us to sort out these two and move forward without melodramatics"

God damn, he looks like a Norse God. Maybe he is a Norse God. I don't damn well know! I'm just a puny earthling who owns a bat, what do I know about anything. Ha, nothing is the answer to that. NOTHING!

A dark skinned Gaurdian with two tattoo's covering his fact clasps his hands together and rakes his eyes over Sin and me. I shudder. A lot.

"Quite right, War. I see no reason why this cannot be resolved quickly"

Another female Gaurdian covered from head to toe in flowers, her voice tinkly and clear,

"We should start with the female. She will be easiest"

Hey, I am not easy, thank you very much peppermint patty.

"No need to fret, young one" Another Gaurdian, this one Asian looking and elegant in every way, "We are offering you an opportunity no other Gaurdian has received from us in millions of years in earth time"

Ok, now I'm really lost.

A Gaurdian made of shadow reveals himself, and Sinbad takes in a stuttering breathe. But the, so do I. I have never seen someone so pale and beautifully stunning in all my life. His hair is white and short, his eyes black as a demons. He wears a simple black robe. I'm guessing this one is Sinbad's boss. Either that or he's the devil himself. I can't decide which would be better at this point.

Sinbad nods stiffly at the creature of death,

"Sire" he says, voice harsh, but also full of a strange kind of respect.

Death nods back at him, but says nothing. Although that might be because his mouth appears to be sown shut with black thread.

"What's opportunity are you offering?" I hate myself for asking, but curiosity wins out over creeped out fear. Apparently.

A Gaurdian, who looks to be no older than seven, but with eyes that say she has existed for eons, stares down at me and says into my head,

_"We offer you the split Arazka"_

Sinbad takes in an inaudible breathe again, and his hand tightens around mine painfully. I turn to him and ask worredly,

"What the hell is that?"

Sinbad just shakes his head at me, apparently involved in his own mental chat with Death if the way they are staring at each other is anything to go by.

The child Gaurdian brings my attention back to her by speaking into my mind again,

_"The split of Arazka pertains to a very old tradition of ours to take part of one Guardians soul, specifically the part that is pure 'blood' Gaurdian, and create another being using that piece of soul"_

It takes me a good while to digest that little bit of crazy, before I can ask,

"You mean you want to make another me?"

The other Gaurdians all appear composed and uncaring as they watch me. I've never felt so out of place, so lost and alone. It makes my heart hurt. I so badly want to be back home with all my family and friends, and more than anything I want to have Damon and Stefan by my side again. I want them so damn **badly**  that it's agony to even think of their faces. I feel cut off from them, and it makes my body feel empty and my mind feel hollow.

 _"No"_ The child Gaurdian says calmly, clearly seeing my anguish and choosing to ignore it,  _"Our new creation would have your knowledge, but not your memories. She would look like you, possibly even think similarly to you. But she would not **be**  you. She would not feel exactly as you feel. She would be her own person with her own wants and dreams and desires. We may make a few changes to her appearance, if we see fit to"_

That's mad. Insane. Ridiculous. Why in Kevin's name would they want to do that?

"Why?" I choke out, unable to ask much more than that.

The child Gaurdian does not smile, but there is a slight softness to her mouth as she answer in that eery way of hers,

_"We wish to have a pure Gaurdian. You are tainted by vampire-ism. The split of Arazka seems the most practical course of action"_

Right, making another weird version of me is practical. Yeah, sure, whatever you bunch of loony tunes.

"So...I won't be a Gaurdian anymore if we do the...split...thingy?"

The child Gaurdian nods once in confirmation.

"But I will still be a vampire?"

Another nod answers that one.

"What about my connection and bond with Stefan and Damon?" I ask, wanting to know the answer way more than I should.

_"Your...connections to them will remain intact. Stefan was always meant for you, as was Damon. It was your destiny to bring them together."_

Destiny? Actually, I don't even wanna know what that means. As long as I get to keep Damon and Stefan, I'm all good.

_"Good. Then the ritual of Arazka will being"_

"Wait, what, no, I didn't actually agree to this-"

I'm cut off by an all consuming pain that courses through me like lightening. Distantly I hear Sinbad shouting name and swearing at the Gaurdians, enraged by whatever they've done to me.

But all I can concentrate on is the pain. It feel distantly like a butter knife is cutting into my soul, and scraping something out. I know I'm screaming silently, for no sound can penetrate this kind of agony that is burning my blood to cinders all around me. I see nothing but my own pain, and it hurts like motherfuck to even think, let alone move.

I scream and scream and scream, but the agony continues. On, and on, and on. I feel like I'm dying a million times over. My body twists and breaks again and again and again.

It feels like years before the pain is gone, and even then there is a dull ache pulsing through my heart that vibrates inside my body.

Distantly though, I hear voices. Two voices. Both male. I hear them calling out to me, saying my name over and over. Calling for me to come back to them. Finally I recognise those voices, and I clamp onto them, using them to claw my way out of the abyss of pain that dragged me into insanity.

My eyes open with a stuttered gasp, and I feel hands touching my body, clasping my hands, arms around my waist, holding me with so much strength and unyielding fierceness. Holding me with so much love, that I instantly know, without needing to see, who pulled me out of the darkness.

I relax in their embrace, for the moment caring about only them.

"Welcome back, Ev's" Damon whispers, his voice hoarse and rough. Stefan presses his lips to my forehead and adds, "We missed you, baby, so much. Love you so  _damn_   ** _much"_**

I sigh heavily, grasping my men harder than ever before, taking in both their handsome faces at once,

"Love you. Always. Gonna take more than death to keep me away from you"

"We know" Damon and Stefan reply in unison, and we all hold on like nothing else exists in the universe but us.

And for right now, for me, nothing else does.

...

A little while later. I realise we are indeed not alone.

Matt is here, leaning over someone on the floor. I pull away from the Salvatore's a little, although they refuse to let go of me completely, which is ok with me. I don't think I ever want them to let go of me again.

"Matt?" I question, moving even closer to see who he's leaning over, thinking it must be Sinbad. I hope to hell that he's ok, and that the Gaurdians didn't do anything awful to him.

My eyes are blown wide when I see myself! Well, sort of.

Fucking hells bells, they weren't serious about the Azkara bullshit. No way, right?

The other me opens her strange blue/purple eyes, stares up at me, our gazes lock, and instantly, I know.

Other me leans up on her elbows and says,

"Um, hi"

Um, hi. And the world will never be the same again.

Fucking Guardians!

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

I wake up to Nick staring down at me with lazer eyes, and the moment I move he yanks me into his arms and squeezes the fucking life out of me. I hug him back just as hard, wetness stinging my eyes as Nick whisper over and over again how much he loves me.

Distantly I see Elijah watching over Nick's shoulder. I smile at him, honestly more grateful than I can even describe to see that they're both alive. Warm and alive and in my God damn room, of all places.

Nick kisses me hard on the mouth, and I allow him to claim me in any way he sees fit. Nick doesn't handle fear well, so I let him do what he has to do to confirm to himself that I'm alright. Safe. And in his arms.

"Sinbad?"I hear Ever say. I look up at the door way, and there she is.

I breathe a sigh of relief, when she collapsed I thought they were gonna destroy her. I was too caught up in striking my own deal with Death. A deal I'm reminded of now as Elena and Evan coming gasping back into consciousness.

I meet Ever's eyes and she says,

"Sin, we have some problems"

I gesture around me and reply,

"Yeah, we really do"

"Oh my God, Elena" Ever shouts, and she practically rips herself away from my brothers to throw herself at Elena.

Elena catches her, and they embrace, both of them laughing and crying at the same time, clinging to each other desperately.

Damon and Stefan come striding into the room then. The relief on both their faces at the sight of me is palpable, and it warms my insides. Damon points at Nick and says,

"Move it, psycho wolf, he's our baby brother"

I can't help but laugh at that. Stefan nudges Damon, a scolding look on his face, which Damon ignores. Nick growls at my brothers, but I kiss his neck to placare him

Unable to help myself, I untangle myself from Nick and move off the bed towards my big brothers, who both pull me into a protective embrace.

Over Damon's shoulder I see another girl. A girl who looks a lot like Ever. Except this girl has thick, silky-smooth golden-blond hair that reaches her waist, along with brows and long lashes that are a darker blond compared to her hair. Her eyes are an intriguing colour, a dark sky blue, but also flecked with gold and even shades of violet. The girls skin is a shade or three paler than Ever's, making it seem much akin to doll-like porcelain.

Uh oh, please tell me they haven't seriously done this.

Oh, but they have.

The girl leans against the door frame, with Matt standing behind her in an almost bodygaurd-like pose. She smiles at me, and says,

"So, do I get to pick my own name, or does Ever have to name me?"

Ever pulls away from a shocked Elena and gestures at her Gaurdian counterpart, her expression dry and humoured,

"I was thinking Lyna. Considering my full name is Everlyna and no one uses the Lyna part, what do you think?"

'Lyna' smirks slightly and nods,

"I like it"

And that, folks, is how the universe exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, the end of season three. I hope it was fun and entertaining for you. I know I pulled quite a few tricks out my mystical mustache. Please do let me now what you thought and if you want me to continue with Season four.
> 
> Tell me what you thought about the Guardians. And yes, I know I didn't go into too much detail about them, and that's because this was just a taster. There will be far more next season, so don't worry about that.
> 
> What did you think of WonderWorld? Creepy? Interesting? Just plain weird? Quest worthy, maybe ;)
> 
> How about Evan's P.O.V? First impressions?
> 
> And, of course, my new(ish) character 'Lyna'. I'll tell you a few things about her (spoilers-ish)- Yes her physical description is that of Elena Gilbert in the vampire diaries novels (I couldn't resist putting that in there). No, she will not be part of some love square with Damon and Stefan (that was my original idea, but I've gotten so comfortable with Stefan, Damon and Ever as a threesome, that I didn't want to ruin it just for drama's sake. Not that it will always be smooth sailing for those three, but I see no reason why I cant have them as my power couple/relationship, for now at least). 'Lyna' will not be exactly like Ever, I want her to be her own character and have different wants and flaws. She will have no memories, but has all the relevant knowledge she needs from Ever's mind. Here's a hint-'Lyna's personality might just be similar to Elena's from the novel, go look that up if you want to spoil it for yourself a little bit. I'm not saying she'll be exactly the same, but it'll give you a basic outline if you want one.
> 
> Here are some questions for season four-
> 
> -What was Sinbad's deal with the Gaurdians?
> 
> -What role willthe Guardians play in the future for the Mystic Falls gang?
> 
> -How will everyone react to 'Lyna'?
> 
> -Who will be Lyna's love interest? (Actually, this one is sort of up to you. I have an idea of what I want, but if you could tell me who YOU want her to begin a romance with in season four, that would be really great! As always, my readers come first ;)
> 
> -How will the new Elena handle being a vampire now that she actually has to be one?
> 
> -What part will Evan play in season four? Who is he really? What happened in his past to make him so cold? Is there actually something between him and Elena? (Welllllllll...possibly, wink, wink. Can anyone say slow burn romance?)
> 
> -What will Jeremy do about his situation with Trick? Is a quick fuck all there is to their relationship, or could there ever be more? Can anything actually develop between them even with Trick's mistrustful and standoffish nature, and Jeremy's reckless naivety getting in their way? (We shall see)
> 
> -Who will be there for Jeremy when he finds out about being a Hunter, Trick or Sinbad?
> 
> -Will Trick and Bonnie find anything to bond over?
> 
> -Will Alaric and Jenna ever get married? (Um, maybe)
> 
> -How about Sinbad's relationship with Nick? Can it really last? Will Elijah admit his true feelings, or keep them to himself to give his brother a chance at happiness? (Of course Elijah will, it's his MO, as all viewers of The Originals well know)
> 
> Please do comment and review, I REALLY, REALLY, want to know what you all thought of the season three finale. As always, I love you all, my wonderful readers! xxxxxxxxxxxxx


	86. Growing pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-sixth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...it would be far less like ER than it is now.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Lyna's P.O.V**

"This. Is. So. Weird. Am I the ONLY ONE who thinks this is weird?" Caroline says, crossing her arms and taking on a very pissy stance.

"Oh, no, it's definitely weird" Ever replies, her eyes darting to me suspiciously like she thinks a bat might fly out my mouth and eat her. It won't. Although the image is amusing.

"Gee, thanks, guys, I am standing right here, you know" I say pointlessly.

"I just don't understand" Elena says, confusion plain to see on her face, "How is this even possible?" She gestures at me as if I'm some sort of weird new bug a couple of scientists have discovered.

And not a very pretty bug at that.

Ever makes a dissmissive gesture,

"The weird God-council...thingies, created a blond non-vampire version of me with no memories, what else is there to understand?"

"So, is she like, actually you? Or a new person completely?" Jeremy asks curiously. I notice him slide a look Trick's way, although the heavily tattood man seems to be studiously ignoring him. I search my brain for information, but come up blank. Ever doesn't know the nature of their relationship or why they would be acting strangely towards one another, so neither do I.

Ever bites her lip and shrugs,

"I'm not sure, but I know we aren't connected in any way telepathically. I think she's got her own mind and will. But, you'd have to ask her for more specific details" Ever nods at me and smiles that manic kind of smile that freaks me out a little. Ever is guarded, or at least that's what it seems like to me, by her two vampire boyfriends, Damon and Stefan Salvatore. The fierce love all three of them feel for each other shows clearly in their every word, look, movement and gesture.

I wonder what it feels like to be loved like that. Good, maybe. I also wonder how the Guardians expect me to become a Guardian of love and complete the tasks they set if I have never actually experienced love before in any capacity.

I decide to take the reins Ever has thrust upon me and attempt to explain something that I barely understand myself,

"I am my own person. Ever and I share nothing but blood and a bit of knowledge. But I don't have her memories or experiences" At the confused look on almost everyone's face, I sigh and continue, "For example, I know that Ever has a twin sister and a brother, but I don't have any memories of growing up with them. Or, I know Ever loves Damon and Stefan, but I don't know why because I've never experienced the things she has with them"

There, I think that was quite good.

There is a long pause, right up until Caroline whines,

"This is sooo,  ** _weird_**!"

"We got that, thanks, Care" Bonnie says tiredly.

"It's not so bad" Sinbad says genuinely, "It just means we have another Gilbert in our midst" He smiles kindly at me, and I find myself smiling back, if a little weakly. Something about Sinbad makes me feel a little nervous. And excited. Although, from what I know of him, through Ever, I'm pretty sure he has that effect on everyone.

"And what part of that isn't bad exactly?" Klaus asks mockingly.

" _ **Hey**_ " a chorus of voices, including mine, call out.

"Bite me, Klausy wousy" Ever snaps, glaring at Klaus, "Sin still likes me more than you. Deal with it. Don't make me use my bat on your ass" Damon and Stefan appear to be fighting back amusement, but they also move protectively closer to their girlfriend, both of them eyeing Klaus and Elijah dangerously. A fight may break out at any moment. I hope they don't start some kind of war between the families and their love interests. That would put a real downer on everything.

Elena clenches her hands into fists and narrows her eyes at the original hybrid, she's still trying to get to grips with the whole vampire emotions thing.

"Watch it, Klaus" Elena bites out.

"Asshole" Jeremy mutters, pure hatred in is gaze as he glares at Klaus.

Sinbad nudges his lover hard, causing Klaus to yank my fellow Guardian closer with almost aggressive possessiveness. Klaus whispers something into Sinbad's ear.

Sin rolls his eyes and says,

"Alright, alright, we'll leave, no need to kill and or maim anyone"

"I agree, lets keep all killing and maiming to a minimum please, brother" Elijah states warily, his body stiff and unwelcoming. He seems upset, not that I know him well enough, or people in general for that matter, to be able to judge such a thing.

"Are you really leaving?" Stefan asks his brother.

"You don't have to go, Sin" Damon adds, his eyes darkening when they land on Klaus once more, "If you hurt Ever or our brother, we will  _break_  you" Damon snarls, his tone implying a promise has been made.

Sinbad holds up his hand when it seems like Klaus and Damon might just attack each other right here in front of everyone. Ever takes hold of Damon's arm, and Sin does the same with Nick.

"Damon, Nick, both of you, stop" Sin says forcefully, "I'm not leaving town or anything, I'll be back, we still have a lot to talk about, and I want to be here for Ever and Lyna and Elena and Evan, to help them with everything that's happened"

 _Everything that's happened?_  It's wrong that he can make it sound so simple. Because, really, 'everything that's happened' includes me coming into existence. I'm not sure if I like just being part of 'everything that's happened'. Although, I'm not sure what kind of person I am yet. I suppose I must be somewhat similar to Ever, since my soul was originally part of hers, but I can't seem to relate myself to the slightly insane and brashly confident Ever Gilbert.

A dark part of my mind whispers that I am a weaker, pale imitation of Ever. I try to shove those thoughts back where they belong.

The only person so far who's made me feel something akin to welcome is, Matt. From Ever's knowledge I know that Matt is human and has been around since forever. He was Elena's boyfriend, and Ever's very close friend. But at the same time, when compared to everything else going on, he has been background noise for the last year. He seems sweet, caring. Although maybe he's being kind to me because I'm one of the very few humans in this close knit group.

Even though the Guardians created me for the soul purpose of being a Guardian of Love, I am not yet one. First I must prove myself. Prove what, though? That I can love, or be loved, or bring those who love each other together. Ever proved herself worthy by reuniting the Salvatore brothers. I hardly think that would work for me.

I watch thoughtfully as Sinbad leaves with the two original vampires, and I don't miss the way something breaks inside of Jeremy's eyes. Maybe he's still heartbroken over losing Sinbad.

I wonder what heartbreak feels like. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to find out.

The tension in the room seems to ramp down a few notches once Klaus is gone, and Ever wastes no time in getting us all moving again. She jumps up from her seat between the two Salvatore's and says excitedly, her eyes shining almost scarily,

"Right, then, lets go tell Jenna that Elena is alive and that we have a new sister"

Uh, did she just say that?

Elena looks only slightly less surprised than me, but maybe that's because she's used to Ever's strangeness by now.

"Ever, we can't just go around telling everyone that I'm suddenly alive and that we have a new..." Elena waves her hand, trying to find the right word to describe me. I'm not yet sure if I should be offended or not that she has to think about it for so long.

"Our new sister" Ever replies readily, seemingly completely unperturbed, "I'm not suggesting we tell  _everyone_ , I'm suggesting that we tell our Aunt Jenna. She deserves to know everything, we only didn't tell her straight away like everyone else because she seemed so relieved to see me alive, and then she seemed so damn exhausted. Now she's had time to rest. I think she can handle it"

It's the iron tight belief in her voice that must have convinced everyone else, because I know it's the reason why  **I**  suddenly found myself agreeing with her.

But, either way, I soon find myself being ushered out of the house along with Elena and the Salvatore's, but not, surprisingly, Jeremy. My sort of brother appears less than enthused to go home, and neither Ever or Elena seem willing to force the issue. At first Ever wanted the Salvatore's to stay with Evan at the Boarding house, but they point blank refused to leave her side. With an exaggerated sigh, Ever gave up trying to persuade them and let them come. I get the feeling that she doesn't too much mind their protective attitude towards her.

Would I mind if someone acted that way towards me? I find myself thinking irrationally of Matt. Would I want Matt to be protective of me?

I don't know. I really don't know. And that not knowing scares the shit out of me.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"Ah, so finally the happy couple have returned" Kol says snarkily as we walk in through the door.

All I can ask myself is, how long was he waiting there for us? Pretty creepy thought, really.

"Shut up, Kol" Nick snarls, with more heat than is probably necessary. But I know he's feeling a bit sensitive given how less than a day ago I was dead. I guess I can't blame him for feeling a bit emotional. Not that I'd ever suggest such a thing to Nick, not unless I want a swift kick to the ass.

"Now is not the time" Elijah adds. He sounds tired. And annoyed. Or maybe annoyed isn't exactly the right word, but he does seem to be working on his last thread of emotional endurance. Also, he still won't look at me. And I  _still_  don't know why. It's quite frustrating.

I honestly don't want to have to guess what Eli is pissed about. I already feel like shit because of the Guardians. Or more accurately, the deal I had to make with Death. I now owe him a favour. And let me tell you, owing Death a favour is not something to be scoffed at. But I had to do it, for my freedom, and for Elena and Evan's.

It was worth it though to come back, to see Nick again, and my brothers (I never thought I'd be so happy to see those idiots) and Ever. Even Eli, despite the fact that he seems more upset by my presence than anything. It was also worth it to see Ever and Jeremy get their sister back. I didn't think they'd ever stop hugging and crying and jumping up and down with joy (Ever, of course). Elena deserves a second chance, and Evan, well, I kinda owed him for being the reason he was killed in the first place.

Seeing Jeremy hurt, though. I do miss him, and I wanted to go to him, I could feel that he wanted to touch me the moment our eyes locked. I wanted it too. But not enough to hurt Nick by allowing it right in front of him. I do intend to speak with Jeremy though, the absence of him is like a gaping hole in my soul, and the thought of going the rest of my life without him in it makes my whole body hurt.

Kol smirks and holds up his hands in a defensive gesture,

"Ok, ok, don't get your knickers in a twist about it. I just wanted to welcome you back to the madhouse" Kol makes a face and groans, "Rebekah is driving me mental, one of you need to take her for a walk or something"

"Becksly isn't a dog, Kol, she's your sister" I argue, it's an argument we've been through many times before.

"Ah, same thing, Sin, all of my siblings are dogs, I am the only civilised one" Kol says with such arrogance that I know he's joking.

"Yes, and I am the most virtuous one, clearly" I say, "I also live on the moon and have two blue submarines. One for the sea and one for space travel"

Kol's smile turns wicked, and a wave of recognition hots me in the heart. I really have missed my friend Kol, and I wish we had our easy banter based friendship back.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Sin" Kol muses, and I can practically feel the insult coming, "Being a whore can be very virtuous"

And there it is. Maybe we won't be besties again any time soon.

I roll my eyes as Nick snaps something about respect at his younger brother. Eli merely walks out of the room without another word. I frown after him. Using Kol and Nick's traded barbs of anger as a distraction, I follow after Eli, hoping to discover just what his problem with me is all of a sudden.

It doesn't take me long to find him, standing in a mostly empty room on the other side of the grand house.

I don't bother to stealthy about it, so I know Eli knows I'm in the room. Eli's back is stiff, and every vibe he's putting out right now is telling me to back the fuck off. But I'm not afraid of Eli, and I want answers too much to respect his need for emotional, as well as physical, distance.

"What's going on, Eli?" I ask carefully, quietly.

Eli doesn't respond, and after a while I get frustrated with his continued silence and add,

"Seriously, Elijah, just tell me what I've done to upset you and I can put it right"

Eli actually laughs at that, but it's a dry humorless laugh that send chills down my spine. The original vampire continues to stare out of the window and doesn't say a word. We stand there, for a few long moments, until I'm about to speak again. But before I can get a word out, Eli says in that ultra controlled voice of his,

"You do not understand, Sinbad"

I sigh in annoyance at such a statement. Of course I don't understand, how can I if he doesn't tell me. As powerful as I am, mind reader is not on my powers list, which is unfortunate as it would be a really helpful skill to have these days.

"Eli, help me out here, say something I can actually respond to that isn't stupidly vague"

There is another heavy pause and then Eli turns on me so fast that I almost gasp like a tween watching their first horror movie. Eli's face is set in anger, no, fury is a better word actually. I'm taken aback by the incredibly strong emotion from a usually stoic Eli.

"You died" Eli says, his tone cold.

I frown, still not getting it,

"Yeah, so, I'm back now"

Elijah takes in a sharp breathe, almost as if he's trying to hold in what he actually thinks. I hate that, I always hate it when Eli refuses to share his true emotions with me. It makes me feel like he can't trust me, and that hurts, because I thought we had a better relationship than that. Elijah seems to change topics because the next thing he says throws me.

"You've forgiven my brother"

I don't know what to say to that. And why does he sound so pissed about it. I'd have thought, Eli of all people, would understand my love towards Nick. Eli has forgiven Nick for far worse things than I have over the years. Including daggering him and keeping him in a freakin' death box.

I try to play it off with a brief laugh,

"Yeah, well, I guess we all saw that coming"

"I thought you'd let go of him" Eli says, seriously, bringing the mood of the room back to something tense and somber.

"Yeah, I thought so too" I reply, although it comes out sounding more like a whisper. Damn it, Eli's making me feel like a naughty child. I don't even know what I've done wrong yet.

"But you haven't" Eli says, almost to himself more than me, "And you never will"

I'm beginning to think I know what the problem is, but I'm desperately hoping that I'm wrong.

"Don't make me feel bad for loving him, Eli"

Elijah's jaw sets and I expect him to just walk out and leave it at that. So I'm pretty surprised when Eli says, low and snarly,

"I keep expecting him to change"

"Because you see the good in him Eli, and you know I do too" I say, trying hard to sound like I know what I'm talking about, "We both love him, despite everything" Which is true. There is no one who could understand the way I feel towards Nick better than Eli.

Eli looks up at me, finally, and I almost flinch at the depth of emotion in his eyes, saying all the things he never will out loud.

"I watched you die yesterday, Sin" Eli sounds torn down, brokenhearted and in pain, but he doesn't stop there, "I  _saw_  you die and it felt like the whole world collapsed in on itself. I  _watched_  your dead body for hours, waiting for you to come back. Nicklaus said you would, but I couldn't know for sure. I  _watched_  as you stayed dead, and I felt as if nothing would ever be alright again. I  _watched_  as you came back to life. And I  _ **watched**_  as my brother embraced you, and kissed you, and held you as if he had every right to do so. A right I didn't have. A right you chose to bestow upon my brother. My brother who tried to destroy you, my brother who attempted to keep you prisoner when you ran from him, my brother who abused you for years and-"

I shake my head violently,

"He didn't abuse me, Eli"

Eli actually scoffs. Elijah Mikaelson never scoffs.

"Just because the signs fade faster on a vampire doesn't mean they weren't there, Sinbad"

Now I'm angry, and far more defensive than I would like,

"Don't make it sound like that, Eli. I deserved everything Nick dished out, I pushed him on purpose all the time just so he'd react"

Eli regards me cooly,

"Now you just sound like a human housewife"

Well now I'm offended, where are some pearls I can grasp in a scandalized fashion,

"You don't know how it was, you don't understand how it was back then" Ok, even I know that sounds bad, "Besides, that was a long time ago, we've both moved on"

Eli looks so fucking enraged right now that I worry he might do something stupid like bring this up in front of Nick. But instead, Eli stalks past me, gracefully, the fucker, how does anyone stalk gracefully? I have no idea, but somehow Eli manages it. Eli only stops at the doorway, I don't see him, but I feel his eyes on my back as he says,

"I love my brother, Sin, but he will hurt you. I do not think it's something I can stand to watch twice"

He leaves me standing there, dumbfounded and with my mind all screwy. I was dead less than a day ago, do I not deserve some time to get over that before I have to think.

I don't get much time to ponder that thought though, as Nick comes right up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. Nick presses his hot mouth to my neck and I can't stop myself from shivering.

"What are you thinking so hard about in here, Angel?" Nick murmurs against my skin.

"Everything will be ok, Nick, won't it?" I'm not sure where that came from, and it seems neither does Nick because he asks, sounding bewildered,

"Will what be ok, sweet heart?"

"Us, I mean, will we be ok?" I reply, and then I realise exactly what he just said and I have to clarify, "Did you just call me  _sweet heart_?"

"I'm trying to be domesticated" Is Nick's response.

I huff out a laugh and slide my hands over the arms Nick has wrapped around my body,

"Domesticated? What, like a dog? I know you're part fluffy now, Nick, but this is taking it a bit too far. I refuse to take you out for walks, I was hoping for a boyfriend, not a pet""

Nick isn't fazed though and says,

"I meant like a husband, like a partner"

My breathe hitches, like a fucking girl,

"Are you asking me to be your life partner, Nick, that is very humany of you"

"And if I am?" Nick whispers sensually, causing m body to melt back into his, "We've spent so many years dancing around this. I'm tired of the game, Angel. I just want to know that you're mine, and I'm yours, and that nothing will ever tear us apart again. I want to wake up with you every day, and be the person you trust the most in the world. Losing you for even just a day was like losing my own life"

My heart clenches in my chest, and every doubt that Eli forced into my head is now gone. I'm sure they'll return at some point, the bastards, but for now all I can think about is how much it must have taken for Nick to say what he just said. My Nick has never been one to put himself in a vulnerable position on purpose. The fact that he is willing to admit so intimately how much he loves me, means more than I could ever describe.

I try to turn in Nick's arms so that we're face to face, but Nick holds fast, and I guess that he maybe isn't ready to look me in the eye after a confession like that. I understand and so instead of turning around, I say,

"I'm willing to be yours Nick, as long as I'm not the wife"

"You'd make a good wife, though" Nick teases gently, one of his hands moves under my t-shirt, his hand splays out over my tight stomach, and my abs just about shudder under his touch.

I still slap his arm though for that,

"I am not a woman, Nick"

"I noticed, Angel" Nick slips his other hand over my crotch and squeezes, "It's a little obvious"

That earns him another hard slap,

"Oh, so now I'm your wife with a 'little' cock, real nice way to start a marriage Nick"

Nick squeezes me again and I end up arching into his hand. My body is betraying me just like always.

"I happen to be very fond of your little cock, Angel"

I glare at him, even though he can't see it,

"There is nothing 'little' about me, Nick, you asshole"

"First cocks, now assholes, I can see where your mind is headed, Angel" Nick says, a smirk in his voice as he continues to feel me up unapologetically. Bastard.

"I'm still not a woman" I mutter childishly.

"You scream like one, though" Nick whispers, challenging me.

Alright, that's it. I grab hold of Nick's arms and in one swift movement I yank him over my head and slam him down onto the floor. Withing seconds I'm on him, my knee between his thick thighs. I press a violent kiss to Nick's mouth, both of us growling and biting. Nick grabs hold of my ass and grins up against me, I groan and kiss his neck, biting him hard enough to leave marks.

Nick's stubble is rough against my skin, just like his hands on my body. We move together, completely in-sync, the passion and love swirls between us like loose fireworks. We're both breathing hard when I pull up for air, pressing my forehead to his and getting out the heated words I've been meaning to say since I got back from my own personal hell,

"I love you, Nick"

Nick meets my eyes and his gaze burns into mine like two pieces of hot coal,

"Do you want a ring?" he asks.

I snort out a laugh,

"What would I need a ring for?"

"As proof of the bond we share" Nick answers, as if he really does mean it.

I bite my lip,

"I already have a scar that proves that just fine, Nick"

"A scar isn't a ring. Most people have rings" Nick mutters thoughtfully.

I have to put a stop to that right now, Nick thinking never ends well for me. I'd probably end up with a diamond encrusted collar or something.

"Yeah, well, we aren't most people. Normal people get rings, we get scars"

"And I'm still not the wife" I snap. Nick laughs at me, and then kisses me so hard that I see stars.

Oh, this is going to be a long eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while, but this story will continue no matter what, I promise! xxx


	87. Memorial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-seventh chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...it would be far less like ER than it is now.
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

I practically skip up the front steps to my house whist also tugging both Elena and Lyna along with me, Damon and Stefan bringing up the rear. They've got their super over protective caps on right now, but I'm not too bothered at the moment. I am a little worried that Damon and Stefan might attack if Alaric or Jenna try to hug me again, they got all testy before about other people touching me. It's kinda cute. And annoying. But mostly cute, so I'm letting it slide.

My poor ninja bunnies were so worried that they almost lost me, which means they'll probably never leave me alone again. Damon said only hours after I came back to life in their arms, " _Obviously, you cannot be trusted to walk around unattended with sharp objects, no more knives for you, Ev's, maybe not even sharp spoons. You are banned from all cutlery"_. Stefan just stood there nodding along with his brother's clear lunacy.

Bah, I shall find ALL THE SPOONS, what else will I eat my ice cream with? My hands? I am not an animal, although I think I'd look good with a tail, I've always kind of wanted one. You have no idea how many strange looks I got for that one in kindergarten. Yeah, even the kid eating paste called me a weirdo. Me! A weirdo! I am completely ordinary. Now, lets go inside my house with my new soul sister (literally) and my vampire twin who was raised from the dead and my two vampire brother boyfriends.

See, completely. Ordinary.

"I'm not sure about this..." Lyna begins, letting her ice blond hair fall into her face, a clear nervous gesture. Lyna's striking blue eyes flash with uncertainty and I feel a wave of protectiveness rise within me. Clearly, I shall have to show my new sibling how Gilbert sisters behave. i.e. we do not hide behind our very pretty hair, we shove our very pretty noses into other people's business and never back down from a fight.

"Can we please just get inside, what if someone see's us?" Elena whispers harshly, trying to move past me and into the house.

I flick her cheek and frown at her. But kindly, because I missed my evil twin.

"Nonsense, Sin already said that the Guardians promised to fix everything so people wouldn't remember you dying, and that Lyna was always our twin, uh, triplet, thingy, blondy,...person"

Elena growls in frustration,

"Yes, but what if he was wrong, what if it doesn't work? What if the Guardians lied?"

"Why would they lie?" I argue, mostly just because I have missed getting Elena all riled up.

Elena narrows her eyes at me,

"Oh, yes, because they have proved themselves to be such decent beings after tearing a piece of your soul out and creating a whole new person"

"A blond person" I add, grinning manically in a way I know unnerves people. Madness is my _thang_  people.

Ok, I take that back, I'm sorry, that was going too far, my apologies to douche-bags everywhere or trying to steal the spotlight just then.

"This is serious, Ever!" Elena bursts out.

I wave a hand dismissively,

"Ah, you worry too much"

"And you never worry about anything!" Elena says, sounding endlessly frustrated. I just smile widely at her. Elena rolls her eyes at me. Ah, like old times.

"Are we going inside or not, then, Ev's, Casper, blond Gilbert?" Damon asks, sounding bored as he leans against the porch all sexy and yum-yum. God I want inside his pants so bad.

I think Damon see's that in my gaze as I look his body up and down slowly because a low growl comes out of his mouth. Heat instantly ignites in Damon pale blue eyes, turning to blue fire, a raging blue fire that threatens to scorch my now damaged soul. Our connection quivers and a shudder rocks up my spine. I want him. Both fo them, I want them both. I need them both. I need Damon's endless passion, his strong arms and his dirty mouth. I need Stefan's skilled hands, his perfect body singing kissed and his sensual touches.

Stefan picks up on that need through our bond and within seconds I have two very turned on Salvatore brothers staring at me with lust practically sizzling in the air between us.

But before any of us can make a move, Elena snaps,

"Seriously, can you three not go one day without giving each other 'come fuck me' eyes?"

That makes me turn my head to stare open mouthed at my twin. I'm not sure what has me more shocked, the fact that Elena just said 'fuck' or that she knows what sex is, I assumed such things were too sinful for the likes of her.

I slap a hand over my mouth,

"Elena Eisenstein Roberta Gilbert, I am shocked, shocked and  _appalled_ "

"I'm honestly scandalised to the bone" Stefan adds, a look of amusement in his eyes now, replacing the lust. Sort of. A bit.

Damon gestures dramatically at Stefan and gives Elena a mock stern look, although I still feel the electricity sparking between us through our connection. He says, hand on heart,

"I do not appreciate that kind of language Elena. My brother is young and impressionable, I don't need him picking up any of your bad habits, thank you very much"

Elena makes a huffing sound and throws her hands up,

"Oh, but it's ok for you to screw around with your mutual girlfriend in front of each other, is it?"

Woah, nice one evil twin. I kinda forgot that she died before all the me and the Salvatore menage relationship thing happened. Whoops. Although she doesn't appear pissed off, maybe just slightly bothered and honestly confused.

Damon doesn't look at all thrown, in fact he just smirks that sexy smirk he knows I love, and replies,

"Yep, pretty much"

Stefan, surprisingly enough, simply shrugs when Elena turns her gaze on him and says,

"Somewhere along the road it just stopped being weird"

Somehow, yeah, it did. But don't ask me when or why, because I have fucking no idea

Lyna, who up until this point had been completely silent, suddenly says in confusion to Elena,

"Your middle names aren't actually 'Eisenstein Roberta' though"

Elena rolls her eyes again having finally stopped gaping at Stefan in disbelief,

"Of course not"

"Then why did Ever call you that?" Lyna asks, looking genuinely baffled. It's kind of cute. My new sister is majorly hot, I make blond look  _good_. I'll have to ask Sinbad to help me beat off her future admirers with a stick. Or Kevin. Oh, Kevin, you were the one I would have missed the most. Forget lovers, family and friends; bat sidekicks are for life.

Elena scoffs and gives me a look,

"Because she was being stupid and ridiculous, as usual"

Rude. Definitely like old times, then.

"Oh" Lyna says, still sounding confused.

Yeah, oh is right new sister.

I narrow my eyes at Elena,

"Evil twin, you wound me. I was being funny,  _as usual_ "

"You aren't funny" Elena argues plainly.

Ouch, what is this, pick on Ever and her life choices day? God, I missed her being so judgy and mean to me all the time.

I gasp loudly,

"Pish posh, I am fucking hilarious, the voice inside my head tells me so"

Damon gasps, copying me (poorly, there is only  _one_  Ever Gilbert bitches), and mutters earnestly,

"I said  _no such thing_ "

I crack up laughing, so does Stefan, and even Lyna. Maybe there is hope for her after all.

Just then, through all the craziness, I notice our next door neighbor as she comes flouncing past our house. God damn Mrs. Flitzpatrick. She stops and smiles at all of us. Elena follows my gaze and freezes, pure horror in her eyes.

"Hello girls" Mrs. F says cheerfully. Huh, weird. "You three doing ok?" she asks, sounding genuinely concerned. Drat, genuinely nice people make me nervous.

I wave needlessly like a crazy person and reply,

"We're fine Mrs. F, just having some sisterly bonding time"

Elena and Lyna shoot me looks of 'wtf', I just smile and pat them both on the head. Damon seems amused, as always, and Stefan...well Stefan looks worried, but then, he's looked that way since I got back.

Mrs. F nods kindly and says,

"Sounds like fun", and then carries on walking as if that exchange was completely normal. Ha! The Guardian council have some serious mojo.

As soon as Mrs. F is out of sight I poke Elena on the nose and say,

"You owe the Guardian council an apology for doubting them"

Elena crosses her arms indignantly,

"That doesn't prove anything, Ever" she gestures after Mrs. F.

I ignore her denial of my obvious rightness and say,

"I'd suggest writing them an apology letter"

"I don't think the Gaurdian council get post" Lyna says, completely straight faced.

"I think they do" I say nonpulssed.

"How would they send and receive post, then, oh wise one?" Elena asks sardonically.

I poke her nose again and reply easily,

"By owl of course"

"Is that a Harry Potter reference?" Lyna asks curiously.

"Yep, course it is, the mighty HP is to be revered and respected" I answer seriously.

Lyna smiles widely, and damn, that lights up her face. I'll have to get her to do that more often, she'll take the world by storm with a smile like that.

"Oh, good, I'm glad I can understand at least some things with all this information jammed inside my head"

"I still don't really know what Barry Plopper is" Damon says, mostly to annoy me, I know that. Stupid smirk master boyfriend.

I point angrily at him, channeling the monkey from Family Guy,

"Don't make me get Stef to push you over, Day. I'll do it, you know I will"

"Oh, no, anything but the mighty and all powerful Dr. Steffy!" Damon feigns fear and covers his face with his hands.

"I do not push people!" Stefan argues vehemently.

"You do so!" Damon and me say at the same time. Because we know each other way too well by this point.

"Name one time" Stefan challenges us. Game on Dr. Steffy.

I say,

"Last week you pushed Sinbad-"

"I nudged him by accident and he pretended to fall over onto the sofa-"

"-A month ago you pushed me off the bed" Damon adds conversationally.

Stefan groans in frustration,

"The three of us were having sex and the bed was really small-"

"-At the beginning of the year you pushed Tyler" I continue.

"I tackled Tyler to the ground to stop him from attacking anyone-" Stefan tries once again.

"You pushed a cat off your car four days ago" Damon says, mock accusation in his voice.

I shake my head in mock disbelief,

"What?! You pushed a little innocent kitty who was just trying to rest on your car, Stefan, you monster!"

"He was scratching my bonnet" Stefan says firmly.

I start laughing again, which sets everyone else off. Except my evil twin of course, who practically shouts,

"You're all insane!"

Elena pushes past me and into the house. I laugh harder and follow after her, yanking Lyna with me, who is also still laughing. I feel Damon and Stefan coming after us, and I both feel the heat hit me like a blazing hot whip of fire through my bond with Stefan, and hear Damon whisper-growl into my mind,

_**"Tonight me and Stefan are going to make you forget your own name, and you won't be able to walk away from us, ever, because you'll be too well-fucked to even move"** _

Ah, it's good to be back.

...

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh. My. God! OH MY GOOOODDD!"

Jenna so freaked out.

Although maybe I didn't go about telling her in the right way, considering the fact that all I did was gesture at Elena and shout 'Ta da!'.

Elena certainly was not impressed, if her obvious glare was anything to go by.

"But that's impossible!" Jenna cried. Alaric was by her side looking just as shocked but not quite as upset, considering Jenna was blubbering like a baby whale.

From that point there was a lot of shouting and crying and arm waving and hugging. Most of which came from Jenna, but that is hardly the point. I explained about Lyna, and Elena explained about her and Evan and Sinbad and the whole coming back from the dead thing.

Damon and Stefan stood back and watched our family moment, as did Alaric, none of them willing to intervene this time as three upset and mentally insane women shouted at each other.

Fair play, it would take braver men than them to take that risk.

Eventually though, Jenna calmed down enough to stop squeezing Elena to death and shout at us, revealing her own drama. A.k.a, Jenna is pregnant! (The baby is definitely Alaric's, Damon put his life on the line to ask that question in the name of inappropriate humour,(and because Damon truly is, at heart, a bit of a dick), earning himself an exasperated eye roll from Alaric and a thwack over the head from Stefan).

I pretty much stole the show though by shouting without thinking,

"I knew you looked like a baby whale for some reason!"

That did not go down well with Jenna. At all. Like, seriously, I think she tried to murder me with her eyes balls.

Now, hours later, Jenna, Elena, Lyna and I are upstairs lounging and talking in my room, whilst Damon, Stefan and Alaric are downstairs being all manly and stuff by drinking bourbon in the kitchen.

"I can't believe you're pregnant, Jenna" Elena says, awe in her voice.

"I can't believe you're here, that you came back to life" Jenna counters, and both of them start giggling like dum dum's. It's kinda nice.

"Wow, you look so much like them, but, sort of not" Jenna says, looking Lyna over for about the millionth time.

"Yeah, who knew we could pull off blond and blue eyed, heh" I say, nodding at Lyna, giving her a reassuring smile. This must be hard for her, to be part of everything, and yet really not be at the same time.

Lyna shrugs self continuously,

"The Guardians wanted me to have my own identity that was completely set apart from Ever"

I'm not sure if I should be offended by that.

"So, then, enough about all our supernatural crap, what are you going to name your prodigy?" I ask, wanting to take the heat off Lyna for a while so she can hopefully untense a little.

Elena sits forward, looking interested too,

"Yeah, Jenna, any ideas yet?"

Jenna bites her lip,

"I don't know, it's early days still. Ric and I haven't discussed it much"

"Are you going to get married?" Elena asks.

"It's not 1950 Elena, they don't need to have a shotgun wedding" I eye Jenna curiously, "Do you want to get married?"

Jenna's face sets in thought for a few moments and then she says,

"I think I would say yes if Ric asked, but I don't need to get married just because we're having a baby. Ric's been great, and I really do love him"

Elena looks super excited and she smiles at Jenna,

"Wow, that's big, Jenna. I'm really glad you're happy"

Jenna gets a pensive look on her face suddenly, and she takes Elena's hand in hers,

"I didn't just forget about you, Elena, please don't think that. We were all devastated, I'm so sorry that I let you down, both you and Ever"

Both Elena and I rush to reassure out Aunt,

"That's ridiculous, Jenna, you have nothing to be sorry for" Elena says.

"Yeah, you did your best, we know that" I add earnestly.

Jenna still doesn't seem satisfied though and she shakes her head,

"No, I failed you as a Guardian, you both died that night and I wasn't around to protect you"

I wave a dissmissive hand,

"Nah, I've met way worse Guardians than you, trust me"

"Ever!" Elena snips at me, "That isn't the point" she turns back to Jenna and squeezes her hand, "I know you didn't just forget about me, I was a ghost on the other side, I saw how upset you were. It's ok, I'm not mad at anyone for how they reacted to my death."

And even though she's looking at Jenna, I feel like her words are aimed at me. A tight knot in my stomach begins to loosen slightly, and I realise all of a sudden how shitty I'd been feeling since Elena came back. Guilty, for moving on with the Salvatore's, for being so happy to have their love. I never stopped missing my twin, but I also didn't let the grief of her death take over my life.

"Do you really mean that?" I ask Elena, and it feels to me like the most important question I've ever asked her, or ever will again no matter how long we both live.

Elena turns to look at me, and then slowly gets up off my bed. We stare at each other for a long time, and I watch as wave after wave of emotion flitters through my sister's eyes. I might actually start crying in right now, and I hate crying in front of people. Elena must sense my impending sob session, because she moves forward suddenly and envelopes me in a hug so fierce that I almost fall right over.

Elena whispers into my ear,

"I'm not angry at you Ever, I just...felt a little lost after Stefan broke up with me. But I know you didn't mean to hurt me"

"Never" I whisper back firmly, "I love you, Elena, you're my sister, I would never betray you like that on purpose"

"I know" Elena replies, emotion strong in her voice, "I missed you like crazy, you insane woman"

I hiccup a laugh through my own tears,

"I missed you so much, Elena, I need you in my life"

"Good, because you're stuck with me" Elena says.

I lean back a little to meet her eyes,

"Right back at you, evil twin"

Elena is smiling at me, but I still see something in her eyes that makes me ask,

"What's wrong?"

Elena shrugs and says,

"I don't know" she looks at Lyna, who I noticed was watching our exchange with complete open curiosity, and then at Jenna, who is watching us with a contented smile of her face, a smile I haven't seen for months, and finally Elena meets my gaze again and continues, "Things have changed so much since I died. I barely recognise Jeremy-"

"-Yeah, our baby bro beefed up big time. I blame puberty"

Elena gives me a tolerant look and I quickly shut up and motion for her to continue. She does.

"I wasn't talking about his appearance, Ever. Jeremy's different now, he's stronger, more confident. Even though he's clearly heartbroken about Sinbad, he's not tailing into a downward spiral. He's changed, in a good way."

"Then why is that a problem?" I ask, pretty confused by this point.

Elena sighs,

"It's not a problem at all. But Jeremy isn't the only one who's changed. Everyone has, or at least something big in their life has changed. Bonnie has a  _twin_. Sinbad has lost his mind by going back to Klaus, sure, but at least he  _knows_  what he wants now. Damon and Stefan, I mean, they are like totally different people these days. Damon is calmer, he doesn't go off the deep end just because he's upset. Stefan is more comfortable in his own skin than I've ever seen him be. Alaric and Jenna are having a baby. We have a new...sister, who is blond and gets to start a brand new life. Caroline and Tyler are dating and seem really happy, I mean, who saw that coming? Matt is finally moving on from Vicki's death, he smiles more, a lot more. And you" Elena squeezes my arms, "You're a vampire, with two vampire boyfriends who seem completely and utterly in love with you. You faced off Klaus, and fought your way back from death." Elena takes in and then lets out a shuddering breathe, "It's just that I feel...I feel like I'm exactly the same, I haven't changed at all. Everyone has moved on, and I'm left behind not knowing how to move forward"

At first I don't know what to say, and I think seriously about everything my twin just said. Eventually I say,

"You're a very strong person Elena. You've gone through so much, and you've come out the other side without losing your mind. I don't think you need to change at all"

Elena sighs again heavily,

"I guess. But I feel like I'm still a ghost, lost and unsure about how to be me again"

This time I really don't know how to respond, but apparently Lyna does, because she steps forward and says,

"Then maybe you shouldn't think of yourself as the same person"

"What do you mean?" Elena asks her.

Lyna's dark blue eyes spark with life as she explains,

"Maybe you should think of this as you starting over. A chance to be a whole new version of you."

Elena starts to smile slowly and nods,

"Yeah, I think that sounds like a good idea. I need to start over. I can't ever be who I was before. I need to change myself, find out who I want to be, what kind of person I am now"

"If that's what you need, then I say go for it" I smile honestly, wanting nothing more than for Elena to embrace life again.

Suddenly Elena frowns again though,

"But I feel like I need to do something, to change something in my life so it's really like I'm starting over"

I ponder that for a moment, and then jump up and down when a sudden idea strikes me over the head.

"I know what we should do!"

"What?" Elena, Lyna and Jenna ask in unison, all of them watching me warily. Like I might suggest a good old fashioned gremlin hunt. I would never do that. Gremlins only come out at Christmas. Obviously, everyone knows that.

I tell them my idea Jenna claps from behind us, saying,

"That's brilliant!"

"You think we should?" Elena asks, looking a little reluctant.

I say,

"You said you wanted a change, well, this is something we can do right now!"

Elena pauses for a long moment before finally giving in and saying,

"Ok, lets do it!"

About two hours later, Jenna, Lyna and I stand around Elena as she looks into my vanity mirror, running her fingers through her hair. I bite my lip, worried that she might hate it.

But suddenly Elena's face splits into grin a massive grin and she says,

"Guys, I love it"

Jenna and I high five, and Lyna smiles widely, seemingly happy to just be included. I hope Lyna knows that she's in this now. She's family. My sister, mine and Elena's. There is no escape. I whisper all those things in her ear and she smiles wider (somehow), although she looks nervous too. But Elena, who apparently overheard with her new vamp hearing, squeezes Lyna's hand and says she agrees with everything I said. Lyna really is one of us now, however terrifying that prospect may be.

Elena runs her fingers through her hair once more, still grinning at her reflection. Her reflection that now shows the same beautiful face (if I do say so myself), but a new haircut and hair colour. Now, instead of being long and chestnut coloured like mine, Elena's hair is cut and layered, only just about reaching her shoulders. Her fringe is choppy and stylish, and the colour of her hair is now a dark red. It looks amazing. Apparently us Gilbert's can rock any hair colour.

She looks different, surprisingly so actually. Edgier almost, darker, less girl next door and more  _badass._ Even though I love my long chestnut curls, I'm still really impressed by how hot Elena looks with her new hair. But more than that, it's the look in her eyes. There's a fierceness there that wasn't before. She looks more confident, like she's ready to take on the world.

I feel like this might be a new start for all of us, and damn, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that all our lives are better than we ever could have imagined.


	88. The Rager

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-eighth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Trick's P.O.V**

"You're staring at him" my twin whispers to me.

My eyes snap to meet hers and I hiss,

" _I am not staring_!"

"You totally are" Bonnie argues, a small smile gracing her lips.

I push my bottom lip out and reply indignantly,

"I. Am. Not. Staring"

"You really are though" Bonnie says with a small shrug.

I attempt to shrug back at her only to find myself almost falling out of my chair. Like seriously, who falls over because they tried to fucking shrug. Well, me, apparently.

"Am so not" I try once more, any chance of saving face already dashed to smithereens anyway.

"Are  _so_ "

"Am  _not_!"

I totally am staring.

I guess this is the kind of thing me and my twin missed out on when we were growing up, fighting in the middle of a bar at a party whilst I stare at possibly the most attractive man I have ever seen. No exaggeration required.

A man, who's tall (so tall!), has a perfectly built and muscled body, his black hair is long enough to be considered wild, but not long enough that it detracts in any way from his obvious masculinity, he has the most intense fucking pale blue eyes ever known to man kind, a face so damn handsome that it makes me want to wear a paper bag over my head, and finally a smile, or more like a smirk, that screams sex.  _Hot_   **dirty**  sex.

I'm starting to get why Jeremy is so hung up on this guy. Hell, I think I'm already a little hung up on him.

"Please tell me he's got the flattest most boring personality ever" I say to Bonnie hopefully. The man may be pretty,  **so pretty** , but if his personality sucks, then at least that'd be somewhat fair.

Bonnie laughs a little under her breathe and says,

"Sinbad Salvatore is a lot of things, but boring certainly isn't one of them"

Damn.

"And he used to be Jeremy's...boyfriend?" I ask skeptically, just to confirm.

Bonnie smiles again, as if amused by my question,

"Yes. Sin fell in love with Jeremy pretty fast, and the feeling was mutual" she pauses for a moment to observe first Sinbad, and then Jeremy, before adding "I think they still love each other very much"

I take a moment to absorb that information, and then attempt to do my own assessment of her statement.

Pretty much everyone within our little supernatural group is here at the grill tonight. We're celebrating Jenna and Alaric's good news, which is nice, and sort of disconcertingly normal, considering everything that's happened lately.

Sinbad is sitting next to Ever, their eyes meeting occasionally as they share a few mutual inside jokes, most of which seem to be at the expense of Sinbad's brothers, Damon and Stefan. Both of whom seem amused by their lover and bother's antics, sharing private looks of their own that seem to say 'what the hell are we gonna do with those two'. Sinbad, however, keeps looking over at Jeremy every few minutes, who is sitting opposite him, by some horrid rule of fate apparently.

Sinbad appears to be trying his hardest not to speak to Jeremy, a great pain flashing in his eyes whenever his gaze lands on his old lover. There is heat, longing, desire and guilt in that one look, and it almost takes my breathe away to see so much intense passion burning between them.

Jeremy has been staring at Sinbad almost all night, the same pain and intense longing in his own eyes. The love they feel for each other is so clear and strong, that I can't help but wonder what could possibly have driven them apart.

Well, actually, I know exactly what drove them apart, or I guess I should say 'who'. The original hybrid.

"Jeremy told me he's gonna fight for Sinbad" I say, offhandedly.

"I should hope so" Bonnie replies, not sounding at all fazed, "They so belong together, it's obvious"

A pang of something rocks through me, and my hand clenches without my permission. I tried to deny it to myself, but the truth is, I know Jeremy isn't over Sinbad at all, and it's possible he never will be. There are just some people you never let go of, I understand that well enough.

There won't be anything between us, and I suppose I'm ok with that. But I do want to be Jeremy's friend, and if that means helping him with whatever crazy scheme he's come up with to win back the man he loves so much, then I'll be here to offer that help.

Even if it is total madness.

...

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"Good day for a mid-life crisis" Damon says dryly, eyeing me and Evan as we drag out Stefan's old motorcycle, "164 years, I'd say you're due"

"I've been having a mid-life crisis since I was born, brother" I smile serenely at him.

"Elena's not handling the whole vampire thing very well" Evan says nonplussed, "Figured I'd help her have some fun"

"Ah, because you and Elena had some ghost bonding time, I getcha" Damon leans against the doorway to the boarding house.

"Be nice, Day, I think it's a great idea" I hear Ever say from inside the house. She appears suddenly at Damon's side, Stefan not far behind.

I look between the three of them for a moment, and find myself smiling, even after all this time it's still strange to see them so comfortable with each other. Ever reaches out to place a hand on Damon's arm. He turns back to her and that 'I'm so completely in love with you' smile lights up his face, his blue eyes brightening . Stefan places his own hands on Ever's hips, pulling her back slightly against him. Where there once would have been jealousy in both my brothers' eyes, there is now understanding and mutual possession.

What was once ' _mine_ ' is now ' _ours_ '. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it.

Emotion crackles between the three of them, and I turn away, allowing them that private moment.

Evan leans in and says,

"Your people are weird" He smiles slightly though, so I know he's only teasing.

"No weirder than we were" I reply with a shrug.

A look of pain flashes over Evan's face for a moment, but it almost immediately disappears. I feel like an asshole for saying that, after all he and Ariel went through because of me. Hell, even though Evan's said outright that he's forgiven me, that still doesn't change how shitty it all was back then.

"It doesn't matter anymore" Evan says gruffly, not meeting my eyes.

"No, I guess it doesn't. But I'm still sorry it happened." I reply carefully, not wanting to start a fight, but unwilling to pretend that I feel otherwise.

I did so much pretending the last few months. I still am pretending. Seeing Jeremy at Jenna and Alaric's celebratory dinner proved that to me without a shadow of a doubt. I miss my Jer. I miss his skin on mine, I miss watching him sketch for hours, I miss having those brown eyes settle on me with so much naked love. But he's not mine anymore. And I can't be his. He deserves so much better, he always has.

But the thought of Jeremy actually moving on with his life, meeting someone else even, falling in love with someone else, it fucking kills me to even contemplate it. I don't know how I'll handle such a thing when it happens. I really hope I can be mature. But I wouldn't hold out much hope for that.

I think about the deal I made with Death. I think about what I had to give up to save Elena and Evan, and myself. The only person who I've told the full extent to is Ever, because I think she's the only who could possibly understand.

I'm mortal now. Not quite human, because as a Guardian of the dead, I'll never really be human again. Death means to use me, to use me in a way I always fought against years before. But this time there was no running, no fighting, only a clear choice.

Be my assassin and live, or refuse me and die. For good this time.

It feels strange not being a vampire. But in some ways, I feel more free than I have in years.

Everyone else only knows that I'm mortal now, vulnerable as a Guardian can ever be. Like I said, only Ever knows what Death has forced me to become. I work for Death now, exclusively. I know my first...assignment will come soon. I dread it with every cell in my body.

Because now, I am a Reaper. Assassins of Death. It is a fate all Guardians of the dead hope to avoid. It was my nightmare for years, and now, it is a reality. And I cannot ever escape it.

I'm pulled out my own dark thoughts by Damon when he says,

"That hunter jacked Tyler Lockwood of his vampire venom"

Oh yeah, and now there's this. A fucking hunter is in town. Just what we all need, right.

"So, basically, he's got vampire poison in a bottle" Damon continues, sounding both pissed and somewhat amused, but then, that is my eldest brother's signature tone for every situation.

"Aw, told you keeping fluffy jr around would only lead to more problems" I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

"Hey!" Evan narrows his eyes at me, "Leave the fluffy people alone, we have enough shit to deal with"

"Yeah, Stormy is right" Ever exclaims, "They probably all feel the same way about us Vampy people"

Evan coughs loudly,

"Um..Stormy?"

Ever waves a hand,

"You have dark grey eyes, and they look cloudy. I figured Stormy would be more flattering."

Evan looks baffled for a few seconds and then turns to me,

"What?"

I roll my eyes and slap his upper arm,

"Just go with it, Van, trust me, it'll be less painful that way"

"You people seem to say that a lot. I always figured Elena was overreacting, but she had it dead on. You're all crazy." Evan says, leading the motorcycle away from us, shaking his head.

I turn back to my brothers and Ever,

"What exactly are you three planning to do about our stake wielding maniac?"

Damon smirks at me,

"Well, not that it matters much to you anymore, since you've joined the enemy-"

"Oh, me being human is joining the enemy now is it?"

"Of course" Stefan says simply, shrugging one broad shoulder.

"Well obviously" I mutter sarcastically.

"After a lot of discussion" Ever begins cutting in between me and my brothers like she always does when we're about to descend into a pointless argument about my new human-ish status, "We decided that only one option was viable in this instance"

"I'm going to eat him" Damon says, and now the reason for his smirking becomes clear.

"Seriously?" I ask, "That's the best you got?"

Ever tilts her head from side the side,

"I was thinking about calling in the Marines, but I figured they've got more important shit to do"

"One would hope" I reply sagely. I peer at Ever thoughtfully, "And you really agreed this?"

Ever may be a bit eccentric, but she's never been one to support killing somebody, unless that somebody is my old/new lover, Niklaus, but that was a completely different situation.

Ever nods at me firmly,

"I think it would be best, Damon really wants to do this"

What, is it just me or does that not sound quite right?

"And you?" I look at Stefan. Surely Stefan wouldn't have agreed so easily to this.

My other brother simply says,

"I was outvoted"

Ah, yeah, they're a team now. I keep forgetting that. They're in a proper relationship, where everyone's opinion has to be taken into account. Can't wait to see how that pans out with a mixture of Ever, Damon and Stefan, three people who couldn't be more different when it comes to dealing with situations. Especially high voltage ones like this.

"Well, good luck to ya" I salute them, "Let me know if you need any backup"

"Why, you gonna send in your new boyfriend to help us?" Damon snarks at me.

I flip him off,

"Fuck you, go kill something, be of use to us for once"

Damon places a hand over his heart,

"Ouch, that would hurt so bad if I gave a shit"

"Shut it, you two" Ever snaps at us, "Like that's going to help."

I narrow my eyes at Damon, and although Ever included both me and Damon in that command, she's still standing protectively near him. Stefan has moved closer to Damon as well. Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

"If I start beating Damon to a pulp for being a dick, are you two gonna kick my ass?" I eye Stefan and Ever in amusement.

"Yes" Stefan and Ever say in unison.

"Sorry" Ever adds, "It kind of comes with the relationship territory, you know"

"I'm the only one allowed to hurt him for being a dick, now" Stefan says, a small smile on his face, although his tone is totally serious. Damon turns to our brother, and when their eyes collide, it's like nothing I ever thought I'd see between Damon and Stefan. It's a look just for the two of them. Then they include Ever in it, and the world just about tilts off it's axis with the powerful emotions that are consuming the three vampire lovers in this moment.

Well, fuck me then.

...

** Lyna's P.O.V **

"Are you sure school is where you want to be right now?" Matt asks me, sounding both concerned and curious at the same time.

I smile at him. Matt has been so sweet to me ever since I...well, came into existence.

"Yes, I'm sure. I really want to experience High school properly. I mean, I understand what High school is, from the information inside Ever's mind, but this is the first real memory I have of it, as myself."

Matt nods slowly, as if taking in that information and really thinking about it. I quite like Matt, or at least I think I do. He's very quiet and, almost shy, but he's also kind. Even from what little I know about him personally, I can see that he's a good person.

"I can understand that. Sometimes I feel like school is the only normal thing left in my life" Matt admits, a self deprecating laugh following closely after.

I don't like to hear Matt sounding so down on himself, or life.

"Do you resent it?" I ask.

Matt turns to me in confusion,

"Resent what?"

I bite my lip, unsure if I should continue. Because of my lack of social experience, I'm still not quite able to tell when it's acceptable to say something, and when I would be better off keeping my mouth shut.

"Never mind" I mutter, not wanting to cause more problems for myself by driving my one real friend away.

I know Ever cares about me, she's said so enough times, and Jenna, Jeremy and Elena have been very welcoming, if a little freaked out by my existence in the first place. But they're not friends. They're...well, family I suppose. I want to be part of their world, as much as I can be anyway.

And then there's Sinbad, of course, but he's more of a mentor than a friend. He's the one who I can turn to with questions about the whole Guaridan 'thing' and what I can expect in the future.

But Matt...well, he's the only person who wants to spend time with me for no other reason than because he...wants to. I'm pretty sure that's what a friend is. From what limited knowledge I have on the subject.

Matt touches my arm gently, always gently, and my stomach flutters a little at the contact. His baby blue eyes are fastened on my face as he says,

"No, go on, tell me what you meant. Please."

It's the 'please' that does it.

I take a deep breathe, and say,

"Do you resent all your friends being...supernatural?"

Because the truth is, from what I can see, Matt is pretty much the only true human in our group. Apart from Alaric and Jenna, but they don't really count because they're, for lack of a better term, the 'adults' of the group.

Matt seems to think about that for a long time as we walk into Mystic Falls high's main building, a pensive look on his classically handsome face. Finally he looks back over at me again and answers,

"Sometimes. But I know it's not their fault. It's just...I feel like our lives are being consumed by all this supernatural crap"

"Do you miss how it was...before?" I ask, wanting to know more about how Matt feels about...well, everything.

Matt does that self deprecating laugh again and sighs,

"What, you mean before the vampires and the witches and the hybrid's...of course I do. But it will never be that way again. I'm not deluded enough to believe we'll ever have simple lives like we did before all the crazy invaded."

I open my mouth to ask more, but just then Elena, Ever, Trick and Bonnie fall into step with us as we walk down the corridor. I close my mouth, and as usual, find myself letting everyone else do the talking. I simply listen as they all talk about the new vampire hunter in town.

I meet Matt's eyes once or twice, and he smiles at me. I try to stamp down that damn fluttery feeling. It's not like I even understand what it means.

Ever slings her arm around my shoulder as we make out way into History class, she leans in close and says,

"I'm glad you and Matt are getting along. He's a great guy."

 _ **And yet you chose two men who are pretty much nothing like Matt at all.**  _I almost say that out loud, but as I run it through my mind, even I know how petty it sounds. Why should I care if Ever, or Elena for that matter, chose killers over someone as good hearted as Matt? It's not like it matters, either way. But something in me feels almost protective of Matt, and I don't know why.

Ever snickers under her breathe,

"You know, you can say what you like, Lyna, I'm not easily offended. Don't feel the need to bottle up stuff. I don't need another Elena. I've already got one" Ever jerks her thumb at a now scowling Elena.

"I do not bottle things up" Elena snips, narrowing her at Ever, "I just like to deal with things on my own, instead of being a big drama queen about it"

Ever snort out a laugh,

"Oh please, you're the queen of bottling things up Elena. Denial is your go to reaction for  _everything_ "

Elena looks outraged,

"Just because I don't strut around throwing my feelings all over the place, doesn't mean I'm in denial"

Ever holds up a finger (no, not that one) and smirks,

"Four words, evil twin; Evan the fluffy ghost"

Elena's reaction is instant, all the colour drains from her face, and she storm off to her seat, throwing back a swift,

"Shut up, Ever"

Ever turns to me with a satisfied look on her beautiful, and familiar, face,

"She's so easy"

I find myself smiling back at Ever, unable to stop it. Ever has that affect on people, I've noticed, it's impossible to deny the woman. She's like a walking-talking tornado of insanity.

When we're all seated, after stopping by the desk to say 'hi' to Alaric, I settle into my new desk. Apparently Stefan isn't here today because he's off vampire-hunter hunting with Damon, so I get his desk for now.

Damon and Stefan quite honesty confuse the hell out of me. They're so strange, but then, maybe that's why they work so well with Ever. It's like Damon is the devil and Stefan is the angel, standing on either side of Ever, their constant balance, their hold on reality, their very strength at it's core revolving around Ever.

Sinbad tried to explain their relationship to me when I asked, but I got the impression that he doesn't really understand it either. I would ask Ever, but I'm afraid of offending her. And there's no way I'm asking Damon or Stefan, they're both way too intimidating. I know Ever doesn't realise it because they're in love with her, but to everyone else the Salvatore brothers are terrifyingly attractive and violently threatening in their need to protect what, and who, they care about.

"Hello everyone" I look up in surprise as Rebekah Mikaelson comes sauntering into the room, handing out flyers.

"I'm having a little party at my house tonight, spread the word" Rebekah says. She looks over at Ever and adds, "You're welcome to come Ever"

Ever holds up her fingers in a 'peace' sign,

"I'll bring the balloon animals"

Rebekah smiles genuinely at her. For whatever reason, she seems to like Ever, something Ever has complained about on numerous occasions, since she's done nothing to encourage such a thing.

The blond original turns her gaze on Elena and says, a lot more snidely,

"You can come too Elena, if you're ready to bury the hatchet"

Rebekah and Elena haven't gotten on since the moment they met. Something about Rebekah rubs Elena the wrong way, and the feeling appears to be mutual.

Elena gives Rebekah a sardonic smile,

"I would rather stab myself. In the eye. With a stake."

"Aim for your heart and I'll pay to see that show" Rebekah replies with so much fake sweetness in her voice that I'm surprised she doesn't choke on it.

"Hey, hey" Ever interrupts, sounding bored of it all, "Lets keep  _this_  show G-rated and kid friendly, ok. PG-13 tops."

"There's no way Klaus is letting you throw this party" Elena argues, apparently ignoring Ever completely.

Rebekah throws her hair back,

"It's my house as much as it is his. Plus, Kol wants to meet the locals."

"Ah, so you're doing it against Klaus's wishes. Can't imagine that'll end well. I'm sure he's killed people for far less" Elena replies, still sounding pissed off.

Ever wades in again to say,

"If anything Sin's told me about Kol is true, then I don't think it's a good idea for him to be _meeting_  anybody. Especially not the humany types we have a lot of around here."

Rebekah is too busy smirking at an angry Elena to take much notice of anything Ever is saying.

Rebekah gets this nasty gleam in her eye and leans forward, talking directly to Elena,

"That's tough talk coming from someone who was dead not that long ago. And, you know, no one seemed to care that much from what I saw. I heard that you were once in love with Stefan, don't worry, I've been there. But he passed you over for your own twin. So sad. Then you got yourself turned into a vampire and murdered all in the same night. How awful. And pathetic."

"Back off!" Ever snaps, her eyes flaring with anger on her twin's behalf.

Something seems to snap inside of Elena as she throws her pencil at Rebekah, clearly hoping to cause her some kind of pain. I gasp in shock when Rebekah catches the pencil in mid-air, then throws it back at Elena. The pencil lodges into Elena's shoulder, and the wound begins to bleed.

"See" Rebekah smirks meanly, "Just pathetic"

Elena gets up and runs out of the room without anther word, or backward glance.

Ever makes an annoyed growling sound and turns to me,

"See, this is what happens when people don't listen to me"

To be fair, she kind of has a point this time.

With a final death glare at Rebekah, Ever gets up and follows after her twin.

** Ever's P.O.V **

I chase Elena out into the hallway. I can practically feel her frustration and anger, it seeps off my evil twin in waves.

"Elena, hold on" I grab her shoulder and turn her around to face me.

"I so angry, Ever!" Elena says, sounding both upset and pissed off, "I never knew I could feel this much."

I feel sympathy settle in my stomach. I know how she feels, I went through all the same emotions when I first turned. But of course she wouldn't know that because Elena wasn't there. She was dead. A deep pit of sadness threatens to well up inside of me at that thought, but I push it away, reminding myself that she's here now, I have my sister back. I refuse to waste another moment wallowing on what was, and concentrate on what's happening now.

I steer Elena into the bathroom and set about helping her clean up the blood from Rebekah's ninja pencil moment. What is it with Elena and throwing pencils anyway? I almost say that to her, but then I figure now probably isn't the best time to discuss her weapon choices.

"I understand, Elena, I really do" I say, because it's true, I do get why she's so frustrated, it can be completely overwhelming at first.

Elena shakes her head as we clean her shoulder,

"No. No, it's not the same Ever."

Oh, Jesus, here comes the I'm such a special snowflake moment.

"I went through the same damn thing, Elena, how is it no the same?"

Elena gets this pained expression on her face, her eyes searching mine for an excruciating few seconds,

"The difference is that you  _wanted_  this" she finally manages to get out.

I look at her in confusion,

"What the fuck does that mean?"

Elena huffs out a breathe and then grips my shoulders in a firm hold,

"You wanted to be a vampire, Ever. You always did. And don't deny it, I know you. I watched you when I was a ghost. You may have struggled at first, but admit it, being a vampire is something you always would have chosen, even if Klaus had never invaded our lives"

I don't know what to say to that. Part of me is furious that she would use that against me right now. How dare she twist my willing sacrifice into something that I actually wanted. But at the same time, she's not totally wrong. I do love being a vampire. It's part of who I am now. Even though it's been a little different since my Guardian status was taken away, I still feel like even if I was offered the chance to be human again, I wouldn't take it.

I am a vampire. And yes, I probably would have chosen it eventually.

But that doesn't mean Elena gets to go all martyr on me again.

"Maybe you're right" I say calmly, moving to cup Elena's face gently, making sure her eyes are on mine, "But I still understand how difficult it is to get used to a whole new way of living."

Elena closes her eyes suddenly, and takes a few deep breathes. When she opens them again, they're a little clearer,

"Then how do I handle this?"

I wipe away one of her tears with my thumb, and say,

"We've survived a lot of things, Elena. We found a way to move forward when our parents...when Mom and Dad died. We found a way when vampires entered out lives. We found a way when our love for Stefan threatened to break us apart. We found a way when  _we_  both died. And we'll find a way  _now_. Because, that's what we  ** _do._** You and I are strong enough to handle anything that life throws at us. I believe that with all my heart and soul. You should too."

Elena stares at me for a long moment, and moves forward to yank me into an embrace so tight I'd probably suffocate if I wasn't already dead. She whispers into my ear,

"Just say you'll be there. I need you to be there."

I squeeze her back, just as tightly,

"You're my sister, Elena, we're in this together. No matter what shitty supernatural stuff threatens to fuck with us. I promise."

And I mean that, with everything in me, I mean all of it.

...

_(Major warning for sexual stuff in this chapter. Again, there isn't any obvious incest going on, but there is subtext. So, if you don't like that, then move along swiftly.)_

"What do you think the mighty Klausy Wousy meant by 'The five'?" I ask Damon and Stefan later on that night as we lie together on Damon's bed.

Damon scoffs as he runs a hand over my hip in a very obvious caress. I smirk to myself a bit. Damon was never one for subtly. Especially not in that particular area. Our connection pulses with life, emotions crashing and syncing between us in a symphony of pure feeling. My bond with Stefan envelopes me in warmth, causing my whole body to be constantly aware of his closeness on the other side of me. His fingers brushing through my hair, the fingers on his other hand intertwined with mine.

God, I know it sounds stupid, but I missed them today. But I knew I had to be there for both Elena and Lyna. They deserve that kind of loyalty from me. I want to be able to stand by there side, as sisters.

"Go ask Sinbad, he's the one who seems to know every-fucking-thing" Damon grouses, his mouth set in a hard line.

Damon and Sinbad still haven't gotten to a good place, despite how relieved Damon was when Sinbad came back from the dead. Not that Damon would ever admit to that.

"Not that he'd tell us until the last second anyway" Stefan agrees with a sigh.

I can't decide how to feel about the fact that, no matter what now, Stefan will always take Damon's side. In any fight, both literal and verbal. They've formed their own bond, a strong and undeniable one. They've always been connected, I've seen that clearly since I first met them. But it's become so much more lately. In fact, since I came back from...well, Wonderworld, or whatever, they seem to be even closer than before.

Apparently my death inspired something inside both of them.

We're more of a team, a united force, than we were before. I love it, the way we are with each other now, the level of understanding between us. But that doesn't mean I don't see what problems could arise from it as well. What I have to remind myself of, is that it works both ways. Stefan may now be completely loyal to Damon, but Damon is now also completely loyal to Stefan.

I can only hope that means we'll at least be somewhat well balanced.

"Stop being pessimistic, both of you, Sin's dealing with a lot of stuff right now" I say meaningfully.

That's a huge understatement as far as I'm concerned, Sins' dealing with a lot more than just 'stuff'. He's dealing with a shit load of bullcrap all wrapped up in a fuck you package from Death himself. I'll be honest, I'm really worried about him. But there's not much I can do but offer to listen. It feels wrong that I can't do anything else to help my best friend, after all he's done for me in past. But this time I think Sin'll have to work it out alone. And that goes for the whole Jeremy and Klausy Wousy situation too.

Jeremy is determined to fight for Sinbad, and I have no doubt he'll throw himself into that challenge with all he's got. I wish I could tell him not to, if only because I'm afraid Klausy wousy might kill him out of jealousy. But I know that wouldn't do anything but spur Jeremy on even further. Doesn't like to be doubted, my baby brother. It's pretty much a Gilbert thing I think.

All thoughts of my brother and Sinbad, and pretty much everything and anything else, goes out my mind when Damon slips his hand into my denim shorts. Again, never been a fan of subtly my Day.

Damon leans in close to my ear and whispers,

"I really want you, Ev's" It sounds more like a growl.

A shiver rocks through my body, and I spread my legs wide, to allow Damon's searching hand further inside. I hear Stefan's hitched breathe as he moves closer to me, his lips now on my neck, kissing down and over my collar bone. His mouth is hot and sweet and _perfect_  in a way that should be illegal.

Damon and Stefan make quick work of taking off, more like ripping off, my clothes. I help them remove their own, my breathing already heavy and gasping. I need them both so much that it hurts.

I straddle Damon, taking his cock inside my body with a satisfied sigh. It feels so right to have him inside me, possessing me, taking me rough and hard, but with an underlying tenderness that makes my heart fill with love every single time.

Damon takes hold of my naked hips and thrusts up into me, a sharp groan ripping out of his throat,

"Fuck, so tight, baby, feels so good" Damon pants, gripping me tight enough to bruise.

I have Stefan's mouth on mine, his tongue fucking my mouth as Damon thrust into me again and again and again. My core is burning with lust and pleasure, I can feel myself burning up from the inside, a deep, dark heat licking at every nerve in my body.

I moan into Stefan's mouth, reaching down to grip his hard cock in my hand, it feels like steel wrapped in velvet, beautiful and manly at the same time. Stefan growls back at me as my and slides up and down his thick length. He bites my lip, his fangs coming out, causing my lip to bleed. Stefan sucks on it, his hands touching and caressing every part of my body he can reach.

Stefan grips my hair, pulling my head back, his dark eyes meet mine, the need and want in his gaze setting off firework-like sensations between us. Our bond overflows with the need to touch, to feel, to consume each other until we become one. He nips at my chin before whispering heatedly,

"So fucking perfect, Ever. Only ever want you. Ride him for me, baby, hard"

Damon is still slamming up into me, his groaning becomes growls of pleasure as he takes me. I can hear him through our connection, glorifying in my body, and the fact that I'm his. Theirs. Always.

"Love you" Damon bites out.

Stefan groans himself at that, the sound coming from somewhere deep inside. I know it's not just for me anymore. It's for all three of us.

Damon sits up then, his strong arms encircling me. His eyes clash with Stefan's for one brilliant moment, and they nod at each other, some sort of code passing between them as I watch. Stefan then helps Damon move me, flipping me over onto my back in one swift movement, but with Damon still underneath me. He had to pull out to do it, and I felt the loss like a knife to my heart.

But now Damon pushes his cock back inside my body with one thrust, and he holds onto me firmly, as Stefan shifts to cover the top of my body with his. Now I'm trapped between them properly, my back presses fully against Damon, and my front plastered against Stefan.

" _Day_ ,  **Stef**..." I whimper, sure I must sound like I'm begging by this point.

Stefan's mouth comes down over mine again as Damon begins shifting, rolling his hips so he can fuck me still. We take our time to find the right rythm as Stefan grinds against me deliciously, and Damon slides into my body. But eventually find it, and God, just like every other time before, when we get it just right, it's pure bliss.

"Love you" Stefan whispers hotly against my mouth. His gaze is fastened on mine for a few seconds. My arms are around his neck. I brush some blondy brown hair away from his face, and lick a line up his jaw, nibbling slightly at the skin.

Stefan's eyes meet Damon's eyes over my shoulder for a few seconds, and I bask in the freely expressed love between them, as the three of us come together in a moment so amazingly extraordinary, that it really should not be possible. But it is. Because we can feel how real it is.

" _Love you both_ " More than anything else in existence.

**Evan's P.O.V**

"Come on Elena, live a little" I say, beckoning her over.

Elena walks over to me cautiously. When she reaches me and the borrowed motorcycle, she raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms,

"Too late. I'm more than a little dead right now"

"Yes, but you're less dead than you were a while ago" I reply, winking at her.

Since coming back from the dead, I've decided a few very important things;

One, being a werewolf is a burden I'm happy to bear if it means getting to live the rest of the month however the fuck I want.

Two, Sinbad is a hot and sexy as I remember. And three times as fucked up. Plus I'm not mad at him anymore, so that takes the resentment and anger thing out of the equation.

Three, even though I still miss Ariel, a woman I thought was the love of my life, I don't want to waste another second pretending there nothing between me and Elena Gilbert. She's not the type of person I ever saw myself caring about in that way, but fuck, I never thought I'd have a threesome with a male vampire. I really didn't think my pack would fucking kill me for it. And I definitely didn't think I'd ever be alive again.

Yet, here we are. All those things happened. The good, the bad and everything motherfucking disaster in between.

I see no reason not to pursue Elena. A woman is stubborn and good and just about the most human person I've ever met. So clearly, I've lost my mind, because Elena is so not in the head space to even consider dating anyone, let alone me. Someone she barely tolerates most of the time. But, you know, I'm wiling to stick around for however long it takes for Elena to move past this awkward phase.

In fact, I want to be here. To help her learn to live again. Maybe she can help me out in that department along the way.

You never know.

What can I say, I'm the kind of guy who likes a challenge, and is more than willing to take risks. That's kind of what got me here in the first place anyway.

"Really, this is your solution to all my problems? One ride on a motorcycle?" Elena looks at me skeptically, but I can see somewhere deep inside her eyes that she wants to believe it really could be that simple.

I smile steadily at her,

"It won't solve jackshit. But it'll be fun." I hold my hand out to her "Come on, Bert, you know you want to" I waggle my eyebrows at her.

Elena seems to waver for a second, looking back at her house. A place we spent a lot of time in as ghosts whenever we spent time together. Near the end there we probably spent every waking moment together. It's strange looking back on it now, because it feels like we never died, like being on the other side never happened. A whole chunk of my existence feels like a dream, or a nightmare.

It's disconcerting to say the least.

Finally Elena rolls her eyes and slaps her hand into mine,

"Fine. But if I die, again, just because you're a crappy driver, then I'll kick your fluffy ass over to the other side myself"

I bark out a laugh and help Elena swing her body onto the back of the motorcycle. Elena wraps her arms tightly around my waist.

"Hold on"

I feel more than see Elena roll her eyes again,

"Well, I was gonna let go as soon as you started moving, but now that you mention it..."

"Priss" I mutter with a small smirk.

"Idiot" Elena mutters back, but I can hear the smile in her voice too.

It's kind of become our thing.

I kick off and start speeding away down the road. Elena's grip immediately becomes tighter.

It feels good, no, strike that, it feels amazing. The wind on my face, and the sound of engine as I ride fast and hard down an empty road between two fucking fields. I never thought I'd have this again. I never thought I could feel so alive in just one moment. But right here, right now, I can't remember a more perfect moment.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise when I feel Elena shifting behind me, moving her body upward so that she can somehow stand up on the motorcycle. I smile to myself, keeping my body level, and our speed constant, so that I won't throw her off. If Elena feels like she needs to do this, then I'm all for it.

When Elena straightens fully at my back, I give a loud shout, as close to a howl as I'll allow myself. I hear Elena laughing over the wind whipping around us, and something me shines like sunlight.

Yeah, this is what living feels like.


	89. The Five-Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eighty-ninth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

"So what's with all the fancy pansy weaponry?" I ask Damon as he carries in a box full of vampy hunting devices. I know he stole them from the vampire hunters caravan. A fact that amuses me greatly. I mean, the vampire hunter had a weaponry caravan. A  _weaponry caravan_. What next, a unicorn with a shed full of horn sharpening kits?

Damon smirks at me, and I feel that smirk all the way down to my toes. Sexy bastard.

"Oh,  _these_?" Damon lifts the box as if showing it off to me.

I exchange a look with Stefan, who acknowledges my look with a nod, and then goes back to reading the book he started this morning. Stefan is practically slumped on the sofa with me sitting on his lap. After last night Stefan is so damned relaxed, that I'm pretty sure someone could set the boarding house on fire, and he wouldn't even care

I smile at Stefan fondly, and then turn my attention back to Damon,

"Yes, Day, those would be the items to which I was referring"

Damon places the box down and begins rummaging through it.

"I'm looking for a supernatural hand book," he says.

Stefan glances up at that,

"You know for a fact that it was supernatural?"

"Well it definitely wasn't natural" Damon replies, still searching, "It's covered in symbols that only Jeremy can see, for whatever reason"

We know the reason. Apparently, according to our resident hunter, Jeremy is also a born hunter who can see mystery marks and kick some serious vampy ass if he wants to. I can't say I'm all that surprised, I mean, it was only a matter of time before Jeremy received his own invitation into the world of 'secret supernatural bullshit'. Elena and I had our turn already. Twice.

"Sinbad's boyfriend mentioned something about him being one of the five," Stefan says, his face scrunching up in thought. It's really cute. And sexy. I know that's just the wuv glasses talking, but I can help it. I lean in and kiss his nose. He smiles at me and lean in to take my mouth in a harsh kiss, our tongue scarping together for a desperate moment before he pulls away.

I glance back at Damon, who is watching us with an intense look in his pale eyes.

"You mean Klausy Wousy?" I ask Stefan.

Damon snort derisively,

"Yeah, one of Sinbad's many, many, MANY fuck buddies."

I hear a loud scoff coming from behind us, and when I look back, Sinbad is leaning against the archway, his eyes narrowed on Damon,

"Big words for a guy who's dating two people at once, one of whom is his  _brother_."

" _Sin_." I say in a warning tone.

Although Damon, Stefan and I are comfortable in our strange relationship, that doesn't mean comments like that are welcome. I don't live in some kind of dream world, I know what this looks like from the outside. If nothing else, it hits a bit too close to home. Last night, we came so close to crossing a boundary, a line I'm not sure we're prepared to contemplate, let alone openly talk about. It's been happening more and more lately.

First Damon and Stefan were just close, the way brothers should be. Their love for each other shone so brightly that it blew my mind. I loved them even more for loving each other so much. The sexual stuff...now that was mostly because of me. Or for me. I knew it would drive them mad to, for lack of a better term, take turns with me. I never questioned their need to be together whilst they were with me. I never thought it needed questioning. Because some things just  **are**.

But now I'm thinking maybe it does, because, like it or not, our relationship, and theirs, has progressed, and things have changed between us. I'm pretty sure me dying has something to do with it, or maybe that just pushed them over the edge. Now I worry for them, because although I have no problem with taking things to another level, I don't know if that's something we can handle. Not yet, at least.

Sinbad meets my eyes, and I silently plead with him to let it go. We must stare at each other for long enough, because Damon growls, and Stefan's hold on me tightens noticeably. Uh, that's their jealous/protective combined reactions. Admittedly, it doesn't take much to set them off. Lucky for them, I think it's sweet that they are so much.

Sin rolls his eyes then, and I exhale with relief when he jokes,

"Calm down, you idiots, I have no 'designs' on your girlfriend/life partner/whatever the fuck else you're all calling each other these days."

"Watch it, Sin," Damon points at his youngest brother, and although there's anger in his voice, I know he's mostly not pissed anymore.

Sin waggles his eyebrows at us and says,

"I'd rather not thanks, I have enough nightmares as it is without adding you two sexing it up on our sofa to the list."

I snort out a laugh, unable to help myself,

"Yeah, well, I feel the same way about you and the mighty meanie Klausy wousy."

"Why are you even here?" Damon asks in annoyance.

Sinbad gives him a weird look,

"Um, I live here, brother."

"I thought you'd moved in with the batshit crazy original hybrid and his equally batshit crazy family." Damon says with a wry smirk.

Sin shrugs one shoulder in reply,

"I'm not his wife, I can live here if I want to."

Stefan chuckles under his breathe and says,

"Oh, really, how does your _tru wuv_  feel about that?"

Sin's expression darkens, and his left hand lifts to be placed over his side almost instinctively, although in a moment he's moved his hand away and I begin to wonder if I imagined the quick gesture.

"He'll deal with it in his own way," is all the answer we get. I know from the look on Sin's face that he won't say any more about it no matter what we say, do, or in Damon's case, threaten.

"What are 'the five'?" Stefan asks suddenly, after a long pause.

Sin's eyes widen, and I groan, slapping my forehead,

"Oh, for the love of ice cream, do you actually know the answer to that? How do you always know about these things?"

For flips sake! First the Bitchzilla love fest confession, then Rose and Elijah, then his other secret love fest with Klasuy wousy, and of course we can't forget the Guardians and all that bullshit. I'm starting to think Sinbad just draws bad crap into our lives like a magnet. Then I mentally slap myself, because if that's the case, then I'm almost equally to blame for all the terrible things that have happened. Damn.

"Come on then, brother," Damon drawls, "bestow upon us your wisdom of 'the five'."

Sin opens his mouth to answer, but just then the door to the boarding house is slammed open, and Elena and Evan, with Bonnie in tow, coming crashing into the room. I'm confused as to why they're here looking so chipper for a moment, but then Elena asks me with a big smile,

"You ready?"

For what...oh shit!

"Ah is that really today?" I make a face and then bury it in Stefan's neck for a moment. I breathe in his scent, and as always, it makes me shiver. It's all minty and manly and...whoops, bad place for my thoughts to go right now.

"Yes, it's today," I hear Bonnie cross her arms. I don't how that's possible, but I swear I hear her do it all frumpy grumpy stylie, "And you're coming with us, not buts."

"No cuts, no coconuts, yeah, yeah, I get it," I grumble against Stefan skin. I pull back finally to see Stefan smirking at me. I nip at his jaw in punishment. The heat that flares in his eyes tells me I didn't exactly succeed in scolding him. At least not in the way I meant to.

"It's Whitmore College time!" Elena announces, jumping up and down slightly on her toes. She sounds truly excited for the first time in...God knows how long.

I look up at them in time to see Evan give my sister a smile that makes me want to smirk evilly. Oh yes, something has to be done about that.

I'm pretty sure Evan Knight has a thing for Elena, and I'm more than sure that Elena has a thing back. Trust me, I know my evil twin. I'm not sure exactly what went on between them on the other side, but something must have. Elena doesn't talk much about her time there, and I think it helps her to have Evan here, because he's the only one who really understand what she went through.

I understand that. As much as I wish she could confide in me, I'm just not the right person for it.

I shall devise a plan to get them together!Where the hell is my evil spinny chair God damn it, I can't plot good plots without it!

I'm already thinking of a double date kind of scenario. Oh yes, it will happen, even if it kills me.

Damon gives me a sharp look then, and I figure he must have heard at least part of that. I give him an innocent look,which he of course doesn't buy one little bit.

 ** _"I am not going on any double dates with a werewolf!"_** Damon snaps into my head, probably trying to sound serious or something.

I ignore his tone and reply,

**_"Why not, it could be fun, you might like Evan."_ **

**_"I'm not going, take Stefan, and I'll wait for you here."_ **

**_"No. Suck it up, you're coming on the double date"_ **

**_"But why!"_** Damon whines into my head.

**_"Because life is unfair and you are being punished."_ **

**_"For what, I've been nothing but good for months. No mass murders or anything."_ **

**_"Exactly, that's what worries me. I'm sure you'll deserve punishment for something at some point in the future. I'm just being prepared."_ **

**_"You evil genius!"_** Damon scolds indignantly.

I smirk to myself and wink at Damon.

"Would you two stop that," Elena says, "It's creepy."

"I know, they just stare at each other," Bonnie mock whispers, "Very freaky."

"Hey," I exclaim, "I am not freaky or creepy. Our love is fierce and everlasting, you loveless mortals!"

"I'm a vampire, I live forever! How am I a mortal?" Elena throws her hands up in exasperation.

"I meant spiritually." I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How can you spiritually be a mortal?" Evan mutters to himself.

I gesture at my sister,

"Just watch Elena, she'll show you."

"Please don't encourage it," Elena berates Evan.

It? IT!

I point at Elena and co dramatically and announce,

"I shun you! I shun you all!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you can shun us all the way to Whitmore College, come on." Bonnie says whilst rolling her eyes at me.

Rude.

"Ok, ok, let road trip time commence," I say, trying to climb off of Stefan gracefully. And failing spectacularly.

Stefan catches me before I fall on my ass though. He's gentlemanly like that.

"Is Lyna not coming?" I ask, moving to grab my shit.

Elena shakes her head, but there's a smile paying about her lips,

"Nah, she's hanging out with Matt again today."

I almost have to laugh. Those two have spent almost every bit of free time they have together, it's sickening how loved up they are, although I'm not sure if either of them knows it yet. You know what that means, TRIPLE DOUBLE DATE!

I hear Damon groan from behind me and I ignore him again.

"Sin, you stay close to Jeremy today, ok, if you know something about the Five, then you owe it to my brother to tell him about it," I say firmly, giving Sin a hard look.

I'm worried about both Sin and Jeremy.

Sin I'm worried about because Klauy Wousy is such a psychotic asshole, I have idea what he might do to Sin. He could break him so easily, I know that much. Now that Sin is mostly mortal, he's even more vunerable to Klausy Wousy's rage and harshness.

Jeremy I'm worried about because he's my brother. And because he's still in love with Sin, in a very big way. He's convinced he'll be able to get Sin back, if he just fights hard enough. I don't know if that's true or not, because although Sin is committed to Klausy Wousy, he still has a burning fire of love stored away for Jeremy.

In an ideal world Klausy Wousy wouldn't exist and Jeremy and Sin would be together forever and be madly in love and blah blah blah. But this is not an ideal world, it's a very real one. A painful one. Nothing is ever simple in the real world. But then, the best things can be the most complicated of all.

Sin gives me a strained and hurt expression, I know it'll be hard for him to be around Jeremy, but I need someone to look out for my little brother, and no one will protect him as much as Sin will. I still think he would die for Jeremy. Or kill for him, which is something he might just have to do. Soon.

But then, Death will have jobs for him soon enough as well, and I feel grief for Sin because of that. Sin is a Reaper now, and will have to kill people, or essentially kill them. Death has a list, and it will be Sin's job to take a person's soul to the place beyond. I didn't ask what happens when a human dies. I don't need, or want, to know.

I reach out and take Sin's hand, and everything around me fades into the background until it's just me and him standing there in the boarding house, our gazes locked. We communicate in the way only soul mates or kindred spirits can, through our eyes. I see him, and he see's me, and that's all that matters right now. I show him the worry in mine, and he shows me the pain in his.

He see's the concern that won't leave my head.

I see the hurt that won't leave his heart.

He and I understand what it is to be lost on the path of life.

And in that moment me and Sinbad agree; we will walk that path together until we both find our way again.

"I'll take care of Jeremy," Sinbad says softly, but resolutely, and I believe him with everything in me. I have to, because otherwise nothing makes sense anymore.

** Evan's P.O.V **

"Are you sure that you're okay with this?" I hear Elena ask Bonnie. She sounds concerned and guilty. But then, I've come to learn that that's Elena's default tone of voice for all situations. Especially ones including her friends. I don't understand what she feels guilty about, or rather I do, I just think it's ridiculous.

Elena's a new vampire, so sure she's gonna find it hard at first to control her urges, but that doesn't make her a bad person. From what I've seen in my life, and afterlife come to think of it, all vampires struggle at first, some of them struggle forever. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's not like she chose it. But I can see why Elena wouldn't see it that way. She's a little weird like that. But in the best way possible.

"If I could spell you out of wanting blood, I would, but I can't, so better you learn this now than at freshman orientation," Bonnie responds with a sigh.

I wonder at that sigh. Bonnie is surrounded by vampires, and almost all her friends are killers, or would-be killers. How does someone like Bonnie deal with that kind of contradiction in her life? Maybe one day I'll ask her.

"Something tell me that College isn't in my future anymore," Elena says, her brow creasing into a frown. Part of me wants to use my fingers to smooth it out.

"Oh for fucks sake," Ever says, jumping out of the car like a springy cat, "Stop being so emo. You can go to college if you want to."

"She's right you know," I say with a small grin, "If I can stomach going to College, then you bloody well can."

"You went to College?" Bonnie questions with a snort.

I shrug half heartedly,

"Actually I went to University, but yeah, same concept I suppose."

"He majored in Drama," Elena says, smirking openly at me, "That doesn't really count."

I glare at her,

"I did not major in anything, you lunatic, I  _studied_  the Arts. It t'was marvelous!" I spread my arms out wide and throw my head back.

Ever starts laughing and I see her smile mischievously at me,

"I'm starting to see what Sin meant about you."

I feel instantly suspicious,

"Forget anything he said about me, it's all lies. LIES I SAY."

"We'll see about that," Ever says, still grinning in that way that makes me a little scared and a little turned on at the same time. I push those thoughts from my head sharpish. Bloody Salvatore's would cut me up into little strips if I even stood too close to Ever, let alone liked her. Not in that way of course, but I wouldn't mind being Ever's friend, she is a lot like Sin.

"What I want to know is how you managed to convince Damon and Stefan to let you come here alone," Elena says to her sister, giving me a knowing look at the same time. Damn that woman's ability to read me.

"I used persuasion, it's one of my many, many skills," Ever answers with a nod as we begin walking.

"You promised them something sexual, didn't you," Bonnie says plainly.

"Ew," Elena makes a face, "I take it back, I don't want to know."

"I do," I say, mostly just to annoy Elena, "I'm averse in the world of threesomes, but never have I been with brothers before, or sisters for that matter."

"Wow, way to make yourself sound like a man-whore," Elena says, narrowing her eyes at me and bumping my arm with her shoulder.

"I've been around," I say, twirling my finger, "Nothing too crazy though. I'm still mostly pure."

"HA!" Elena scoffs, "If you say so. I don't think anyone who's had sex with Sin can be innocent or pure."

"Excuse me, evil twin," Ever says, flicking her twin on the nose, "I think you'll find that I am very innocent and pure."

"Says the one having a threesome with two brothers," Elena says. Loudly.

"Woah, could you say that a little louder," Bonnie comments, "I don't think people in Mexico heard you properly."

Ever places a hand over her heart and gives Elena a mock beseeching look,

"I am in a committed and loving relationship. It's also completely platonic. No sexy times to be had for us. I am a delicate flower." She bats her eyelashes dramatically.

Elena rolls her eyes at Ever and replies,

"Oh yeah, that's you, so completely like a virgin."

" _Touched for the very first time_ " Ever sings, at full volume, doing a little break dance on the spot.

" _When your heart beats,_ " I sing back at her, using all my professional prowess from my time studying with the theater.

" _Next to mine,"_ Ever and I sing together.

" _Gonna give you all my love, boy_ "

" _My fear is fading fast_ "

" _Been saving it all for you_ "

"' _Cause only love can last_ "

I grab hold of Ever's hand and she lets me twirl her as we duet randomly for no reason. I think I've been infected with mad Ever disease.

"Completely insane," I hear Elena murmur incredulously.

Ever holds up her hand and declares,

"High five for Madonna!"

"Madonna high five!" I announce right back, slapping my hand against hers.

Bonnie and Elena are staring at us, open mouthed, and I realise how positively ridulous we must look. Other people are staring too. A few people applaud.

On the one hand, singing in public should really be left to street preformers and musicals. But on the other hand, we did sounds pretty good.

"Should we start some kind of singing club?" I ask.

"Please God no," Elena says, shaking her head in horror.

"Excellent idea," Ever argues, "We'll be like Glee club, but better, because we can pull some supernatural shit out of the bag during show time."

"I refuse to be part of this," Bonnie drawls, taking a step back. A big one.

"Ever, could you please, for once, try not to induct someone into your maze of madness. You already have Damon and Stefan and Sinbad," Elena says, eyeing her sister in annoyance.

"I can't save the ones who are already mad, evil twin," Ever shrugs and flicks a hand at me.

"Hey," I say, outraged, "I am not mad."

They all give me a look that says 'you are so full of shit'. I resent that. I'm only half full of shit, thank you very much.

"Come on," Bonnie interrupts before I can throw some kind of hissy fit, "Let's go."

Ever bounces off after Bonnie, jumping on her friend and giving her a hug whilst they walk, leaving me alone with Elena. I smile at Elena, trying to appear apologetic and, I don't know, normalish.

Elena huffs out a laugh after a moment and punches my shoulder playfully,

"Idiot."

I smile wider at her,

"Priss." I mess up her hair and she bats me away with a squawk that sounds a lot like 'fuck off'.

I run off after Bonnie and Ever before Elena can properly attack. She comes chasing after me.

I find myself laughing as she jumps onto my back. She wraps her legs around my waist and I heft her up so she's safely clinging to me. We meet up with Ever and Bonnie near the main building and they both give us knowing smiles.

I'm not sure what there is to know, but I'd like to find out.


	90. The Five-Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninetieth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"Nick, are you gonna tell me what's going on here or do I have to make random guesses?" I sigh heavily and arch an eyebrow at the strung up Hunter. Nick has doubtless been questioning him for hours. Although it doesn't appear to have gained him anything.

"You already know about the five," Nick says without looking at me, his eyes still riveted on the Hunter.

Oh God, the fucking _five_ , just what we all need. A group of supernatural vampire Hunters. And Jeremy, MY Jer, is one of them. I think on some level I always knew it, and that makes things twice as confusing.

"I won't let you use the cure on Ever just so you can drain her for your Hybrid army, Nick," I say more firmly.

Nick's gaze flickers over to me, and he narrows his eyes. He walks over and drags me out of the room, holding my arm tight enough to seriously bruise. I think Nick keeps forgetting I'm not a vampire anymore. Or at least that's what I tell myself over and over again. My side twinges, as if emphasising some kind of point I'm not seeing. I think maybe my ribs are bruised.

But hell, I've had worse, even as a human the first time around. I can deal.

I can. I always have before.

"Forget about your ridiculous infatuation with the doppleganger girl," Nick practically snarls in my face, his voice holding so much malice that I flinch instinctively. He still has a form grip on my arm and I see this situation ending rather a lot like a few nights ago.

"Nick, let me go," I say quietly, calmly. It won't help to get angry or attempt to pull away myself.

Nick's golden eyes narrow, and his grip on my lower arm gets tighter,

"Where do your loyalties truly lie, Angel?"

Oh god, not this again.

I grit my teeth and repeat,

"Let me go."

"Answer my question," Nick replies simply.

"Let go of my arm," I say, it's almost a whisper now.

"Angel, you are mine. We've been through this. I understand the loyalty to your brothers, and that's why I haven't killed them. But Ever Gilbert is nothing. Just a young girl you met less than three years ago," Nick appears truly baffled as to why I would care so much about Ever's life.

He wasn't there. He didn't go through all the things we have together. Ever isn't just a girl, or just a friend or even just the girl my brothers both love. She's family to me. I would protect her the same way I would protect my brothers.

I don't know how to explain that to Nick though in a way that won't make the situation worse. The fact that he hasn't killed Jeremy is a miracle, the last thing I want to do is give him reason to be jealous of Ever.

"Are you two having another quarrel over something stupid?" I hear Rebekah's voice and part of me is almost comically relieved. At least with Becksly around I can depend on her to take some of the heat off of me.

Nick's gaze burns into me for a few moments longer, then he drops my arm and turns away from me. But I can feel the tension still radiating off of him. This isn't over, not by a long shot.

Nick turns to his sister and smiles wickedly,

"Sinbad and I were just discussing our new hunter friend, he's one of the five you know."

Becksly darts a concerned look my way, but I studiously ignore it. I don't want to enflame Nick's temper any more than it already has been.

"I heard," Becksly says, "I suppose you want to use the map."

Nick's expression brightens, but in that fake way that makes me feel a little bit worried. Obviously he has some kind of plan in mind for getting to the map, since none of us can actually see the damn thing.

"The hunters tattoo, yes," Nick says.

"Fat lot of good the tattoo is going to do you if we can't see it," Becksly scoffs.

Nick's eyes take on an edge then, and I can't stop my body from tensing up,

"We can't," he says, "But someone else can."

A bad feeling starts forming in the pit of my stomach. Nick gestures to one of his compelled henchmen and tells him to 'get him'. Get who? It better not be who I'm dreading it is.

"You see, the hunter was so desperate to get to the bottom of his mystery tattoo," Nick explains, sounding almost delighted, "that mentioned there was only one other person who could see them."

My eyes widen as Jeremy is practically manhandled into the room. Horror spreads through me like wildfire.

"Nick, no!"

Jeremy warm brown eyes lock onto mine and my heart lurches. There's so much sadness and regret in his eyes when he looks at me, and so much fury in them when he looks at Nick. Guilt pools in my gut.

I rush towards Jeremy, unable to stand the thought of him getting hurt. Nick gets there first, of course, and claps his hand down onto Jeremy's shoulder. He eyes my ex-boyfriend like a cat eyes a small bird.

"I knew I kept you alive for a reason," he says.

Jeremy's eyes narrow into slits, and I can practically feel the anger emanating off of him. But he looks to me though and instead of shouting at Nick like he clearly wants to, Jeremy speaks to me instead.

"I miss you, Sin."

Oh, Jeremy, you fucking idiot. I miss you too.

Obviously I don't say those words out loud, it would mean a death sentence for Jeremy if I did. It still might. Nick must see something he doesn't like on my face, because his hold on Jeremy's shoulder gets much tighter. Jeremy winces and tries to move away, but Nick just smiles and says,

"Luckily for us, Jeremy here is a bit of an artist."

"I'm not helping you with anything," Jeremy says through gritted teeth.

My hands clench up at my sides with how much I want to get Jeremy as far away from Nick as I can. Especially when Nick practically rips the ring off of Jeremy's finger. The one that keeps him alive. Safe. Ever and Elena will kill me if anything happens to Jeremy. If Jeremy gets murdered because of me then I just might kill myself.

"I'm afraid you are," Nick says to Jeremy. I can see the smugness in his eyes, I can read it on his face all too well.

Nothing about this can end well. Not for any of us.

**Evan's P.O.V**

"Are we seriously at a freakin' college party right now?" I say in disgust.

"Apparently so," Elena replies, sounding more nervous than anything.

"Is Ever coming along later or what?" Bonnie asks as we make out way closer to the doors of the fucking college party. I feel like I'm living inside my worse nightmare. No, actually my worst nightmare is still being dead. This is more like my worst day dream.

Elena rolls her eyes,

"Nah, she got hijacked by her 'men'."

"I thought they were ok with not coming," I say with a frown.

Elena shrugs,

"Apparently they changed their minds when Ever told them she'd be going to a party."

I shake my head a little,

"Ah, mistake numero uno. Never admit anything that could get you in trouble. Deny, deny, deny."

Elena playfully shoves me and says sarcastically,

"I'm glad to hear your morals stand up tall and proud, Evan."

I place a hand over my heart,

"Oh, you wound me. Deeply."

Elena shoves me a little harder this time,

"Shut up."

"No, you shut up," I shove her back.

Bonnie groans and says,

"God, enough of the cuteness, please. I'm already surrounded by couples enough as it is."

I find myself blushing at that. Blushing? What the fuck? I've never blushed. I don't do blushing.

Well apparently now I do God damn it. I look at Elena and our eyes meet for a brief and weird as hell moment before she looks away again. What is wrong with me? Why do I feel so much like a teenager with his first crush? This is worse than when I first met Ariel, at least she never made me fucking blush. I loved her though. Is that what this is? Am I falling for Elena? I know I have thing for her, definitely, but something more than that didn't cross my mind at all.

At the door we're greeted by a crazy annoying college student who says,

"Hi, I'm Frankie, just you're local unassuming serial killer."

I wave at him and reply,

"Hi, I'm Evan, just your local judgemental bastard," I gesture at Bonnie and Elena, "and these are the two lovely young women who put up with my shit."

"Against all odds," Elena mutters, sliding me a smirk.

"Welcome to the murder house," boy-whose-name-I've-already-forgotten says, "The bloody mary's are free until midnight. Enjoy yourselves." He goes off to act like an idiot somewhere else, for which I am extremely grateful. There's only so much college dum dum I can take.

I look around briefly and spot Professor what's his face. I point him out and say,

"Hey, look, it's Professor future Bonnie's boyfriend."

Bonnie glares at him then and snipes,

"His name is Professor Shane and he's not my future boyfriend."

"Well not with that attitude," I say.

Bonnie ignores me,

"I'm gonna go talk to him."

"Ask him if he gets those tweed jackets custom made," I call after her as she leaves me alone with Elena.

Ah fuck.

We move further into the house and I make face. I really hate college parties.

"Go on then, pick a dum dum to eat."

This would probably go better if we had an experienced vampire around. But Elena's stuck with me, and to be fair, I've watched enough vampires feed in my life to know how it's done. If I was ever a vampire I'd be super badass at it for sure.

If my old pack even knew I was having thoughts like that then they'd burn me alive. Again, that is.

"I think I found one," Elena says, and I follow her gaze to a dickhead who just slipped a roofie into a girl's drink.

"Fair enough, go for it," I encourage her.

I watch her lead him away with some major fake flirting. Something twinges in my gut at the sight of that arsehole looking at Elena like he has any kind of shot with a girl that gorgeous. The confidence of drunk college guys continues to astound me.

I tell myself it can't possibly be jealously. Another thing I do not do, is jealousy.

After a few moments I follow after them to keep an eye on Elena to make sure she doesn't accidentally murder anyone. When I find her, Elena is already sucking on the idiot's neck.

"Remember, we are aiming to not kill the stupid college boy, Elena."

But she doesn't stop, and I start to get a little worried.

"Elena." I say again, "You gotta stop now before college boy gets all deadafied."

I touch her shoulder and Elena gasps. She moves back a little from college boy.

"Leave, and forget about this," Elena compels the boy.

When she turns around I ask,

"You feel...ok?"

Elena smiles wide, and there's a certain dangerous twinkle to her eyes that sets off certain alarm bells inside my head. I've see vampires get like this. Hell, I remember seeing Sin's eyes light up just like that a few times when we were...well, sort of together.

"I feel...great," Elena says, and she envelopes me in a hug that surprises the shit out of me.

I hug her back on instinct, and for a moment I allow myself to enjoy having her in my arms. As fucked up as that is. She feels good, solid, real. She feels like someone I very much care about.

But when Elena whispers,

"I want more."

I know we have a problem.

"I think we should go, Elena," I say, believing it would be best before things get out of control and we both do something stupid.

Elena frowns up at me,

"But-"

"Elena, this is the blood talking. I'm all for us having a good time. But this is a _college party_. Let me take you out to a real club, eh. Show you what a good time is for real," I raise a suggestive eyebrow.

Elena smiles widely at me,

"Alright, show me how to have a good time."

"For real." I take her hand.

Elena nods,

"For real."

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

"You set me up at the hospital, led me into a trap, why?" I try to ignore the hunter as he speaks to Jeremy. I can't focus on anything else right now but getting Jeremy the fuck out of this house. Alive.

"You were trying to hurt people who are important to me," Jeremy answer calmly as he draws the tattoo on the hunters naked body.

A pang of loss hits my chest. Having Jeremy so close...and yet not being able to even talk to him without drawing too much negative attention, is driving me a little insane.

Although I know I deserve it. I was the one who did this. No one else.

"Important to you," the hunter sounds angry, "That vampire threatened to kill you. I don't understand that you can see the tattoo if you're a sympathiser."

Yep, that's my Jer, a vampire sympathiser to the core. Sometimes I wish he wasn't. But then, there's no other way he could have loved me.

"What exactly do you understand," Jeremy asks, scorn in his voice now, "because a few days ago you seemed to have all the answers. And now you know jackshit." Jeremy leans forward a little, "Where did this tattoo come from? Why am I the only one who can see it."

The hunter sneers over at me,

"Why don't you ask your pretty vampire friend."

I was leaning against the wall, but now I stand up straight and say,

"First of all, thank you for the pretty comment, I like your," I look up and down his very muscled and sweaty body, "eyes," I wink at him.

Jeremy makes a frustrated noise,

"Sin, really? Do you have to flip with _everyone_?"

I can see that there's more pain in that question than laughter, so I say nothing. I don't even meet Jeremy's gaze. I can't. It would break me. The innocence inside Jer always cracks me right open every time. I cannot afford to lose my shit right now.

So I continue speaking to the hunter,

"Second of all, technically speaking, not a vampire anymore. Just sayin'"

"You carry yourself like one," the hunter tells me, "Arrogant. Deadly. Like a killer."

I smile darkly,

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm just an arrogant serial killer. You don't have to be a vampire to be a killer."

"Can we get back to why the fuck I can see a mystical mark and no one else can?" Jeremy snaps, raw emotion seeping from his words. He really sounds confused, and hell, why shouldn't he? This is a big fucking thing for him.

"You're a hunter Jeremy," I say tiredly, "like him."

Jeremy turns to me, shock and denial written all over his face,

"No, don't be ridiculous."

"It's true," the hunter says, "I was just like you once. Years ago I met a man with a strange mark on his arm. He told me he had an uncontrollable urge to kill vampires. I lose track of him after a while. But then one day the mark just appeared on my skin. The more vampires I kill, the bigger it grows."

"What is the mark?" Jeremy questions curiosity.

"It's a map, Jer," I tell him.

"A map that leads to what?" Jeremy looks at me then, and he refuses stop staring until our eyes lock.

"It leads to...a cure. A cure for vampirism."

"But...that's not possible," Jeremy says, shaking his head.

"It is possible," I say with a shrug, "just very unlikely and probably steeped with consequences."

"Isn't everything in our lives nothing but one shitty consequence after another," Something seems to snap in Jeremy and he gets up, stalking over to me at a speed I didn't know him capable of.

The hunter becomes nothing but another bit of furniture as Jeremy back me into a wall. I keep expecting Nick to walk in at any moment. God only knows why he left me in here alone to begin with. I'm assuming it's some kind of test. Of loyalty. I fear I'm destined to fail if it is. My side twinges in pain when my back hits the wall and Jeremy frowns at me in concern.

"Jeremy, stop," I whisper harshly.

Jeremy does nothing of the sort and he places a hand on my chest. His big brown eyes bore into me, and I feel like my soul is on fire.

"I know you chose that son of a bitch, Sin. But that was before," Jeremy's voice is low and firm, like he knows exactly what he wants, "You're human now, Sin."

"That doesn't change anything, Jer," I turn my face away from him. Jeremy's hand on my chest sears into me like a physical pain. I want him so much, to be close to him, but I don't deserve it. And then there's Nick. He'd kill Jeremy, mark or no mark, if he saw us like this.

Jeremy forces me to look at him, his eyes filled with a strange kind of determination,

"Fuck yes, it does. It changes everything. Don't you see that? We had so much against us before. Elena was dead. You were a vampire. Ever was a Guardian. Everything was wrong and off balance. But now...now Elena is alive, Ever is sorted, an you...you're fucking human, Sin. We can be together properly now," Jeremy cup my face in his hands and rests his forehead against mine, "We can leave. You and me. We'll go...I don't know, somewhere. Anywhere. Together."

I try to pull away from him, but Jeremy is having none of it, and he keeps me in place surprisingly easily.

"Jer, please. I can't."

Jeremy presses more firmly against me and looks into my eyes as he says,

"Remember that night, the masquerade ball with Katherine, when we danced in public for the first time?"

I nod, a smile quirking my lips despite everything. I loved Jeremy so much in that moment, with us dancing together like that. He was so perfect in my arms, and I would have done anything for him. I still would.

Jeremy smiles too, but his is tinged with sadness,

"You wanted to know if I would run away with you if you asked me to, remember?"

"Yes. You said yes, with no hesitation. Just jumped in head first like always." I'm breathless all of a sudden and I don't know why.

"I was in love with you, Sin, I'd have jumped off a bridge if you asked me to back then," Jeremy says, his mouth hovers so close to mine, "But a lot of things have happened since then. And now I'm asking you...run away with me, Sinbad Salvatore. My sisters have all the protection they could ever need. There's nothing keeping us here, not really. We could be together, for real. We could travel, I could draw, you could show me the world. We'd be together and human and alive."

"Not once Nick catches up with us we wouldn't be," I whisper, and our lips brush. A shudder rolls through my body at the feel of it.

I made my choice, and I chose Nick. I deserve the consequences of that choice.

"Then we stay here, and fight it out," Jeremy continues, undaunted, "I'm not giving up, Sin. You love me, and I love you. I realised, as soon as I stopped whinging like an asshole over being dumped by the love of my life, that Klaus has some kind of hold over you. And it's not love. It's...I don't know. Fear. Obsession. Whatever it is, you don't have to be with him, Sin. Please, babe, just think about it. We could build something together, something **_real_**. I want that more than anything."

Something real.

He's wrong, I do love Nick. But yes, things have always been fucked up for us. I don't know what to do anymore. Not that I ever did. Things keep spinning out of control, and I'm starting to fall apart.

** Ever's P.O.V **

_(Song for this scene-Feel so close by Calvin Harris)_

"Elena!" I call out over the loud music blaring from the five billion speakers all around us.

Stefan and Damon showed up late this evening when I made the mistake of joking over the phone that I'd be going to a college party with all the frat boys. They didn't think it was that funny. Their jealously meter went by a thousand and they drove straight here. I'm not that upset about it to be honest, especially not now that we're out with Elena and Evan.

Elena texted me to say they left the party and went to a local night club. I figured it would be best to meet up with them there.

Damon is at the bar getting the drinks, because, well, it's his expert area. I've been scanning the crowd for signs of Elena and Evan. I was starting to think we'd come to the wrong place. It's packed in here with people though. The need to latch onto someone's throat is definitely well and truly present. Luckily I have Stefan and Damon to distract me by playing the roles of possessive boyfriends.

It's cute that they think I need protecting from some drunk humans. But I let them think they're doing something helpful, it gives them purpose, the crazy, sexy, fools.

I've finally caught sight of Elena, but there's no way she's gonna hear me over this lot. Plus there are a lot of lights, but it's still pretty damn dark in here.

I start waving and jumping up and down, because that will help. Not.

Stefan laughs beside me and leans in close to say,

"If you're going to jump in a dress that tight, then be prepared for Damon to flip the fuck out if anyone tries to hit on you." There's humour in his voice though, so I just roll my eyes at him.

"I can't help being this stunningly attractive Stef," I flip my hair dramatically, "It's a gift and a curse."

Stefan is still chuckling when Damon up to us from behind, drinks in hand. He sets them down on the table, and eyes us both speculatively.

"Do I even want to know what you two are giggling about over here?"

"No!" Stefan and I say at the same time.

Damon crosses his arms over his chest, causing his muscled upper body to pop out in a way that makes me forget what the hell I was thinking about before.

"I think we might have some issues with Damon too," I say to Stefan. As if to prove my point a group of girls walk past, and they check Damon out quite obviously.

Damon appears confused, and that makes me laugh again. Stefan, however, is not amused and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. He looks between us both and says,

"If you both get hit on then, yeah, maybe I'll be the one to flip out."

"What does he mean, 'if'? Damon asks me, and he flexes and winks at the group of girls.

I hit his stomach in warning,

"Don't tease."

I look back over at Elena and Evan, who seem pretty wrapped up in each other right now actually. Evan has his arms around Elena's waist, whereas she has her arms around his neck. They move together in perfect sync. I point at them and say,

"Ah, ha, I told you they liked each other!"

"We never doubted you," Stefan says with a small smile.

Damon groans and says,

"Does this mean we're really going to have to do the double date bullshit?"

"Yep," I tell him with a sympathetic nod, "I'm afraid so. Suck it up Salvitore. You don't hear Stefan complaining."

Damon gives his brother a look and reaches out to ruffle his hair. Stefan only shoves Damon away half-heartedly.

"Yeah, but that's only because he's completely whipped."

I snort out a laugh,

"Oh yeah, by which one of us?"

I wince when that leads to a complicated silence.

"Let's go dance, then," I say to cut through the tension.

Damon and Stefan agree readily and we make our way onto the crowded dance floor.

We find a place that won't have us completely smooshed up against a load of people. I throw myself into the beat and let my head fall back as I start dancing with all I have in me.

Damon dances in front of me, with Stefan at my back. We dance close together, close enough that our bodies brush with every movement. Being vampire makes everything seem so much brighter, louder, wilder, more intense. Everything is more, more, **_more_**!. I love it! In a way I never imagined I could.

My love for them, and their love for me blazes, and I allow myself to completely let go and enjoy feel of them all around me. Their perfect touch, their minty/sweaty hot scent, the look of hunger on both their faces.

Stefan takes hold on hips at some point and brings our bodies even closer together. I lean back into him and let my head fall back against his strong chest. When his mouth comes down onto mine, I moan with how fucking amazing it feels.

When I look at Damon he's watching us with a strange almost yearning hunger in his ice blue eyes. I try to decipher what he's thinking without actually looking into his head. But I can't quite grasp exactly what the look on his handsome face means. Then I get a message from inside his head, a message I don't think he meant to send,

**"Fuck, so _beautiful_ , both of them."**

I moan again at the truth in that. Damon's eyes widen in slight horror when he realises I heard the thought. I feel out my bond with Stefan, and it shines so fucking bright that it almost burns. He feels it too, whatever this is, he feels it. And he's watching Damon just like I am.

I have to do something fast, I have to capture this moment before it slips away. This may be the only chance I get to test out my theory for a long time.

With that in mind I pull away from Stefan, he holds on at first, but I manage to move out of reach. I bring them closer to me so that I can whisper something to them. Because it needs to be whispered. Like a secret. A secret we'll share.

"Dance for me," I tell them.

"I thought we were," Stefan says, sounding confused.

I shake my head slightly,

"No. I mean dance for me. Together."

I don't know why it feels so important. But for some reason I believe that if they dance together then everything else will fall into place. Or at least make more sense.

They both seems to balk at first, and I rush to reassure them,

"No one knows us here. No one know what you are to each other. To these people, you're just two guys on a dance floor." Apart from Elena and Evan, but hell, they're a little busy right now anyway.

Stefan still seems unsure, I send Damon message, knowing it has to be him who leads this if it's gonna happen.

**"Come on Day, be impulsive, it's what you're best at. You know you want to."**

Damon pauses for another second, he meets my eyes, and I nod at him encouragingly. Stefan opens his mouth, to reject the idea, I can tell. But Damon takes over before he can. I move out of the way, still dancing, as Damon hooks his fingers into Stefan's belt loops and all but yanks him closer. Stefan, in surprise, or maybe instinct, grabs onto Damon.

They stay like that for a long moment, not moving, just staring at each other, their bodies practically molded together.

Then Damon smiles, well it's more of a sexy smirk actually, and Stefan can't seem to stop himself from returning the smile. That moment of relieved tension shifts something between them, because suddenly they're dancing, moving together as almost one entity.

Everything else fades away as I watch them dance together like they've been doing for years. They move so perfectly with each other. It's the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life.

At one point Stefan lets his head drop back and Damon laughs, the sound loud and full of pent up joy. Damon leans forward and presses a sweet kiss to Stefan's throat and the sight of it just about kills me. Longing slams into me like a freight train.

Stefan has his arms wrapped around Damon's shoulders now, and he brings his face close to Damon's. Their foreheads brush every couple of movements, and I smile at the contentment on both their faces. I can feel it through the path that binds us together. This, this right here, is the final piece of the puzzle.

We are one.


	91. The Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-first chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

Lyna's P.O.V

"If you stare any more intently at that French fry, then I think it'll explode," Matt says to me as he collects glasses off a table.

Technically he's working, but the grill is empty, so I stopped by to have lunch with him. To be honest it's mostly just an excuse to be near him. No one makes me feel as comfortable as Matt does. He's kinda my calm in the storm right now, whether he knows it or not.

"I'm just thinking," I say in way of an explanation.

"Oh yeah? About what?" Matt asks, he stops stacking glasses for a moment to lean over my table. His blue eyes search mine, and I find myself smiling.

"I haven't heard anything from the Guardians since I...well, you know. I'm worried about what'll happen now." I shrug and eat another French fry. Food tastes weird to me. I have the knowledge inside my head from Ever of how food should taste, but I'm constantly comparing it with how it tastes in real life.

"Is that all?" Matt asks knowingly, he raises a blond eyebrow.. I am freaked out about the Gaurdians radio silence, but Sinbad keeps telling that's normal. They'll test me when they think I'm ready. He says it could be days, weeks, months, even years before they make a move, and that I'll just have to sit tight until then. Gaurdians have no concept of time as they are not bound by it's laws.

I make a face and shake my head

"No, there's also the fact that everyone I know has their own life, and I'm stuck trying to work out the basics."

Matt smiles a little crookedly and says,

"I think most people feel that way sometimes. The trick is to hold on until the scenery changes."

"I guess. I just want to fit in properly here," I say wearily. I'm so tired of being the outsider, and it hasn't even been that long. What if I never find my place? What if I'm forever stuck looking in on other people's lives. Everything that I am comes from Ever, I have nothing that's just mine. How can I build a life from nothing?

"You're a supernatural being, Lyna, that already makes you part of the group more than me," Matt says. He reaches out and touches me hand gently.

"Yeah, but you've always been here. You're their friend and Elena's ex. And Caroline's ex. You have history with them, all of them." I run a hand through my hair in frustration.

"A lot of that history is bad, Lyna," Matt looks sad suddenly, and I feel guilty for bringing back any painful memories.

"It's still history, and it binds you together," I say.

"I wish I could forget some it. Especially the part about my sister." Matt's jaw clenches slightly, but relaxes again when I take his hand in mine.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you by talking about this, Matthew," I squeeze his hand. Matt is the sweetest person in the world, at least I believe that to be true, and he's a good person. I care for him a lot.

Matt actually laughs then,

"You called me Matthew."

"That's your name, isn't it? I like it." I smile at him.

Matt runs his thumb over my hand and smiles back at me,

"Alright, yes, but you're the only one who can call me that. See, that's already something only you and I share."

"Oh, I think you're about to share a lot more," a voice comes from behind me and I whip around to look.

I gasp when I see that Hunter, Connor, holding onto Jeremy, an arm wrapped around his chest. And a knife held to his throat.

"Jeremy, no," I breathe, shocked. I try to move towards him, but Matt grabs onto me and pulls me back.

"Sit down!" the Hunter orders us. When we don't instantly move to comply he all but shouts, "Sit the fuck down, now!"

Matt and I sit at the table, our hands still intertwined. I know it makes me weak, but I really hope he doesn't let go any time soon. The hunter shoves Jeremy down into a chair.

I ask him worriedly,

"Jeremy, are you ok?"

Jeremy spares me a reassuring glance and replies,

"Yeah, don't panic, I'm fine Lyna."

That feels like a lie.

"Gilbert, give me your phone," the Hunter snaps at Jeremy.

Jeremy takes out his phone and hands it over.

"Can you at least let Lyna go, she has nothing to do with any of this," he says.

My heart beats rapidly faster at the thought of leaving Matt and Jeremy here with this lunatic who keeps trying to kill my new friends and family.

"She has everything to do with this," Connor says, and he looks pointedly at me, "She's part of your freak show group of supernatural misfits."

"Hey, back off," Matt starts to get up, but I yank him back down. The last thing we need is the hunter and Matt getting into any kind of fight.

"What is your problem, man?" Jeremy glares at the hunter, "How did you even escape from Klaus?" He says the name with such disgust, but then, Jeremy has a right to hate the original vampire. For more than one reason.

"I did what us Hunters are meant to do," the hunter tells him, "I killed one of Klaus's vampire henchman."

"Well goodie for you," Jeremy rolls his eyes, "Now Klaus will come and hunt you down like a dog and murder you. Congratulations."

"I got away from that mad bastard once," the hunter says dismissively.

"Yeah, that'll be the last time. You escaped, and yet you're still here," Jeremy's tone is scornful, and I have admit that he's right, fucking with Klaus and then sticking around is a stupid plan.

The Hunter explains,

"I still have things I need to take care of."

"If you were smart you'd be half way around the world by now," Jeremy says, "Klaus will capture you, and he will kill you."

"Do you have any idea what's going on here? Klaus, the originals, the map, the cure. Did your pretty Salvatore boyfriend tell you everything?"

Jeremy growls, deep and predatory. I look at him in surprise.

"If you know so much, then you also know that our friends will come for us," Matt says, cutting through the undeniable tension.

"Oh yeah, I'm counting on it," the Hunter says menacingly, "Every vampire that comes for you is another one I get to kill."

"No," I gasp in horror, "You can't do that!"

The Hunter lifts up the phone, waves it a little, and says,

"Now, who should I text first? Damon Salvatore? His brother? Elena and Ever? How about all of the above?" He sends a text and then uses his knife to smash the phone.

"This isn't exactly what I meant by saying I wanted to be part of the group." I whisper to Matt.

Matt sighs heavily and replies,

"Welcome to your initiation into team batshit crazy supernatural."

Ever's P.O.V

"So we each take a differnt entrance, hit him at the same time," Damon says, and he makes an 'all done' gesture with his hands.

"That's your plan?" Elena asks doubtfully.

Damon flashes that snarky smile he knows pisses off my sister and says,

"No, the plan is that I'm going to rip Connor's heart out and feed it to him."

"Connor has Jeremy, Lyna and Matt," Evan says reproachfully, "Three of our most vulnerable."

"Hence the open heart surgery." Damon shrugs.

Stefan and I exchange a glance, our bond flexes and burns with understanding. I bump my arm against Damon's and say,

"Damon's right. We have to hit hard and fast, Connor needs to be taken out."

"So, that's officially what we're doing? Killing him?" Elena looks a little less appalled than she once might have done. That's definitely progress. Although maybe not in the right direction.

"It's our best option right now," Stefan says, he doesn't sound happy about it, but then Stefan never does when it comes to killing someone. Even enemies. By this point we've had so many of those that I'm beginning to worry that we're turning into the justice league of Mystic Falls. I want a bloody cape damn it! With sequins!

A cape just isn't a cape without sequins.

"Where's Bonnie and Trick?" Elena asks suddenly.

"Together, and away from here," I tell her with a sigh, "Maybe we should leave them out of it for now."

"What, no Sabrina and Merlin magic duo to save us?" Damon says sarcastically.

I hit his chest,

"Shut it, Day, or you'll be left out of it too."

Damon scoffs and wraps his arms around my waist, he lifts me up a few inches from the ground and says,

"Excuse me, I'm the one who came up with the plan."

"And what a brilliantly well thought out plan it is," Stefan mutters, shooting Damon a look.

In response, Damon reaches out to tug on Stefan's hair. Stefan only half heartedly fights him off and comes easily when Damon bring us all closer together. My bond with Stefan sings with contentment once we're all touching, and my connection to Damon sparks with life. After the club I was afraid that Damon and Stefan would want to put distance between themselves, but just the opposite appears to be true. I hope to explore this more once we have time to alone.

And when a crazy hunter isn't trying to bump us all off. Time for some ninja stylie action.

Caroline and Tyler come striding in and Caroline says,

"My Mom put squad cars blocking the street. They're saying it's a faulty gas main. We're good to go."

I fist pump the air,

"Excellent! Lets go kick some vampy ass...wait hold on...make that vampy hunter ass."

Damon and Stefan both give me a look and I shrug,

"What? It's usually a vampy person we need to destroy."

"Point," Stefan agrees with a nod.

"I get confused between villains," Evan mutters, making a face. His dark blond hair falls into his face, and Elena unconsciously reaches up to smooth it away. I keep my smug smile to myself.

Don't start. I hear Damon's voice inside my head.

I didn't say anything. I reply back into his head.

You're so smug. I hear the chuckle in his voice.

I am so not smug.

Oh yeah? Well tell your face that.

Fuck you.

Later. I have plans.

Ohhhh, what kind of plans?

You'll see.

I look over at him and Damon locks eyes with me. He winks. Stefan catches the look between us and raises a questioning eyebrow. I pat his stomach and say,

"Damon has plans."

"Well yeah, he just told us," Evan says, sounding confused.

Elena rolls her eyes at him,

"They're doing that three way talking inside each others heads or whatever thing."

"Oh," Evan replies, "About what?"

Elena waves a hand dismissively,

"Probably about their weird sex life. Again."

Evan gapes at us for a long time, and then finally says,

"What about your sex life?"

Damon's eyes flash with violence in response, and Stefan has to wrap an arm around Damon to stop him from attacking.

"Shut it, undead fluffy," I warn with a pointed finger.

"I'm just interested," Evan says, and he holds his hands up defensively.

Elena narrows her eyes at him,

"Why?"

Evan makes an exasperated sound,

"Well...you know...it's not very often you meet three people in a relationship who are all vampires, can talk into each others head's, have a weird bondy thing that tells each other their emotions, and two of them are related. Who wouldn't ask questions about that?"

"Someone who wants to keep their heart inside their chest," Damon says menacingly.

I whack Damon upside the head. He glares at me. I glare back. Stefan gives us both a disapproving look. Damon and I smirk at Stefan. Stefan rolls his eyes in exasperation.

End of discussion.

Sinbad's P.O.V

1932

"I haven't seen you here before?" The man says. His voice is refined and deep, like decades old whiskey. Which, ironically, is what I'm drinking tonight.

The man is handsome in a strangely old fashioned way. I can imagine him as an actor, stepping off the stage and gracing his loving audience with his presence. There's something about him that called to me. No one's ever made me feel that way...well no one apart from...Him...but I do my best not to ever think of that man if I can help it. 

I already dream about him every night. That should be enough to satisfy the fates.

"Maybe you have," I counter, "Maybe you just don't remember."

The man smiles, and something in that smile feels eerily familiar, but I can't place why. I look him up and down once again, looking for other clues. He's tall, with dark brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes. I was always weak for hazel eyes. Warm like chocolate. Not bright like caramel.

"I believe I would remember a face such as yours." He appears to be studying me just as much as I am him. Possibly even more so.

I frown a little. For some reason this man strikes me as different than any other I've met since arriving in England with my friend Lexi and my brother Stefan.

He's just got his humanity back, so he's on a serious guilt downward spiral. Lexi is basically his sponsor. I'm around more for moral support and back up than anything else.

"Don't flirt with me." I tell him seriously.

The man quirks an eyebrow and leans in a little closer. I check around the bar to see if anyone is watching, but it's late enough that everyone is far too busy being drunk or getting off with someone to take much notice of the weirdoes getting all up close and personal in a dark corner.

"I'm not flirting." 

I take a drink of whiskey and let it slide down my throat with a slow burn. 

"If you aren't flirting with me then I'll leave." I get up from my stool and turn away from the stranger.

A small smirk forms on my face when the man's arm shoots out and he grabs hold of my arm. His mouth is very close to my ear when he says darkly,

"You told me not to flirt with you. Now you're leaving because I'm not."

I lean back into him a bit and reply huskily,

"I'm difficult like that."

"A complicated man?" He questions thoughtfully.

More like fucked up in the head, but hey.

"Nah. I'm an open book." I say.

The man chuckles into my ear,

"I don't think so." He slides a hand up my back slowly, and I shiver in response to the intimate touch. It's been a while for me.

"Keep touching me like that and it'll cost you." I warn teasingly.

I feel him smirk on my neck,

"How much?"

"A truth." I answer.

"What's your name?" The man asks, his lips ghosting over the side of my throat now. 

I close my eyes and say,

"Sinbad. Yours?"

The man turns me around and forces me to meet his liquid chocolate eyes. A fire flickers into life between us, and I groan with need of it. He smiles again and says,

"My name is Elijah."

Ever's P.O.V

"Don't you dare!" I practically slide into the grill. I'm like freakin' Tom Cruise right now.

But with jeans on.

Great, now I have old time rock n roll in my head playing on a loop. That's never good when confronting a crazy-ass hunter.

Damon and Stefan are kneeling together on the opposite side of the grill. Jeremy's trapped between three fucking bombs. One shot and they all go off.

Elena and Evan are getting Lyna and Matt out safely in the back, and I hope to hell they're already gone. This plan is going from bad to shit to even more fucking shit. We waited too long to come inside, now we all might be fucked.

Hunter Mc no friends raises a gun and aims it at Jeremy.

This would be a really awesome time for Sinbad to come marching in and kill the hunter, but unfortunately he's still away with Klausy wousy doing whatever the fuck they're doing. Getting some kind of sword I think Sin said. Like it even really matters right now. I almost wish we'd brought in Ric as part of the reinforcements team, but since Jenna's pregnant and whale-like, we figured it's best to keep him out of all vampy issues from now on.

By the way, where the hell is Caroline and Tyler? They better not be making out somewhere or I'm gonna be pissed.

"One step closer and he dies!" Hunter Mc pain in my ass announces. Yeah, like I didn't get that bit when he aimed a gun at my brother.

Dick.

"No! Jeremy's my little brother, he's just a baby, leave him alone!" I shout.

Jeremy takes a moment to glare at me and says,

"Get out of here, Ever. And I am not a baby!"

I point at Jeremy and say to the hunter,

"He is though. Just look at those big brown bambi eyes. LOOK AT THEM AND WEEP!"

Hunter Mc I don't like your face ignore my very convincing argument and calls out,

"You hear that, Salvatore's, your girl is watching. I will shoot the boy right in front of her."

My connection with Damon flares to life violently, my bond with Stefan swirls with rage, causing my insides to feel like they're on fire. My guys are pissed, like for real.

"On the count of three!" Hunter Mc fatface goes on to yell for no apparent reason. I mean, like, I'm standing right here, you lunatic. I can hear you, there's no need to get all loud about it.

"One!"

Fuck.

"Two!"

Double fuck!

"Get ready to take him out, Ev's". I hear Damon's voice inside my head, and relief fills me.

A moment later Stefan and Damon both stand up and reveal themselves. Hunter Mc not so nice aims his gun at them, and that's when I make my move. I rush him all vampy stylie and tackle him to the ground.

Stefan yells and I see him grab Jeremy just in time to save him from the blast of the bomb. I call out to them, which momentarily distracts me, giving Hunter Mc twatwaffle time to flip me over. He shouts angrily and tries to stake me. No way bitch.

I use my legs to buck him off. He goes flying across the room. Damon's at my side then, and he helps me to my feet.

Hunter Mc no chance comes at us again with a scream of rage, and I gasp. Damon growls and grabs hold of the hunter to stop him from getting all stabby. In the same moment I shove my hand into the Hunter's chest. I grit my teeth as I yank out his heart.

There. Bossed it.

...

(Warning: First time for real full on incest here people. If that makes you uncomfortable, then don't read the rest of this chapter.)

Later on that night, after it's been determined that everyone is safe, by some stroke of pure luck, Stefan, Damon and I are relaxing in Damon's room.

"We need to talk about what happened the other night." I say suddenly. I've been putting it off for obvious reasons. But for right now everything is peaceful and not going batshit crazy. There might never be another chance to have a proper discussion about it.

Damon groans and leans back against the head board,

"Do we really though?"

I give him a stern look and say,

"Yes. We do."

I feel a flush of nervousness spread through my bond with Stefan. He looks calm on the outside, but I can feel that internally he's freaking the fuck out.

"I don't think it's a good idea to..." Stefan trails off, uncertainty clear in his eyes.

I move so that I'm facing Damon and Stefan instead of laying between them.

Damon raises an eyebrow at me questioningly, and I answer it with a questioning look of my own. Is he really going to let me do this on my own? I see a flash of heat in Damon's eyes, and then he's looking over at Stefan.

Stefan responds by swallowing hard and studiously refusing to meet Damon's gaze.

"You two danced together. How did it feel? Let's start with that."

There's a long, heavy, pause where no one says a word, and then Damon clear his throat purposefully. He looks at me and says off handedly,

"It wasn't the worst dance I've ever experienced."

I roll my eyes and snap,

"Not to me. This isn't really about me. Not completely anyway. Talk to each other, that's the only way this will work."

Damon's jaw tightens, but he turns back to his younger brother and says more gently,

"I liked dancing with you Stefan." Stefan's eyes dart up to Damon's in clear surprise.

That seems to embolden Damon, as he smiles a little and continues,

"I liked touching you. I liked you touching me back."

Stefan makes a noise of protest and shakes his head,

"No-stop. This is wrong. It's wrong in so many fucking ways."

I look between them, studying their facial expressions and reactions to each other. I compare them to the emotions I feel coming from our mutual bonds.

Damon reaches out and softly grazes his fingers over Stefan's cheek. Stefan clearly shivers, and despite his words he leans into the touch. I try not to let it show how please I am about that development.

If they want to be together in the way I feel we're meant to be, then it has to be their choice, not mine. I can't let my actions and desires influence theirs any more than they already do. Not this time.

"Damon..." Stefan whispers harshly, "You don't want to do this." He locks gazes with his brother. There's clear anguish in his eyes, and my heart beats painfully with the honesty in that one look.

Damon moves closer to Stefan and wraps a possessive hand around the back of Stefan's neck. He brings their foreheads together and uses his other hand to slide up over Stefan's chest.

"It's the bond...the connection between us and Ever," Stefan sounds like he's pleading with both himself and Damon, "That's why you're doing this..."

"I don't care." Damon growls, the sound deep and rough in his throat.

Damon yanks Stefan closer then and kisses him on the mouth. Their lips slide together perfectly. A burst of his heat hits me like a fireball from each end of our bonds. I feel the desire and the longing they feel for each other course through my body. It makes my head spin, because it's so damn powerful and intense.

Stefan is kissing back now, and he brings himself closer to Damon, almost as if he can't get close enough. I know that feelings, I know what it's like to want to let Damon's passion consume me completely. I know what it feels like to want to climb inside of Stefan and stay there forever, his love enveloping me.

Stefan's arms are around Damon's neck, and one of Damon's hands has slid into Stefan's hair. He pulls back on his harshly, and their kiss breaks. Both of them are gasping wildly and gripping onto each other like they never want to let go.

Finally Stefan manages to get out,

"I liked dancing with you too."

Damon laughs into Stefan's mouth and takes another harsh, almost punishing kiss.

"Of course you did, I got all the moves in the family."

That elicits a laugh from me. But it seems to sober Stefan.

Stefan leans back a little, although Damon refuses to let him go very far. I smirk to myself. God help Stefan if Damon is as possessive of him as he is of me.

"What the fuck did we just do?" Stefan demands, sounding pained and guilty.

"I believe it's called a kiss, Stefan." Damon says, using that droll tone once more.

"Damon-" Stefan practically moans.

Damon's icy blue eyes light up with desire and pure want,

"Say my name like that again."

Stefan actually huffs a little bit.

"Can you not take anything seriously?"

Damon nips at Stefan's bottom lip and says,

"We've known each other for over one hundred and sixty-five years, you should really know the answer to that question by now."

"Call me an optimist, I'm still waiting around for you to prove me wrong on a few things," Stefan replies dryly.

Damon and I just laugh.


	92. My Brother's Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-second chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Trick's P.O.V**

"Well hello my people, how are you today?" I lean against one of the tables and do my best to look normal.

Evan and Elena both turn to stare at me. Yeah, that's about the reaction I expected.

"Have we spoken yet?" Evan asks me. His big grey eyes look me over with renewed interest. I take the opportunity to check him out too. Tall, dirty blond hair, ripped body and a ridiculously handsome face. Also, did I mention his fucking British accent. Woah, what is it with Mystic falls and all the hot guys? I feel like they flock here, or maybe it's just my imagination.

I think about his question for a moment and then reply,

"I believe that you said hi to me once, does that count?"

Elena actually, like, full on laughs. She seems much lighter and happier since the last time I saw her. Although then again it feels like I've only ever seen her after a horrible/traumatic event, so maybe that's why.

"Maybe not," Evan says, sliding Elena a small smile. His gaze shifts back to me suddenly, "We should start over." He holds his hand out to me.

I look down at his hand. I've never actually shaken someone's hand before. It's not something that's come up in my life. But what the hell. I let my hand slide into Evan's and we shake. Once. Twice. Then three times. Are you meant to shake three times? How long is a handshake meant to go on for? Is this getting awkward. I think it's getting awkward.

"What are you two doing?" Elena asks, giving us both an amused look.

"Um, we're shaking hands." I say, the 'duh' is implied.

Elena smirks and says,

"Shaking hands usually involves more movement in the hand department."

I look down and realise that we aren't shaking anymore. We are basically just holding hands now.

I accidentally meet Evan's gaze and he gives me a cocky grin. Damn it! Asshole is messing with me. Well at least now I know why Sinbad liked him. Not that I know that much about Sinbad, but he seems to have a type.

Dominant. Tall. Snarky. Violent. Psycho.

In regards to Jeremy, four out of five will do.

I remove my hand from Evan grip and say,

"Elena, I think your boyfriend is coming onto me."

Elena starts laughing again, but Evan isn't easily outsnarked. He leans forward, close enough to be in my immediate breathing space and says,

"Do you want me to be coming onto you?"

I blink at him like a rabbit.

"Shut up, Evan." Elena rolls her eyes and slaps Evan's arm.

"Yes, dear." Evan says, but he winks at me.

"You're as bad as Sin. You flirt with everything and everyone." Elena says in exasperation, but not without genuine affection too.

Evan flashes a wicked smirk,

"That's what us bi-sexual people are like. We see beauty in all things."

"What you just said was both offensive and stupid," Elena counters easily.

I have no idea what's going on here anymore.

"I just came over to say hi." I mutter, mostly to myself.

"Really?" Evan says, quirking an eyebrow, "We thought you came over here to hide from Caroline like we did."

"She is on a mission today," Elena says with a sigh.

I tilt my head from side to side,

"Yeah, well, it is the pageant...thingy...um..."

"That about sums it up," Elena hides her smile behind her glass of what looks like champagne.

I point at her,

"Where did you get alcohol? I need some if I'm gonna get through today. Small town events make me nauseous."

Evan reaches into his jacket and brings out flask. He offers it to me and says,

"Forget that bubbly bullshit, I have whiskey."

"Man after my own heart," I take the flask and down a few gulps of the amber burning liquid. It goes down like petrol, but my head immediately feels fuzzy and warm, so I'm not complaining.

"Where's Bonnie? Did she come with you?" Elena asks me.

"Excuse me!" a voice calls over to us before I can respond. That professor Shane guy comes striding up to us. My twin sister has become obsessed with him, he's all she talks about. I'd like to say it's just a crush, but I don't think that has anything to do with her interest in him.

Shane stops by our partially hidden table and continues,

"I'm a little lost. I'm here to interview some contestants."

Elena raises a questioning eyebrow in Shane's direction,

"You're professor Shane?"

Shane smiles at Elena,

"Yeah, that's me. Professor by day, pageant judge by...other day."

Evan, Elena and I all look at each other. Like hell do we know where he should be going, it's not like we paid attention when Caroline was explaining everything to us this morning.

Suddenly, as if summoned by my thoughts of her, Caroline appears around the corner. She looks a bit...stressy, is probably the kindest way to put it.

"Professor Shane, we need you in the parlour," Caroline calls out to Shane.

"Well, you heard the woman," I make encouraging gestures towards Caroline with my hands. I don't think I've ever looked camper, so that's one accomplishment out the way.

Shane ambles off with a small wave at us.

"Isn't that the guy who knows all the hunter stuff?" Evan says, frowning a little.

Elena nods, looking after Shane,

"Yeah, apparently he's been studying it for a long time."

Well that's not creepy at all.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"I'm freaking out here, Sin." Jeremy says as he messes with his hair in the mirror.

"Look, it's just the Hunter's mark fucking with your head." I tell him, although I don't quite keep the worry out of my own voice.

"I had a dream about murdering my sisters, and then woke up with a stake in my hand." He says dryly.

Right, yeah, not so good.

"It could be worse." I say.

Jeremy turns to me and stalks out of the bathroom,

"How could it be worse?" he shouts, throwing his arms up.

"Alright, no need to have a hissy fit." I look at him a little more closely. Jeremy appears to be falling apart at the seams, his expression wild and...predatory. It's not something I've seen on Jeremy before. I have to say, it kinda suits him.

"I'll give you 'hissy fit' in a minute, you asshole." Jeremy snipes at me. But despite his angry words, Jeremy comes over to where I'm sitting and climbs onto my lap. He settles his ass on my groin and I feel a shoot of electric lust hit my system.

"What are you doing Jer?" I ask, probably not sounding as shocked as I should be.

Jeremy lifts his chocolate brown eyes to meet mine. They burn with something hot and intense. It almost makes me swallow my own tongue.

"I'm getting comfortable, what are you doing?" Jeremy says casually, as if he isn't rubbing his perfect ass against my dick. The little shit. Although, now that I think about it, Jeremy's not so little any more. He's pumped up quite a bit ever since all this Hunter bullshit started and he's damn well as tall as me these days.

"This is a bad idea, baby." I just about mange to get out.

"Yeah, well, I'm so full of energy right now that I could run a marathon ten times over. I need to channel that energy somewhere. Better this than murdering all the vampires in town, you know, like my sisters and your brothers. Those vampires." Jeremy leans down a bit closer and trails his lips over my jaw.

I suck in a harsh breathe when Jeremy's knee nudges my side. Jeremy pulls back in response and looks down at me with concern bright in his eyes,

"What's wrong?"

I shake my head and move Jeremy's body over so he won't catch my side again.

"Nothing. I'm just human now, remember, you gotta be gentle with me."

Jeremy smirks at that and whispers against my lips,

"Oh really? Since when do you like anything gentle?"

I can't stop my mouth from quirking into a smile.

"Good point."

Before the last word is even properly out of my mouth, Jeremy kisses me. Hard and demanding, more so than I can ever remember him being before. Maybe he has a point with the whole Hunter energy stuff.

Jeremy all but shoves me down onto the bed and moves to cover my body with his. He feels hot enough to burn, and solid enough to really hold onto. I find all thoughts slipping from my mind. Well, all thoughts except having Jeremy kiss me and lick me and bite me and _oh fuck_...

I can't breathe, but that doesn't seem to matter right now. Jeremy has my arms pinned above my head, and his tongue stuck so far down my throat I think I might choke on it. I wouldn't normally feel so turned on by something like that, but Jeremy is taking me with such **passion** , that I just can't resist him. Not when he seems to want me more than anything else in the world in this moment.

Jeremy is holding me down hard enough to leave bruises around my wrists, and for a second a spark of panic envelops me. If Nick finds out...he'll...blow a fucking fuse, that's what he'll do. Fear spindles down my spine and ice grips my heart.

I gasp when Jeremy rips open my shirt whilst still taking my mouth in an almost punishing kiss. Actually, it's less of a kiss and more Jeremy just straight up devouring my mouth. He bites my lip, and he bites fucking _hard_. Hard enough to draw blood even. He sucks the bubble of blood away from my swollen bottom lip and moves down to start kissing my jaw, my neck and then my chest and-

"Sin, what the fuck?"

I'm startled out of my confused lust by Jeremy's growl of dismay and anger.

I don't understand what's wrong at first, but then a little bit of reality crashes back into me and I close my eyes tight. Shit. Fuck. Here we go.

"Sin, seriously, what happened?" Jeremy demands, sounding even more angry now.

I have to put a stop to this right now or it'll get out of control.

"Don't panic, Jer." I sit up as much as Jeremy will let me and I look down at what has him sounding so distressed.

On one side of my ribcage is a big, ugly bruise. It's a pretty fresh one too.

"Don't panic!" Jeremy says incredulously, "Are you freakin' kidding me?"

I rest back on my elbows and sigh loudly. I wait until Jeremy looks at me properly and then say,

"It's fine. I fell down a fucking marble staircase last night. Those things are a hazard, I'll tell you that right now. Apparently human me is a clumsy idiot this time around."

Jeremy narrows his eyes at me, his chest still heaving a little from before.

"You fell?"

"That's what I said." I peer at him, not sure what the problem is.

"Is it just bruises, or are your ribs actually broken?" Jeremy asks, his voice alight with suspicion and concern.

I shrug,

"Cracked, a little. But it's not as bad as it looks."

"Really?" Jeremy says, "Because it looks pretty fucking bad from where I'm sitting, Sin."

"You worry too much," I tell him, "I'm fine. I've had much worse than this."

Jeremy looks doubtful and I roll my eyes at him. I sit up a bit more and bring my face closer to his,

"Don't worry, seriously, I'm ok. I promise."

He lets me take his mouth in a sweet, long kiss. I can feel his rock hard erection digging into my hip a moment later. Ah, teen pheromones, gotta love 'em.

"Alright, but you have to be careful," Jeremy says when we finally pull apart. He cups my face gently and lets his nose brush mine. The moment feels so damn intimate that my eyes start to sting. I'm a fucking moron for doing this, but part of me misses Jeremy so damn much. I want to hold him close and never let go, to feel his warm body against mine and know that he's safe.

"I don't want anything terrible happening to you," Jeremy whispers, his grip becoming slightly firmer.

"I'll try not to throw myself off any cliffs then, or go around walking into knives." I tease.

Jeremy snorts out a half laugh,

"You better not. I have plans for you, Sinbad Salvatore. Big plans."

"Ohhh, sounds scary," I nuzzle my cheek against his, and Jeremy laughs, for real this time. It's a surprisingly light hearted sound.

Maybe not everything is fucked up.

**Evan's P.O.V**

"Evan!" I turn around when Elena calls to me from the top of the staircase.

"Yeah, still waiting in the wings," I say.

Elena gives me this oddly intense look. I take her in for a moment as she watches me. There's no doubt in my mind that Elena is beautiful, because she truly is. I can honestly say I understand the Salvatore's fascination with the doppelgängers. They do appear to have something special in them, something that can't quite be defined using the limitations of the human language.

All I really know is that I'm drawn to her. I'm drawn to this woman like a moth would be to a flame. Even though I know in the end that I'll get burned, I can't seem to stop myself from wanting to reach out and touch.

I'm not like the Salvatore's though. And I never will be. I don't know if I can ever be what Elena would want. Whatever that actually is at this point. She's been through so much, and through it all Elena has shown how strong she is. I admire her for that.

"We need to talk." Elena says finally.

A feeling much like dread starts to claw it's way into my chest. I don't like the sound of that. I also don't know if in the middle of Tyler Lockwood's mansion right before a pageant is the best time to discuss anything serious, but hell, I have no ides what a 'good time' would be anyway.

"Ever told me that you've been feeling uneasy about everything since we came back from Whitemore." I say carefully.

Elena makes a disgruntled face and comes down the stairs slowly until she's standing in front of me.

"Ever needs to learn to keep out of my business."

"Ah, because you keep out of her business all the time," I counter, trying to hide a smile behind my hand.

Elena just rolls her eyes at me,

"Shut up. It's completely different. Ever's in a three way relationship with an ex-psycho and my ex boyfriend."

"Who also happens to be an ex-psycho." I supply needlessly.

Elena hits my arm,

"Stefan was not a psycho."

I smirk a little,

"That's not what I heard." I say whimsically.

Elena ignores me, as she's prone to do when I say something she doesn't like.

"So come on," I change the subject, because avoiding the issue has never really been my thing, "tell me why you've been acting weird towards me lately."

Elena shifts uncomfortably. Our gazes lock suddenly and I can't possibly look away. Elena takes a deep breathe and says,

"I've just been...trying to sort through some stuff in my head."

"What kind of stuff?" I ask when Elena doesn't say anything else.

I find myself moving closer to her without meaning to. It's we're a couple of magnets who just keep getting pulled back together.

Elena doesn't seem to mind though. In fact it seems like she's shifting closer to me too. Although that could be my own desires getting in the way.

"You. Stuff about you."

I'm not sure how to respond to that. I need a bit more to go on than just 'stuff'. That could mean just about anything.

"And have you come to any conclusions?" I ask.

Elena nods, still holding my gaze.

"I think...I mean I know that I...like you."

"You like me?" My response comes out a bit less dignified than I'd want.

Elena must sense my unease because she smiles. It's that sweet, innocent one that I love.

"Yes, I like you. Actually, I like you a lot, if you really want to know."

"I feel like we're twelve right now," I confess, but there's a strange giddy feeling in my stomach that keep bubbling up and driving me insane. My wolf instincts tell me to grab Elena and kiss the crap out her, whereas my more human side just wants words to come out of my mouth that don't ruin the moment.

Elena laughs at that and nods,

"Yeah, I know. But not every romance in Mystic Falls has to be ridiculously dramatic."

I frown at her,

"Elena, we were dead. I'm a werewolf, you're a vampire. How is that not dramatic?"

"For this town, it's basically as sweet as you can get." Elena argues, still smiling.

Actually, now that I think about it, maybe she has a point.

"Oh, well...I really like you too, if that helps." I say.

Elena's smile turns into a grin,

"This might be the time you choose to kiss me."

I've gone all stupid and happy. I haven't felt like this since I was a teenager.

I slide a hand around the back of Elena's neck and bring her closer. When I have her pressed up against my chest, Elena's face only inches from mine, I lower my head to cover her mouth with mine. The kiss is heated and sweet and oddly hopeful. It's everything you imagine a first kiss to be like with the girl of your dreams, and more. Better. Perfect.

**Ever's P.O.V**

"Why is it every time we leave you alone for a while, we come back to hear you either threatening someone, or baiting an enemy?" Stefan says, giving Damon a look that borders on exasperated. But there's affection and love there too. Maybe even amusement.

Damon shrugs, still watching as Shane stalks away in what looks like an angry huff.

"Someone has to keep things running around here," he says.

I arch an eyebrow at him and then look up at Stefan,

"I like that he genuinely thinks he's being helpful when he does things like that."

Damon scowls at me. Stefan appears to be hiding a smirk even as he says,

"He's so cute when he's angry."

Both Stefan and I start snickering like mad, unable to help ourselves in face of Damon's pissed off huffing.

"I'll show you cute!" Damon practically snarls.

He wraps an arm around my waist and yanks me closer. My body lines up perfectly with his and Damon takes my mouth in a very possessive kiss. Spark of electric lust travel up and down my spine, I groan into his mouth. His tongue tangles with mine and the kiss becomes full on dirty. I'd feel self-conscious about it if my mind hadn't already turned to smoke and fire.

I do pull away however when Stefan growls,

" _Damon_."

There's genuine ire in his voice, and I can feel the heated anger through our bond. It feels like pin pricks are attacking my mind in an unrelenting dance of tension. I frown at the strange sensation, it's not something Stefan's ever allowed me to feel before.

I look over at Stefan and note the thunderous expression on his face. I really don't understand. But one look at Damon's face tells me that understand completely what's bothering Stefan. In fact I can tell that he meant for this to happen. He pushed Stefan on purpose and he used me to do it.

I roll my eyes at them. They're always doing this. Pushing each other to the very edge is what they're good at. Damon always wants to get under Stefan's skin, and Stefan can't stand it when Damon turns those kind of manipulative attentions on someone else.

I don't say anything, perfectly willing to let this play out to it's natural end.

Damon smirks at his brother, and Stefan glares back at him.

This goes on for a long time. Idiots.

Stefan breaks first, as is usually the case. Damon is better at mindfucks.

"You're doing this on purpose."

Damon shrugs a little and says mock innocently,

"Doing what?

"Asshole," Stefan mutters, looking purposefully away from Damon. Then something seems to snap inside him, I feel it even through our bond and he locks eyes with Damon as he says, "I'm not playing games with you anymore."

Even Damon looks a bit taken aback by that one,

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Stefan says in that fake-calm voice I hate, "that this is either real or not. I'm not going to fight with you over Ever. She's mine as much as she's yours," he looks down at me then, obviously waiting for my confirmation of that. I give him a single nod, because of course I belong to both of them, and they belong to me. I think I understand where Stefan is going with this now.

Damon's jaw tighten and he says,

"I know that. She's ours, we're hers. That's how it's been for months."

Stefan stares right at his brother as he says,

"Yes, but do we belong to each other? Are you...mine? Do I have a right to be jealous or possessive of you? Can I want you as much as I want Ever? Can we be together even when Ever isn't with us like we are with her?"

I stay silent, knowing that this is between them, even if it does include me in some ways. I'm willing to accept whatever they decide.

Damon looks shocked, but only for a moment. His expression turns almost guarded when he says,

"I don't know."

"Well that's not good enough for me," Stefan says stiffly, hurt and anger in his voice, "I this to either be all in or...or all out. It's the only way I'll be able to make sense of it in my head."

Damon scoffs at that,

"Why do you have to do that? Ruin everything by being logical. Why can't we just see what happens?"

Stefan's eyes turn almost molten with fury,

"Because we aren't just two guys messing around you fuckhead! I'm your brother! Either we're together because we lover each other that too much, or we keep our sex lives separate."

Even I wasn't expecting that one. But it's Damon who asks,

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Stefan says harshly, "that I don't want any more three ways between us unless I'm fully within my rights to touch you as much as I would Ever."

"That's ridiculous!" Damon snaps, clearly upset now and trying hard not to show it.

"No it isn't." Stefan says calmly, "If the answer is no then we'll need to sort out something between the three of us where Ever will be with me one night, and then you another-"

"Bullshit!" Damon practically explodes right in front of us, "So we aren't even sleeping together now?"

Stefan eyes his brother for a moment before saying,

"No. It leads to sex too easily."

"What about the nights that I'm just with Damon?" I ask, more to move things along than anything, "Are you asking for my permission to go off with other girls?"

Damon looks about ready to tear someone's head off, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Stefan shakes his head and fills out bond with warmth,

"No, I would never want any other woman but you, Everlyna. I promise."

I take that in for a second, and then ask carefully,

"How about men?"

Stefan pauses at that, just as I thought he might. I know full well that before Damon, Stefan had never even considered sleeping with a man. But now that door has officially been opened inside his mind. There's no going back.

"I could always ask Sinbad for pointers on that front." Stefan says dryly.

That appears to be the final straw for Damon, who hisses out a curse and then moves around me to grab hold of Stefan's shirt. He yanks his younger brother close to him so their chests brush and he growls,

"You let another man touch you and I swear to fucking God I will kill them. Do you understand Steffy, I will **_rip._** _**Them. Apart**_!" the possession and pure rage in his voice tells me just serious he really is.

Stefan looks into Damon's eyes for a moment, his own breathing coming out shallow and hot. But eventually he forces Damon to let go of his shirt and he takes a step back. Still watching Damon he says,

"You decide what you fucking want, then come find me, until then, stay the fuck away from me Damon."

Effectively stunning Damon into silence for once, Stefan leans down to kiss me sweetly. A message of understanding passes between us then. I get why he's doing this, and I support it even if I wish they both weren't so stubborn. But then, if they weren't exactly the way they are, then I might now love them as much as I do.

Stefan walks away without even a backward glance, leaving me with a temporarily stunned Damon.

Sinbad is actually the one to destroy the silence between us by coming to stand next to me and asking,

"Is everything alright over here? Don't tell me there's trouble in paradise."

Damon suddenly turns furious eyes on Sinbad and snarls at him,

"You don't fucking help Stefan with _anything_."

Then he stalks off with an air of violence surrounding him.

After a few tense seconds have passed, Sinbad turns to me and says,

"Have I missed something here?"

I tilt my head from side to side,

"Hmmm, kinda, yeah. Don't worry about it though. It's just relationship stuff, they'll work it out."

"Or kill us all in the process," Sinbad mutters, shaking his head.

I laugh a little at that,

"Yeah, it'll be one or the other. Always is."


	93. O Come, All Ye Faithfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-third chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

** Ever's P.O.V **

I blink awake, tiredness making my head feel heavy. I didn't sleep well last night.

With a heavy sigh I roll over to my side so I can look at a still sleeping Damon. His expression is anything but peaceful though. He seems agitated and restless. But then he's been that way every night since Stefan's ultimatum. It's tearing him inside, I can feel it through our connection. A thick black emptiness hangs between us like a storm cloud.

I've been spending my nights alternatively with both Damon and Stefan. Every time I go to Stefan, Damon tries to get me to stay. He does everything possible to make me feel happy and content. But it's all tainted because I know he's just trying to manipulate me into spending the night with him instead of Stefan. Damon may think that he's doing it because he's afraid of losing me, but that's not true at all. I know him too well.

I also know what he's really doing. Damon thinks that if I stop going to Stefan, then Stefan will have no choice but to come back on his own. So that Damon won't have to make a real decision about what he really wants. I wish Damon would just go to Stefan and tell him the truth, even if it's just to tell him that he doesn't want to be with Stefan romantically.

I would try to talk to him about it, but as far as I'm concerned, it's not my place to make that choice for either of them. If we were together properly then I'd be able to way in, because we would be in a relationship that allowed such things. But we aren't, and I don't want to sway either of them into making a decision they'll regret at some point in the future.

Damon suddenly whispers to me in a croggy voice,

"Are you watching me sleep you creepy child?"

I roll my eyes and reach over to lightly slap his cheek.

"Shut it, Day, I'm not in the mood for your nonsense."

Damon's ice blue eyes open at that and he smiles crookedly at me. A second later he's yanked me into his arms and flipped me so I'm laying directly beneath him. I relax into the soft mattress and allow Damon to press his body flush against mine. I can feel the hard length of him pressing insistently against me. He takes my arms and pins my arms above my head by holding onto my wrists.

I groan low in my throat when Damon starts to kiss and lick and nip at my jaw, and then my neck. He moves slowly down my body, taking his time to touch his lips in some way to every part of my exposed skin. When he gets to my navel, I move my hands out of his grip and slide them into his silky dark hair. Damon immediately stops caressing my body, causing me to cry out in protest.

Damon looks up at me, a wicked look of lust in his eyes, making them practically glow in the morning light. He growls roughly,

"Ah, ah, no touching. It's my turn. I want to touch your body without interruption. So keep your hands up over your head or I'll tie them down."

I groan again and shift under him, pressing my body up to rub against his more boldly. I meet those dangerously beautiful eyes and say,

"Sorry, but touching will happen if you keep doing what you're doing."

Damon gives me another wicked grin and moves quickly grab something from the drawer. It's my favourite tie. Well not mine, obviously, but it's my favourite tie of Stefan's. I don't know why Damon still has it though.

I frown slightly at Damon even as he uses the tie to bind my wrists together above my head. I feel sudden pang of pain. Stefan should be here. It doesn't feel right without him. Well it does, because I'm with Damon. But it doesn't feel as right as it should.

"I miss him." I whisper, barely loud enough for Damon to hear.

But he does hear, and I feel him tense. Damon goes rigid all over and ties my hands together with a final harsh pull that makes me gasp. The tie bites into my skin, but not in an unpleasurable way.

Damon nuzzles his face against my cheek and whispers back,

"I don't."

 ** _Lie_**. I feel the lie so profoundly that it makes me want to scream. I hope the words taste like ash in his mouth.

"Then why are you using his tie?" I ask quietly, carefully.

Damon grips my waist tight enough to leave bruises if I were human. His breathes come out in harsh pants. The room is silent, hell the whole house is silent. I wait patiently for his response.

It took me a moment to figure it out, but now I understand. Damon is using Stefan's tie as a way to make Stefan part of this, us, even if it's just in a very small way. That's how much Damon misses Stefan. He wants him so much that he's willing to take whatever part of him he can get.

If he wants Stefan so damn much sexually, and misses his presence in our bed, our lives, and clearly loves him. Then what's the problem with admitting to wanting Stefan romantically. The taboo of it can't be the problem because that goes out the window with the sexual aspect anyway.

No, it has to be something else.

Fear.

Damon is afraid. Not of wanting Stefan, no, he knows he loves him. He's just afraid to admit it out loud. But why?

I look up at Damon, meeting his eyes, trying desperately to see past every wall he's put up regarding his feelings for Stefan. There are so many that it's hard to get a clear read. But I know Damon. After all this time I _know_ this man.

"What are you so afraid of?" I whisper to him gently.

Damon blinks in surprise for a single moment, and then his jaw clenches in both agony and anger. I'm used to seeing that look on his face by now, so it doesn't scare me in the least. It's the exact reaction I expected from him. Damon's answer to my question, on the other hand, is something I never would have expected at all.

Damon dips his head slightly, allowing some ebony hair to fall into his eyes, and says,

"What if he doesn't love me back?"

My first reaction to say that's ludicrous, of course Stefan loves Damon. He always has. But then I stop to think and consider it for a moment.

It's true that Stefan loves Damon, adores him even, as a brother. But does Stefan love Damon in the romantic sense? I realise then that Stefan has never said so either way. I just always assumed he did. But that doesn't mean Damon has, or should have to.

"You could just ask him, Day," I whisper encouragingly.

Damon shakes his head sharply, and lifts his eyes up to meet mine again. I see the abject fear and pain in them and it cuts at my soul.

"No. Stefan might just say yes to make things easier. If he thinks it's what we both want, then he'll go along with it. I don't want that."

"Then what _do_ you want?" I ask him.

Damon says tightly,

"I want to know that what Stefan feels for me is real."

"But you said that didn't matter." I say in confusion.

Damon replies darkly,

"I didn't think it did as long as we were together. But now we're not and Stefan is asking for something permanent."

I almost want to slap them both. The idiots basically want the exact same thing from one another. A fucking declaration of love.

Salvatore's are such massive girls sometimes.

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

"What exactly if professor shady pants doing here?" Damon asks with a look of distaste.

Ever since Jeremy went psycho and tried to kill Elena at the Mystic Falls pageant blah blah blah, he's been staying at his family's cabin. Along with Trick and Bonnie. Nick has sent me along to oversee Jeremy's hunter 'training'. Ever asked Stefan and Damon to assist me, since she's busy going to a Doctor's appointment with Jenna along with Lyna, Elena and Alaric. Elena sent Evan to do the same. And since all three men are completely whipped by Gilberts, they agreed.

I'm not so much of an idiot that I can't see what's going on with my brothers. There's clearly a thick air of tension between them. It kind of reminds me of when they were both silently competeing for Katherine back when we were human. But this tension feels heavier, more important and fragile. At first I thought they'd fucked up with Ever somehow, but now I'm thinking they've fucked up with each other.

That is such a weird thought. My brothers are having relationship issues. It's a good thing I'm a open minded individual who's lived a very colourful life, or I would be so freaked out right now.

I look at Damon and say,

"Shady professor is apparently a hunter expert, which unfortunately is exactly what we need right now."

Damon gives me a sideways glance and says,

"I say we kill him now and you force your Hybrid boyfriend to leave this cure thing alone."

Stefan sighs heavily, and without looking at Damon he says,

"I think we've gone past that point. Klaus won't stop going after the cure, and everyone else wants the cure for Elena."

Damon scoffs,

"Elena is fine. She's got her new wolfy boyfriend."

"I'm doing this for Ever. She wants to help her sister. You should want to help her too." Stefan says, a slight edge of scorn to his words that I just know will set Damon off.

"Don't question my loyalty to Ever just because of-" Damon cuts himself off mid-snarl. He dips his head and starts marching away towards the cabin without another word.

I frown after him in confusion and turn to Stefan,

"What the fuck was that about? You two aren't still mid-tiff are you?"

Stefan is staring after Damon, an unreadable expression on his face. He clears his throat and says,

"Damon's being his usual stubborn asshole self."

I throw my arms up in exasperation,

"Then what's the problem if it's just more of the same bullshit."

Stefan throws me a rather fierly glare and snaps,

"Maybe I'm tired of the same bullshit. Maybe after everything we've been through together I have the right to expect more from Damon."

And with that hissy fit moment out of the way, Stefan goes off towards the cabin as well.

I groan and slap my forehead, oh for the love of rimming, here we go again.

...

"Whenever Jeremy see's a vampire all he feels is the burning desire to kill." Professor creepy curls says.

For the first time I'm truly grateful not to be a vampire anymore.

Everyone thinks I was away with Nick when he went to get the Hunter's sword thingy, but the truth is I was given my first mark by Death. As in the Guardian boss man of the dead gave me a direct order to take someone's soul. And I did. Because that was our deal. Leaving town with Nick was just a convenient excuse. It's better if no one asks any questions.

I'm not sure exactly how the Guardians council feel about keeping everything secret, or if they even care. Guardians, even asshole rebelling ones like me, don't tend to go around blabbing about what we are or what we've seen.

Humanity has a strange way of ignoring things they don't want to be true by telling themselves anyone who does think it's true are insane.

It's a very effective system for sure, but it's also a really stupid way to view the chaos that is life. Nothing ever pans out the way it's supposed to, or the way anyone wants it to. The universe couldn't give two fucks.

The most important thing I ever learnt in life was that the universe owes us nothing. And that we owe it fuck all in return.

It's not enough just to be alive.

I took the soul of a man. He was young and attractive. He had a wife he loathed. A girlfriend he loved. A twin brother who he hated for being better than him at being alive. A job he couldn't care less about. He wasn't a very good man. But he wasn't especially cruel either. I read all that from his soul when I snatched it from his body and left him an empty shell.

I don't know why Death wanted him. I don't really care. I know better than to ask. I learnt that early on. Never ask the Guardian council questions because all you'll get in return are riddles.

I hate riddles.

I hate Death. Death once told me that hating Death is like hating all the truth in my world. I told him to piss off.

"How can I control a centuries old magical urge?" Jeremy asks Professor creepy curls, although his dark eyes keep straying to me. I try to pretend like I'm listening even though all I can really think about is my fight with Nick this morning. Even though he was the one who sent me to Jeremy, he still couldn't stop himself from getting all alpha about it. Kol made it worse by picking a fight for no good reason, which is what he's best at.

Elijah is still avoiding me. I'm pretending that it doesn't hurt. I'm pretending a lot of things these days.

"We just need to condition your mind," Professor creepy curls says.

Stefan and Damon are standing on opposite sides of the room acting like they're ignoring each other even though it's fucking obvious that they aren't. It's almost irritating enough for me to call them on it, but this is all meant to be about Jeremy. I don't want any Salvatore bullshit getting in the way. Although it always does eventually.

"How do I condition my mind?" Jeremy asks, sounding frustrated now.

I see Trick and Bonnie leaning against the counter, whispering about something to each other. I see Trick giving Jeremy furtive glances and for the first time I begin to wonder. Trick quite obviously has some kind of feelings towards Jeremy, but I don't know if those feelings are reciprocated. Not that it would be any of my business either way. I gave my right to ask those kinds of questions when I chose Nick.

My ribs twinge in pain again. Internally I sigh. Nothing is ever simple in my life. I don't know if I can even be a normal person anymore.

"You have to redirect your intense feelings towards someone else. But instead of hatred, you need to use love to ground you." Professor creepy curls explains, 'Use that person's love to keep you centred, to calm you down."

Jeremy looks at me. They all look at me.

I raise my hand and say sarcastically,

"Oh alright. I volunteer as tribute."

Jeremy smiles slightly. It's a hopeful smile.

I wish I could tell him not to be hopeful about anything when it comes to me. I destroy everything I care about. Just ask anyone who's ever loved me.

** Lyna's P.O.V **

"You are so massive now!" Ever says excitedly as she pets Jenna's stomach lovingly.

Jenna gives her niece a mock glare and says,

"Gee, thanks Ever."

We all laugh at that.

I went along to the sonogram thing because Ever insisted. She said that it's a family thing, and despite what I might think, I am family. I felt good to hear Ever say that, even though I'm still not so sure it's true.

Mystic Falls is having a charity winter wonderland festival, and I'm enjoying the ambiance quite a lot.

Jenna is pretty far along in her pregnancy now, and she's definitely showing. Jenna isn't too happy about none of her clothes fitting, although Alaric keeps telling her how beautiful she looks. We found out today that they're going to be having a baby boy, and ever since we got to the Mystic Grill, everyone has been throwing out potential names.

Ever keeps coming up with names like Tiberus, Blaire and Kasper. Whereas Elena favours names like Lucas, Cameron and Dylan. Alaric went ahead and suggested Alaric Jr, but Jenna shot that one down sharpish. Ric eventually conceded that as long as he could pronounce his son's name, then he'd be fine with whatever they eventually chose.

"How about Snowfake?" Ever suggests with a wicked grin.

"It's a _boy_ , Ever," Elena says with a roll of her eyes.

Ever shrugs,

"So, Snowflake could be a boy's name."

"Snowflake isn't even a name!" Elena says in exasperation.

Jenna laughs and says,

"I dread to think what you'll name your own kids, Ever." She appears to realise what she's just said right after she says it. Jenna winces and reaches across the table to place her and on Ever's arm, "I'm so sorry, Ever, I didn't think...I..."

Ever waves her aunt's concern away,

"It's alright, I was never much into the idea of having kids anyway. I have my hands full enough with Damon and Stefan."

We draws another round of laughter.

Matt suddenly appears at my side with a tray full of drinks. I keep thinking maybe I should get a job here, although I think I'd just being doing it to get closer to Matt. I can't decide how weird that is, or if it's even weird at all.

Matt smiles at me, that all American boy smile that never changes. It's like pure sunlight after a rainy day.

That's how I see him. My sun. And I am unable to stop my happiness from revolving around him.

** Ever's P.O.V **

"How is Jeremy?" I ask Damon.

Damon pulls a face and says,

" _Your_ little brother is using his obsession with _my_ baby brother to stop himself from wanting to kill both his older sisters."

I take moment to let that sink in and then say,

"I'm worried about Sinbad."

And I really am. He's been distant lately. Not in a way someone would notice unless they know him like I do. He still answers my texts and my calls, and he talks to me when we're together like he and I have always been family. But...he doesn't confide in me anymore. Not really. I can tell there are things Sin wants to tell me but for whatever reason he's holding himself back from saying it.

The last time he started acting this way I almost lost him completely. I can't stand the thought of losing Sin, he's my best friend, and in many ways I think of him as my brother, my male counterpart even.

Damon runs a hand over his face and looks at Stefan. I do the same and my eyes lock with Stefan's. I feel a fierce wave of love hit my system, and it spreads through my bond. Reluctantly Stefan comes into Damon's room instead of leaning in the doorway. He stands next to the bedpost and lets his head fall against it. Both Salvatore brothers are studiously not looking at each other. It makes my heart hurt.

"We're worried about Sinbad too," Stefan says, real frustration shining in his eyes, "I think he's gotten in too deep with Klaus. We should have done more to stop him. We should have protected him better."

"We couldn't force him," Damon argues, sounding angry and fed up of it all at the same time, "He made his choice."

"Yes, and I think he'll be paying for it for the rest of his life," Stefan says, his expression dark and morose in a way that tugs at my soul. I miss his easy smiles and kind presence. He's been closed off to me too since his ultimatum to Damon.

I decide right then that enough is enough. I wanted to let them sort this out by themselves so that my opinion wouldn't sway them into making a decision they might regret later.

"I need you two to talk," I say carefully, making sure to get both their attention.

Damon and Stefan both frown at me apprehensively, neither of them willing to make the first move. God, I wish I could just beat them into not being stupid and stubborn.

"Just be honest, for once in your lives, be honest with each other about _something_. Something _real_." I say, trying not to let my own frustration bleed into my words.

There's another stretch of silence where neither of them speaks, and they both appear to be looking at everything in the room but each other. It's completely ridiculous.

I'm about to speak again, or possibly just shout at the two men I love, when suddenly Damon looks up at Stefan. There's an almost ferocious spark of need in his eyes, and it makes his pale blue eyes look like they're glowing in the low light of the room. Damon stands up and uses his vampire speed to rush at Stefan. He shoves Stefan up against the bedpost so his back is pressed firmly into the thick wood.

Stefan looks surprised as he stares at Damon, but only for a moment, because Damon lets out an almost strangled growl and kisses Stefan. It's a harsh kiss, a possessive kiss that consumes them both within seconds. Stefan lets out a loud moan and all but melts into Damon's embrace. I watch, fascninated as Damon takes Stefan brutally, holding nothing back at all.

There's nothing gentle in the way they touch each other. It's full on alpha male grinding and fucking each others mouth with their tongues.

They're both panting loudly when Damon pulls back just a fraction of an inch, his lips still brushing Stefan's as he whispers hotly,

"Tell me what you want, baby, you have to tell me."

Stefan gasps when Damon rolls his hips upwards sharply, rubbing their jean clad erections together perfectly.

"I...just need you." Stefan manages to get out, his eyes shining with desire. With pure fucking lust. Actually, no, it's so much more than that. It's more than just wanting sex. It's the very real need to have **_Damon_** touch him, to feel him, to _love_ him. And it's the most honest thing I've ever seen.

Damon makes a noise that I've never heard from him before. The noise is part growl, part strangled moan. It's a desperate sound. It's also sexy as fuck, and I really have to learn how to make him do that. Maybe Stefan and I can wring it out of him more often together.

Damon bites down on Stefan's bottom lip and then suck on it for a while. He allows his lips to trail down over Stefan's jaw, leaving bites and kisses in his wake, until he reaches Stefan's neck. Against Stefan's hot skin Damon whispers honestly,

"I need you too. I want you." He runs his hand down Stefan's body, cupping his ass and squeezing it hard, "I want inside you. Want to fuck you all night, maybe even all day tomorrow, too. I want your ass hugging my dick, and to know that I'm the only one who's ever going to be there, the same way you would own mine when you fuck finally fuck me. I want to wake up at night and I know I can roll over, push my cock inside you and have you any time I want. To know that you can do the same thing to me. Just like we bot can with our Ever. Fuck, I want you so Godamn much, it's like a part of me. Something I can't live without, like my heart or blood or Ever."

I almost fall off the bed with how hot his words make me feel. I can't even imagine what Stefan must be feeling, but he looks like his legs might buckle at any moment.

Stefan grabs hold of Damon, holding onto him like his life depends on it, and he starts whispering desperate words that all seem to run together,

" _Want you. Need you. Love you, Damon._ "

Then Damon does something I've never seen him do before. Not even with me. Damon goes full on vampire, his fangs come out, and he sinks them into Stefan's neck. Stefan stiffens for a brief moment before letting out a loud curse that turns into a obscenely loud whimper. I've never heard Stefan whimper quite like that before. Like he's being taken by a rabid jaguar of a man. Then again, that describes Damon perfectly when it comes to sex. He's always no holes barred, and he very rarely does anything gently.

I watch as Damon steals blood from Stefan's throat, pressing their bodies together like he wants to fuse them into one being. Stefan looks like he can't get close enough, his head drops back, exposing more of his throat.

That's when I make my move.

I crawl across the bed and left myself up onto my knees next to the Salvatore brothers. Stefan's head turns to look at me when I touch his face. His eyes are glazed and beautifully blissed out. I lean in and take a kiss of my own. I can feel how sore and chapped his lips are from behind practically devoured by Damon.

We kiss languidly, possessing each other mouths, making it a dirty kiss that I never want to end.

It feels like Damon and I are preying on Stefan, and he doesn't seem to mind at all.

When Damon pulls back from Stefan's throat, retracting his fangs, Stefan all but slumps forward. Luckily Damon holds onto him so he doesn't fall.

Together we move Stefan onto the bed so he can lay down, his body almost limp against us. I curl up against Stefan's side, my head on his shoulder and my hand covering his heart.

Damon climbs into bed on the other side and spreads his compact body out next to Stefan. He shifts onto his side and promps himself up on one arm. He uses his other hand to trail down over Stefan's body. I smile to myself as Damon's fingers explore for a long time.

It feel like hours later when Stefan's eyes flicker open properly and he says quietly,

"What does this mean?"

I look over at Damon, willing him to say what we all want to hear. I want so badly for him to want this. I need him to be brave enough to say the words. So does Stefan.

Damon pauses only a moment, before gripping onto Stefan's jaw with one hand and forcing him to meet his eyes. Damon stares down at Stefan, searching his eyes and face for something that I can't quite name.

Damon holds Stefan firmly, his pale eyes hard and demanding as he says,

"I marked you."

Stefan frowns ever so slightly and asks,

"I don't understand."

Damon smirks slightly, and it's a wicked smirk too,

"It's very simple actually brother. I bit you. That makes you mine." Damon trails his fingers down to Stefan's neck. There is indeed a mark there. Damon wraps his hand around Stefan's throat and Stefan gaps. Damon smirks again and leans in close to growl, "I want you, Steffy. I want you in every way there is possible to want someone. I marked you in a place that everyone can see. If anyone tries to touch you, anyone who isn't me or Ever," his harden to stone and flash with fury, "then I will break them. I'm a selfish man, you know that, you always have. I do not like people to try and take what is mine."

Stefan swallow hard, and I rub his chest soothingly. This must be a lot for him to take in all at once.

"Do you understand Stefan?" Damon says, brushing his fingers over the marks on Stefan's neck, causing him to shiver, " ** _Mine_**."

Stefan nods jerkily,

"Yes. Yours."

Damon looks satisfied with that, and his eyes flicker up to meet mine. He raises a dark eyebrow. I smirk back at him and say,

"I was always yours. And you were always mine."

I reach over and kiss Damon hard on the mouth. Stefan says from between us,

"I definitely missed watching that."

Damon and I break apart, laughing.

We both settle back down, pressing against Stefan. The three of us entangle our legs together and just lay there without speaking. Because some moments don't need words. We're finally together as we should be, and I feel like we could take on the world.


	94. Catch me if you can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-fourth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Trick exclaims in a clearly horrified voice. His eyes drag over the dead bodies surrounding us.

Nick took it upon himself to kill a barfull of people and turn them into vampires. I don't even want to think about how fucked up that is right now. My own humanity is on shaky grounds anyway, so I'd rather not develop a conscience just yet.

"There's no way I'm doing this," Jeremy says, his voice full of scorn and indignant anger.

All I can think is that isn't going to fly with Nick. My Nick. The fucking lunatic.

"What makes you think you have a choice?" Nick asks. He smiles that snarky 'I'm so mean and I don't even give a flying frak' smile that used to bring me to my knees when I was younger.

"Nick, you said you wouldn't do-" I'm cut off when Nick slides me a look of doom. Nick's expression dares me to defy him. I know if I do then he'll take me home with him. Away from Jeremy. We'll argue about my lack of loyalty and my disobedience. I know how those kind of arguments end. I've always known.

I close my eyes and sigh heavily, then turn to Jeremy and say with great reluctance,

"You have to kill vampires to complete the hunters mark, Jer. If you kill enough then we get the cure for Elena and whoever else wants it. There plenty of vampires in here to get started with. I know you don't like it but-"

I almost wince at the look of pure rage flickering inside Jeremy's deep brown eyes. He practically snarls at me,

"Fuck you Sin. I didn't want to kill any innocent people, you knew that. He's fucking insane for doing this," Jeremy jabs a finger at Nick, who eyes it like he might break the damn thing off Jeremy's hand at any moment.

I move instinctively towards Jeremy, wanting to comfort and touch him like I once would have done.

"I'm sorry Jer, baby, I wish it didn't have to be like this."

Jeremy's glare softens somewhat, but he still shifts away. I blink hard when I realise that Trick and Nick are both watching us, Trick with curiosity and Nick with barely veiled violence. I keep forgetting that I have no right to touch Jeremy anymore. He's not mine, and it's unfair of me to keep treating him like he is. I don't want to hurt him. And I don't want to insight Nick's wraith either.

No sane man would.

Alright, so I'm not all that sane. But still. I ain't stupid enough to purposely antagonise Nick right now. I have done, in the past. In fact that used to be my favourite game after I fell in love with Nick the first time. Whenever Nick would ignore me or forbid me from doing something, I would go out and try as hard as I could to piss him off.

I remember seducing pretty girls and handsome young men right in front of him. I remember refusing to have sex with him. I remember tricking his brother, Kol, into loving me and betraying Nick in the process. I knew the betrayl would hurt Nick worse than anything. I remember using Nick's own friends and servants against him just to get his attention or punish him for something.

I was such a selfish shithead back then.

Not that I'm much better now, but at least I know better. Sometimes.

"Enough of this shit!" Nick proclaims in annoyance, he fixes Jeremy with a hard stare, "Kill some vampires, now there's a good hunter boy."

The flare of rage is back, and Jeremy's eyes practically spit flames when he looks at Nick. Jeremy's mouth becomes a thin line and he says,

"I don't have to do what you tell me to, dick. Hunters can't be compelled."

I really do think for a moment that Nick might actually kill him and my whole body goes on high alert. It actually hurts to be this tense.

Nick pretty much squares off to Jeremy. I exchange glances with Trick, who appears just as nervous, if not more so. I warn him with my eyes not to do any witchy voodoo. It will only make things worse in the long run.

"You're right, I can't compel you," Nick says, his voice taking on that smooth mocking quality, "But if your conscience is getting in the way, then allow me to make this easy for you." Nick smiles dangerously and walks backwards, spreading his arms wide, "I can compel _them_."

Ah, shit.

"Nick, please don't-" I start, but Nick cuts me off with a razor sharp glance.

Nick turns back to Jeremy, who's nostrils are flaring like a pissed off alpha panda.

"I'll give you a two minute head start, then I'm sending every vampire in this room after you."

Damn it!

"You kill them, or they kill your friend...Trick."

Double damn it!

Trick's dark eyes widen and he stumbles backwards a bit, looking around the room wildly,

"Woah, hold on a fucking minute-"

I take a step forward, reaching out to touch Nick's arm. His eyes slide to meet mine. Those whiskey brown eyes burn into me like the fires of hell. I see fury and impatience sparking mad within them. I know that at least part of this is my fault. I just can't seem to stop fucking up. I really can't afford any more injuries, otherwise Ever is bound to notice and she won't just let it go like Jeremy did.

She knows me too well, and she's not blinded by her love for me.

"Nick, come on. This is a terrible idea. We never talked about doing anything this drastic." I say, trying to plead with Nick silently not to do this. Not to push things too far. I know that's stupid because we are way past too far already.

Nick's eyes just burn even hotter, more scolding and furious. He reaches out a hand and slides it around the back of my neck possessively. His grip is bruisingly strong, and I try not to flinch too hard. The last thing I want is for Jeremy to notice and cause hell.

"I'm taking artistic license love," Nick says pleasantly.

I hear a growl from Jeremy, but I don't turn around to look at him. I know that would be a really fucking bad idea right now.

Nick smirks, and that cold look on his face sends a chill down my spine.

I say, my voice now resigned,

"Go and get the weapons from the car, Jer. You too Trick."

"Oh great," Trick mutters, "I've been upgraded from Mystic Falls newbie to vampire bait."

"Now, no magic nonsense," Nick says to Trick, "it's just make things worse for your little hunter boyfriend."

Trick sneers at Nick, but keeps his mouth shut, thankfully.

Jeremy glares daggers at Nick, but then his eyes flicker over to me, and I feel Nick's grip on my neck get tighter. Even Jeremy can't miss how I wince in pain at the roughly dominant hold.

He starts forward, lightening intensity in his eyes. I shake my head sharply at him.

Jeremy's jaw twitches in open hostility and he growls at Nick,

"If I find out you're hurting him you _bastard_...I'll nail you to the wall and tear you apart with my own to hands."

Before Nick can come back with a snappy response, Jeremy marches out of the room, Trick following close behind.

I tense up, waiting for the inevitable. Nick drags me closer and presses his lips to my temple. I exhale a long breathe that feels wretched from my body.

"I love you, Angel," Nick whispers against my ear.

"I know." I whisper back.

"I would never hurt you for no reason. You know that, don't you?" Nick says this more purposefully, his voice going deeper.

I let out another shaky breathe and nod tightly,

"I know."

I remember the two of us having the same conversation over eighty years ago.

It was bullshit then too.

** Ever's P.O.V **

"What the hell Sinbad, all we asked was for you to train Jeremy to fight and, what, now your boyfriend is sending vampires out to attack him?" Elena snaps at Sin.

"Alright, calm down, evil twin. Sinbad can't control the mighty psycho Klausy wousy." I say, looking at Sin sympathetically.

Elena aims a dirty look my way,

"Oh, of course, lets all forgive Sinbad, he can't possibly have done anything. Even after he hurt our brother, lied to us over and over again and-"

"Brought you and Evan back from the dead," I narrow my eyes at her, "You seem to keep forgetting that part."

Elena's eyes become pissy and hedgehog-like. But that's not my problem. Ever since we arrived and found Trick and Jeremy running away from a horde of vampire groupies, she's been all bitchy, especially towards Sinbad. None of this is technically his fault. It's Klausy wousy who needs a good kick in the dick.

That son of a bitch deserves all kinds of hell rained down on him. I am not pleased about his existence. At all. I don't think even Sin is at the moment.

"Well, he's not exactly the best student in the world, to be fair." Damon says, in a tone that tells me he thinks he's being helpful. I'd hate to burst his bubble, so I gesture for Stefan to do it for me.

Stefan nods in understanding at me and leans in to whisper something in Damon's ear. Damon leans into the contact instinctively and rolls his eyes in response to whatever Stefan is saying to him.

"This isn't my fault," Jeremy snaps suddenly, and he clenches his fists, "That fucking hybrid asshole is the one causing all the problems. He's the one who killed all those innocent people and then compelled them to murder Trick."

Trick is laying down on the sofa with a pillow covering his face. I hear a muffled,

"It's always the black guy who gets killed off first in these kinds of movies. And I'm gay. That's double discrimination right there. I could write a complaint letter."

"To who?" I ask, amused despite myself, "The Mystic falls journal? Or how about the original family crisis complaint centre. With all the shit they get up to I'm sure they need one."

That gets a round of snorted laughter from everyone but the mighty evil twin, Elena. She's in a very self righteous mood today. I think maybe her and Evan had a fight or something, and now she's taking it out on the rest of us. I would ask her, but I'm pretty sure she'd just tell me to fuck off out of it.

"Come one guys, we have to do something. There's a load of compelled vampires out there, and as soon as the sun goes down they'll be coming after Trick again." Elena says in her mighty mouse voice.

Damon scoffs and moves out of Stefan's touch. I see the impending doom descend on Stefan's face just as it descends on me.

"What's the problem? Jeremy, Sinbad and I will stay here and fight the compelled horde. Ever and Elena can smuggle our pet witchy whoo off home."

"What? Are you crazy? You want Jeremy to actually stay here and fight?" Elena all but gapes at one of my boyfriends, her expression incredulous.

Damon shrugs uncaringly,

"Well, he still needs to complete the mark. This way he'll get to kill vampires in a moderately safe environment with me and Sin watching his back."

Elena doesn't look happy about it and she starts to grumble. I flick her nose and say,

"Stop whinging, it'll be fine. Damon and Sin will protect Jer, right?" I give them both stern looks.

"With our lives," Sin says seriously with a slight tilt of his head. His expression is grave.

I just keep getting more and more worried about him.

"You shouldn't stay," Jeremy says to Sin, "You're human now. I don't want you to get hurt." His hands shake, like he wants so badly to reach out and touch Sin that it hurts.

Sin just smirks at Jeremy and winks,

"Jer, I'm not just a human. I'm a Guardian of the dead. Trust me, I'm more than capable of looking after myself."

And I believe him. Sinbad may be a pain in the ass manwhore with terrible taste in original vampires (I mean, hello, Elijah has clearly got the best hair), but he's also one badass motherfucker. I'd trust him to have my back any day.

"Right, that's sorted then." I say, clapping my hands together before another argument can rise up between our group of hostile vampires, hunters and Salvatore's. And yes, Salvatore's get there own category. They're just that annoying.

"Hold on a sec," Stefan says suddenly, raising his hand, "I'm staying too."

Damon turns around and shakes his head sharply,

"No. You're not."

Stefan's eyes widen in shock and indignant anger.

"And why the hell is that then?"

Damon doesn't back down even an inch as he growls,

"I can't concentrate if I have to worry about you as well as Jeremy."

What he really means is, if it comes down to it, he'll protect Stefan first. Always.

It's a shift in their dynamic that they've never had to deal with before. They've loved each other as brothers, but now they love each other as more than that and it's bound to change how they view certain things. I figured Damon would become more protective, maybe even more possessive, of Stefan. It makes sense considering how he treats me.

I don't mind because I'm used to it, but Stefan isn't. I can see why it would bother him, but at the same time I also think Damon has a point. He will be distracted with worrying about Stefan, and I don't want to risk that.

"I'm not some princess that you need to keep safe, Damon." Stefan snarls angrily, his eyes flashing.

Damon's expression morphs into something hard and cold as he says,

"This isn't up for discussion. You're going back with Ever, Elena and the witch. Even if I have to snap your neck and lock you in the boot of their car."

Stefan's eyes flash again and he takes another hostile step towards Damon,

"You wouldn't _dare_ -"

Stefan doesn't even get to finish his sentence before Damon reaches out and does exactly what he said he'd do. He snaps Stefan's neck. Stefan slumps into Damon's arms, lifeless. Dead.

Oh, this is going to cause one hell of a fight later.

** Si **nbad's** P.O.V **

"What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" I growl, holding the dagger tightly in my hand as I press it lightly against Kol's back.

Kol decided, for whatever fucking reason, to go full on aniti-cure all of a sudden and compelled Damon to murder Jeremy. I had to knock Damon out and lock him in the boarding house cellars.

"Well, if it isn't Nicklaus' little bitch with his special dagger. Your master taught you well, huh?" Kol sneers, and I know the exact facial expression he's making right now. I've seen it a million times before. His handsome face is probably twisted with hatred. For me. For his brother. For this whole situation.

I can't even blame him for it.

But I can blame him for trying to kill my Jer, and using my own brother as the weapon to do it.

"You did this to hurt me." I say acidly.

Kol barks out a nasty laugh and says,

"You may find this hard to believe Sinbad, but not everything in this world revolves around you. Despite what my brothers might think."

I let my forehead fall against the back of his and I inhale the scent of my former best friend. I loved this man once. He was like a brother to me. In fact I cared for him more than I cared for my own brothers at one point.

I'm the reason he hates me. I'm the one who ruined our friendship, and I've never forgotten that. It was me who tricked Kol into loving me all those years ago. It was me who flaunted it in front of Nick just to piss him off. It was me who didn't fight hard enough to stop Nick from daggering his own brother when Kol dared try to run away with me.

I was such a terrible person back then. And I can't even say I'm a better one now. I may not play head games anymore, but I've still managed to hurt so many people. It's a wonder that any of the people I love can even stand to look at me, let alone still love me in return. I've done nothing to deserve Ever's loyalty, Elijah's adoration, or Jeremy's devotion.

Part of me wishes I could force them to hate me just so I'd stop feeling guilty for craving their approval. Maybe then I wouldn't need Nick so much. For validation. For unconditional love, even if it is a fucked up kind of love.

"I know the world doesn't..." I start, breaking off when the buzzing guilt and pain gets too much inside my head, "But I know at least part of you did it this way to hurt me. And I deserve it, I know I do."

"Too right you fucking deserve it." Kol snaps, but his breathe hitches painfully. I turn him around so I can look him in the eyes.

I gasp at the look of raw agony in Kols big eyes, his handsome face set in pure despair. I want to take it all away. I want to make it better for Kol, to make him hurt less. But all I can say is,

"Tell me. Say what you need to say."

Kol grits his teeth and my body tenses as he cups my face in his hands. His grip is firm, but not punishing like Nick's. Not commanding like Jeremy's either. It hurts just to see all the pain in Kol's eyes. To know that I caused it. All of it.

Kol talks then, his voice hard, and yet full of so much emotion that I'm afraid he'll burst with it,

"You manipulated me and my brothers. Our emotions. You abused our love for you. You still do, even now. And the worst part is, I don't even think you realise it this time around. Elijah practically moons over you for God's sake. Nick's become even more of a monster thanks to his obsession with you. Don't think I haven't seen the bruises and the limping and all the obvious smashing and crashing that goes on when you two fight. Just like old times eh? You getting knocked around. Me wanting to save you. Like you're some innocent, beautiful man who just needs the right person to love him. But we both know that you're nothing more than a manipulative whore who doesn't give a shit about anyone else."

I wince harder with every word. I won't argue with him, because I have no excuse or argument worth giving.

Kol has been getting more and more amped up, and by now he's whispering hoarsely,

"Do you want to know what's even worse? Do you want to know what keeps me up at night? What drives me crazy every fucking second of every fucking day?"

I shake my head, not wanting to hear the words. It hurts. It hurts too much to face so much pain on Kol's face. I can practically feel it pouring out of his heart and into mine. I can feel his soul singing to me, begging with me to make the misery and torment stop.

I deserve so much worse than this. I played an active part in destroying Kol's family. He has every right to hate me, to want me punished, killed even. I don't know if I'd even fight him if he tried to kill me. That's why I let Nick hurt me so much. I make it my penance.

"You don't want to know?" Kol demands, "Well too bad. You have to hear it and I have to say it." I close my eyes, not wanting to know. I don't want to see it in his eyes, on his face. I can't bear it.

"No...no...please... ** _Kol_**..." I get out, whispering the words harshly. I try to fight out of Kol's hold, but he's so much stronger than me. I can't even really find the will to fight him with everything I have.

Kol shakes me hard enough that my eyes are forced open and I gasp at the pure agony in his eyes. It cuts me up, burns my soul black, and destroys something in me that I wasn't even aware existed.

Kol pressed his forehead against mine desperately and whispers with a resigned kind of finality,

"I still love you. I _hate_ you. But I still love you." I let out a gut twisting sob, but Kol still continues, "Because I know you're not just a cold hearted whore. I know you're brave and kind and clever and _gorgeous_ and the most fun I've ever had with another person. I've never met anyone like you, and I'm scared to death that I never will again. I'm scared that I'll always love you. I hate you because even if you did love me, I'd still be behind the Gilbert hunter, Elijah and Nicklaus. Not to mention your brothers, or that Ever woman I can see you care for so much."

_I love you. I hate you._

Right now those two feelings almost seem like the same thing.

"I'm sorry," I tell him. The words are broken, and so fucking inadequate that I almost gag, like I'm tasting ash inside my mouth.

"I really, really hate you." Kol tells me right back, his forehead still pressed against mine. I close my eyes because he's closed his.

_I really, really love you._

"I know." I whisper.

_I know, I know, I know._

"I hope you die." Kol says, his voice cracking.

Me too.

"Maybe I will." I say, not sure what that's supposed to mean.

"If my brother kills you, I'll burn him to ash." Kol's voice is like a whip, and I almost flinch away from the malice behind his words.

I think he means it.

That makes me feel even more like dying.

"Don't kill Jeremy." I say gently.

"Don't bring Silas back." Kol counters easily.

"We need the cure for Elena." I tell him.

"Silas will destroy us all." Kol intones gravely.

I already feel pretty destroyed already.

_I hate you._

_I know._

_I love you._

_I know._

_Destruction. Pain. Lust. Agony. Depair. Love. Hate._

_To love is to suffer._

_To live a life without love is to never know hope._

_In hatred I burn. For love I die._


	95. A view to a kill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-fifth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Ever's P.O.V**

"It's the perfect solution!" Elena declares annoyingly, "If Jeremy kills Kol, then the mark will be completed and there will be one less original to be worried about."

I give her my best 'meh' face and she rolls her eyes in exasperation at me.

"I don't know evil twin...I think we should talk to Sinbad about it first. He's the original's expert after all."

Elena shakes her head at me,

"No! Don't you see? No matter what, Sinbad is always going to be on _their side_."

I groan loudly and get up. I need ice cream. Or blood. Or sex.

Or blood and sex, then ice cream...is that too far? I'm not sure, my moral compass is all out of whack these days. Although I suppose that's what I kept for falling in love with two Salvatore brothers. Oh my satan, I even almost feel bad for bitchzilla. Not that I'll be admitting that this side of the grave.

Stefan is still pissed off with Damon about the whole 'neck snap protection' thing. He's even more pissed because he can't even fight with Damon because Damon is locked up in the cellars for attempting to off Jeremy. Stefan is still down there actually, fuming at Damon through the bars. Elena, Lyna and I are upstairs in the living room, or the whatsit room with the fireplace thingy if you like, trying to come up with a solution to the 'how do we complete the mark' problem.

Personally, I'm all for us going on a badass road trip and hunting down some vampy people for Jeremy. It would certainly be better than High school right now at any rate. But of course we have to deal with the issue of Damon going all 'me must kill Jeremy to death because some prick original compelled me to'.

When I get my hands on Kol I'm going kick his ass...and fuck up his hair. He looks like the type who would be horrified about that. It can't be easy for him, or Klausy wousy, since their brother Elijah clearly has the most epic hair. Maybe all their outward aggression stems from some kind of hair complex. It would certainly endear me more to their cause if that was the case.

"It's not about fucking sides, evil twin. Sin will always come through for his brothers, that's just a fact. And he's my best friend. And, despite what you might believe, he does in fact love Jeremy still."

"Sinbad isn't right for Jeremy, and you know it. Sinbad knows it. Hell, deep down even Jeremy knows it. He has to, no one could be that blind to all the fucked up things Sinbad Salvatore has done." Elena is making her 'I'm so definitely right and you're most certainly wrong, so there' face. I almost want to smack it off. But that would be twinly battering, and I don't do that anymore. It's unbecoming of a young vampy person such as myself.

The worst part is, she kind of has a point. Maybe Jeremy and Sinbad could never really work.

"Oh, right, because your boyfriend is so perfect all of a sudden," I give her the most sardonic look I can possibly conjure up at short notice. I usually like to practice beforehand in front of the mirror. Damon and Stefan can attest to this, they've caught me doing it a number of times before we have a fight.

Elena's cheeks burn red with anger,

"At least Evan's never slaughtered hundreds of people. Or cheated on me with my sister. Or ran off with an original hybrid. Or forced me into becoming a vampire against my will. Or cheated on me with an original vampire. Now, wait...who am I describing...oh yeah, the Salvatore brothers. All three of them are trouble, and anyone who gets involved with them is bound to die eventually."

I stare hard at her for a few seconds, shocked that she would say all that after everything we've been through to get to this point. It both angers and amuses me for some reason. I flip my hand from side to side and say,

"Well, technically speaking, we're all bound to die _eventually-_ "

"Ever! Can you never take anything seriously?" Elena practically screeches at me. Ugh, I've really got to find her a hobby or get her into drugs. Something. The woman is clearly deranged.

"I am being serious here Elena! I don't think going off and killing Kol the mighty douchenozzle without a proper plan is a super fantastic idea!" I all but shout back at my sister.

Elena starts to sputter again, looking outraged. It makes me want to throw glitter at her. I don't know why.

Lyna, who up until now has been mysteriously silent (or maybe not that mysteriously as she's usually quite demure when we have these sisterly meetings), actually stands up from the sofa and says,

"Um, where even is Jeremy? I haven't seen him since last night."

I wave a hand and sigh,

"Oh, he's hiding out with Trick and apparently Evan, just in case anyone else tries to murder him. Or compels someone else to murder him."

"Yet somehow it's always Damon," Elena mutters with her arms crossed.

I point at her and say,

"Hey, enough of the judgy, judgy muttering over there. We need to work together on this one."

Lyna is biting her lip, hard. She blows some of her white blond hair out of her face and says,

"Maybe we should just talk with Sin first, he would know best what to when it comes to dealing with the originals. Maybe he can even talk Kol around." She sounds strangely hopeful, and right now I love her for that innocent bunny-like naivety.

I smile triumphantly at Elena, who just scoffs at me and flings herself down onto the sofa to sulk.

"I'll give him a call right now," I say smugly. I take out my phone and dial Sin's number. He answers on the fourth ring. Or actually, I should someone else answers on the fourth ring. Someone decidedly not Sin at all.

"Hello love, what can I help you with today?" I recognise the snarky drawl instantly. Kol.

Why the hell is Kol answering Sin's phone?

I growl in response,

"Don't call me love, you one billion year old pain in my ass! Where is Sin? I swear if you've hurt him I will rip out your throat with my teeth and-"

"Woah, woah calm yourself. I haven't hurt your BFF. In fact, if anything, he's the one who's kidnapped me." I hear him say to someone else, "Your girlfriend's quite touchy."

"Give me the phone you asshole before you incur Everlyna Gilbert's wraith." I hear a voice reply. A voice that sounds distinctly like Sin.

There's some scrabbling on the other end that sounds like two five year olds fighting over a toy car, and then finally Sin's voice is coming down the phone.

"Hey Ev's."

"Hey yourself," I say, not able to keep the relief out of my tone.

"Sorry about that, Kol can be a grabby bastard-"

"Screw you Sin!" I hear someone shout in the background, "You always seemed to like my grabby handedness before when we used to fuck all night long-"

There's the sound of something blunt hitting flesh and then silence. A more muffled voice complains,

"Ow, sodding hell, Sin, you violent creature!"

Kol.

"Jesus, did you just hit him?" I ask Sin.

"Yep," Sin replies, sounding almost happy about it.

"With what?" I can't help but ask.

"A wooden spoon."

"A _wooden spoon_?" I repeat, just to make sure I heard him right.

"A _big_ one," Sin says rakishly.

I feel a grin split my face without my permission.

"Why do you have a wooden spoon in your car?" Because it's obvious from the background noise that they are in a moving vehicle.

I practically hear the shrug in Sin's voice when he says,

"Can't a man have a wooden spoon in his car that he uses as a backup weapon/cake mixer/makseshift indicator without being interrogated? I know my rights."

"I keep telling you to get your right indicator fixed!" I say in exasperation.

Sin replies plainly,

"Why would I get it fixed when I have a big wooden spoon that works perfectly?"

I have no real answer for that.

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

So...explanation time.

After Kol and I had our epic moment of emotional offload, I got a mental message sent directly to me by Death. Yeah, I know that sounds ridiculous. And yes, it is. But anyway, since I'm now pretty much Death's bitch, I had to leave immediately for another mission.

Now, this next bit is probably gonna sound weird. Because the first part sounded so normal, obviously. I asked Kol to come with me on my soul steal mission. Don't ask me why, because I have no real idea. But in the moment it felt right. I wasn't quite ready to let go of the tenuous truce Kol and I had momentarily struck between us.

To be honest, I hadn't expected Kol to actually agree to come with me. Or, rather, I thought he would agree, because was always impulsive like that. But I also thought he would back out at the last minute, or change his mind halfway to North Carolina.

That's our destination by the way. A little town called Rock Point. There's a man that lives there. His name is Trevor Mills. Death has ordered me to take his soul and deliver it to the underworld.

I mean, that's what I call it anyway. I've only ever heard Death refer to it as 'The Asylum'. I'm sure it's his idea of a joke. That's right folks, Death can make jokes. We should all be afraid. The scariest kind of creature is one who can do terrifying things and then laugh about something completely irrelevant only moments later. I never wanted to be a Reaper, but my fate was sealed the moment I made my deal with Death.

Or perhaps my fate was decided a long time ago, the moment I fell through the ice and died freezing and lost.

I tell Ever that I'm off on a 'hunt', which is out code for me going away on a mission from Death. She sounds worried, but she doesn't ask me why Kol is coming along for the ride, which I appreciate. Somehow Ever always seems to know what I'm thinking or feeling. There are times when I think Ever knows me better than anyone, despite the fact that we've only known each other for a few years.

Once Ever and I have hung up, with her last words being _'be safe, or I'll ground your Salvatore ass'_ , I flip my phone onto the dash and look over at Kol. He's watching me, those big brown eyes of his so intense in their focus. His eyes remind me of Jeremy's. Or, perhaps more disturbingly, Jeremy's eyes have always reminded me of Kol's. It's quite possible, even though I never entertained the idea consciously.

I wait him out, because I know Kol wants to ask me something. I can see it on his face. Despite all the years that have passed between us, Kol hasn't changed at all. Not in looks or personality. I don't know why I expected him to be different...maybe because I'm so different to how I was the last time we met.

Finally, as I knew he would, Kol asks with honest curiosity,

"That...Ever Gilbert...you used to be with her, yes? I'm not misreading the signals?"

I quirk an eyebrow at him. Of all the things I thought he'd ask...that wasn't even in the top one hundred. I answer anyway.

"Yes. When I first came back to Mystic Falls with Stefan. I met her by chance and we...bonded."

I suppose that's the right word, although it feels inadequate for the closeness we now share. There's not a woman in the world I would trust more than Everlyna Gilbert. She is the other half of my soul in ways that I never expected. She's my best friend, part of my family, and not just because of my brothers either. Ever has earned her right to be where she is. With the love and respect of me and my brothers.

Kol is still watching me with interest, a slight smirk to his lips now.

"You love her." He says it as if it's some great revelation.

"Of course I do." I say, not sure what his searching look means.

Kol tilts his head to the side, a lock of his dark brown hair falls out of place, and I reach over without even realising I'm doing it and brush the strands if hair back. Kol's breathe catches in his throat, and my skin burns from where it came into contact with his. I yank my hand away, embarrassed. I've got no right to go around touching Kol. He made his feelings albeit confused feelings, about me very clear. I shant mess with his head any more than I already have.

I wish I could tell how much I missed him though. I didn't allow myself to fully feel just how much he meant to me. My humanity was gone at the time, my switch firmly flipped. But once I became human again I chose to bury those deep and incredibly strong emotions about Kol. The feelings of loss that ate me alive every single day. The guilt that made me want to die from the despair of it.

I suppose my feelings regarding Kol are just as fucked as his are for me. Well, at least we're all confused, that has to mean something in the end.

"No," Kol speaks, a softer smile on his handsome face now, "I mean you _really_ love her. I hear the way you talk to her, and I've seen the way you look at her. She's something special to you, Sin."

"She's my brothers' girlfriend and my best friend." I say, putting more force behind the words than is technically warranted.

Oh, and the smirk is back at full force. He even laughs, the fucker.

"Do you ever wish you were with her still?"

Damn Kol and his questions.

The bane of it is, I do wonder, just occasionally, what it would have been like if Ever and I had stayed together. If she had never fallen in love with my brother Damon, and then later my other brother, Stefan. If I had never fallen in love with Jeremy. Would we still be as deeply in love as before? Would we live together by now? Would we be content and happy?

But most of all I wonder; would I still have left Ever for Nick like I did Jeremy?

No. No I wouldn't have. If Ever and I had stayed together, I would always have chosen her. It's a sad, damning fact, but I believe it to be true nonetheless. I'm not sure how to explain that to Kol however, without it coming out completely the wrong way.

I'm not in love with Ever. Not the way Damon and Stefan are. I do love her, of course I do, but it's a lot more complicated than that. It always was.

I mean, I love Nick. My violent, damaged, passionate Nick. And I love Jeremy. My strong, artistic, innocent Jer. And...I love Elijah. Eli. A man as powerful and mighty and harsh as the sea itself. But also holding such wonder within it's hidden depths.

How could I not love these men? How could anyone resist the pull of such extraordinary people? Despite all their difference, they do all have one thing in common. Each of them is splintered by the pain and devastation of their pasts. I see it in them, the need to destroy and create in equal measure, every time I look into their eyes.

With Ever it is...different. She is solid to me, where Eli, Nick and Jer are not. I believe in my heart and soul that Ever will always be there when I need her and when I want her. She will never abandon me, or hurt me, because she cares for me in a way that wouldn't allow such a thing.

But love is hard, and it is cruel. Even when it is trying to be kind, love is still cruel. And it is cruellest to those of us who crave it the most.

If I had to make a choice...

"No. She makes my brothers ridiculously happy, and I want that for them. I don't need to be with her as a partner to love her and be loved by her." I tell Kol, picking out each word carefully.

Kol watches me again for a full ten minutes and I supress the urge to throw him out of the moving car just so he'll stop _looking at me so God damn intensely_.

"If you had to make a choice though, between all the men you love, and the woman you love along with the brothers you have always stood by?" Kol asks me.

"What is it with you and the deep, personal questions today?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"I'm just trying to get a handle on you, Sin. I've always wondered what made you tick, and now that I once again have a chance to study the clusterfuck of a person you are, I tend to do so. Thoroughly." Kol explains to me, like it's obvious.

"Why?" I ask incredulously, "What could figuring me out possibly do for you?"

Kol smiles at me then, and it's a strange kind of smile. He smiles at me like a lover might once you've offered them the secrets of your heart.

"Figuring you out will help me decide whether I want to hate you, and therefore find a way to destroy you...or if I was actually right all those years ago and that despire everything...you're worth being in love with."

I flat out stare at him, and it's lucky that we're on an old country road where there are zero cars apart from ours, because if there had been other cars then we would of been fucked right about now.

Kol continues, as if he hasn't just turned my world upsidown once again and ripped me apart, baring my soul to harshness of the world.

"My mother once told me that it doesn't matter if you love someone who doesn't love you back...as long as that person is worth loving in the first place."

I stare at Kol some more, unable to help myself. Then I turn my attention back to the seemingly endless road in front of us. I wait a moment long before saying,

"Kol, your mother was a crazy witch who tried to murder you and your siblings."

I can hear the smirk in Kol's voice when he replies easily,

"Ah, yes, but once a upon a time she was just my mother, and very wise one at that. Plus, haven't you ever heard that crazy people give the best advice about love."

If that's true then I should be the fucking expert. Although it might also explain how in the hell Ever got chosen to be a Guardian of love.

"Let me know when you decide, ok?" I say to Kol with an audible sigh.

"Don't worry, you'll know. I'll either be trying to kill you or kiss you." Kol says, and I'm sure he's only half joking.

Oh, but it's a joyous life we lead.

** Evan P.O.V **

"It has to work." Elena says firmly.

I put a reassuring arm around her waist. Elena leans into me, resting her head against my chest.

We've all reconvened in a full on supernaturals united meeting. Since Kol was a no go, apparently having been whisked away by our favourite manwhore Sinbad Salvatore, that really left only one other choice. We had to kill someone so that Jeremy's mark could be completed. And it also had to be an original because Jeremy was never going to kill enough vampires.

Rebekah

I was more than willing to help, because more than anything I want Elena to be happy. And for her to be truly happy, she needs to be human. I want the cure for her because that will give the girl I love the chance to become whoever she wants to be. I want to have a real life with her. It's not just about Elena's future, but about ours together.

If Elena is human then we can be together for the rest of our lives. We can grow old together, get married, have children, live wherever we want to live, have a house. We can go to college, get real jobs and have the life I know deep down we both want.

I will always love Elena as a vampire, because she is the most wonderful person I have ever known. But I will also fight till my last breathe to give her everything she needs to make her content in life.

So, even though it seemed practically like suicide, we banded together to kill Rebekah with the white oak stake. Of course now Klaus wants us dead because he saw his sister burn to ash...but really, that's just one of the many setbacks.

Trick and Bonnie worked together to trap Klaus inside the Gilbert house, although how long that'll hold I have no idea. I don't think any of us do, but as long as it helps us find the cure, then it'll be worth it.

Hopefully.

I am nothing if not an eternal optimist.

Ok, I think I just heard my own internal voice scoff at me. Weird. Also mean.

The whole attack on Rebekah was surprisingly anti-climatic to be honest, what with all of us taking her down at once. I'm just glad we have our own twin witchy folk types to help otherwise we'd be screwed like a thousand times over already.

"What if it doesn't work though? I can't feel anything." Jeremy says, sounding way tense and more than a little agitated. Trick moves to rub Jeremy's back calmingly, like he's trying to calm down a wild horse.

Actually, that description is pretty apt right now.

I've had to watch all day as Trick and Jeremy have given each other meaningful glances. I even almost called them on it a few times, you know, just to be an arsehole. But I decided against it each time. I do not want to piss of a witch. Even if that witch wears the tightest leather trousers known to mankind.

"Where's that Gilbert optimism?" We all turn at the sound of Damon's voice as he appears from around a corner.

Ever immediately throws herself into his arms and Damon kisses her. And I mean he goes for it big style. I swear to God if he starts kissing Stefan next then I will have to video it on my phone. I can't decide if the Damon-Ever-Stefan thing is completely weird or so very hot. Either way, it really should be documented.

When Ever and Damon are done with their display of out and out lust, Damon looks to Stefan. Stefan is standing there with his arms crossed looking like a mix between very pissed off and kind of turned on.

"Look, Steffy, I'm sorry for snapping your neck. I just wanted to protect you," Damon says fiercely, his pale blue eyes blazing with an intense fire that even affects me a little bit. God only knows what it does to Stefan and Ever when he looks at them like that.

It must be something special though because Stefan, after two days of furious pacing and ranting about Damon's actions, actually relents and says,

"You're a dick." But it's clear that he says it more out of affection than anger.

Damon smirks at Stefan and holds out his hand to him. With a roll of his eyes, Stefan actually goes to Damon and lets himself be pulled close. Close enough even for Damon to kiss Stefan's jaw in what can only be described as a loving gesture.

Ever is grinning at both of them throughout this.

Stefan smiles a little and it becomes clear that the three of them are communicating silently using whatever weird-ass bond thingy they have going on.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it; Salvatore's are strange people.

"It's so _weird_." And interesting. I whisper to Elena.

Elena rolls her eyes and whispers back,

"And you're even weirder for finding it fascinating."

She has me there.

I smile down at Elena and wink. Elena snorts out a laugh and she goes up on her toes to kiss me lightly on the lips. It sends tingles of heat all the way through my body.

We're all suddenly distracted from our own thoughts when Jeremy has his own fucking Hulk moment and rips off his t-shirt.

"It's happening!" Jeremy manages to grate out between clenched teeth.

We all watch as the rest of Jeremy's hunter mark is revealed.

"You can see it?" Jeremy asks, sounding somewhat badass.

"Yes," Elena answers for all of us, her voice struck with awe.

The mark continues to grow rather dramatically and I watch Jeremy's eyes change. He somehow look so much older, like he's seen more of the world and experience more of life than he actually has.

Move over Buffy, Jeremy Gilbert is prom queen now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N-In answer to the question, 'will Sin hop over to the originals and new orleans when the time comes?'...well, I'm afraid you're just gonna have to wait and find out. Sorry. All I can say is that he will definitely go to New Orleans at some point, permanent or not.
> 
> LMarie99-That's cool. I've always imagined Trick as Sacha m'baye and Evan as Mikkel Jensen.
> 
> In case anyone was ever wondering, the actor who I think most looks like Sinbad to me inside my head is 'Tom Welling'. With his dark hair, pale eyes, the build of his body and his smile...yeah, definitely Sinbad. Of course I'd love to know who any of you picture as Sinbad, there is no right answer, it's just whatever you imagine. ;) xxx


	96. Stand By Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-sixth chapter.
> 
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would already be happening right now!
> 
> Review please, thank you x

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sexual content warning. Like for real.)

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

**_Kol and Sinbad's first encounter. (sexual content warning. Like for real.)_ **

_"Get out of my room." Kol snarls at me._

_"No." I say defiantly._

_"No?" Kol backs me against the door and it slams shut with a resounding thud. "Why? What do you want from me, Sinbad?"_

_Nothing. Everything. I don't fucking know anymore._

_Ever since I started on this path when I decided to seduce Kol, everything has been slowly going to hell. I only meant to make Nick jealous, or to piss him off so he'd stop treating me like shit. But all that's seemed to backfire in the face of the passion and tension firing off between me and Kol lately._

_I have no idea what to say to Kol._

_"Oh, I understand now," Kol smirks suddenly, mean and sharp. His breath shudders out, betraying his nerves. "You've got Niklaus, my brother, who takes care of you. Makes you feel important. Fawns all over you. But you still want me, your bit on the side who can give you the kind of fucking you actually crave."_

_His words remind me so much of what Rebekah said earlier on today that I literally flinch. Anger flickers through me in a violent burst, and I have to hold myself back from full on attacking Kol._

_"Fuck. You." I snap at him venomously._

_"You want me, love? Maybe my brother didn't fill that ass the way you like it." Kol says, still smirking._ _Outrage fills me, and I turn around, fully prepared to storm out of Kol's room. Hell, I'm prepared to storm out of his fucking life if he's going to be that much of an asshole to me._

_But before I can even open the door, I find myself crushed face-first into the hard wood. Kol pins me with his body and uses his hands to hold mine tightly bound, all whilst jerking his hips up, causing his crotch to brush firmly against my ass._

_I should push him away. But I don't. It's not within my willpower to do so._

_"Let me go," I say, my voice strangely soft, "I do not want this to turn into a fight."_

_"No? Are you sure?" I feel one of Kol's hands slide around over my hip. He grasps my own crotch and I barely stop myself from moaning. I get rock hard quite against my will._

_"Feels like you get off on it, love." Kol whispers against the shell of my ear._

_"This isn't a game anymore, Kol." I hiss back at him._

_"Game? Who said anything about playing a game? I'm just giving you exactly what you want even though you won't admit it. That's why you like me, right?" Kol grinds harder against my ass, "Because you know I'll touch you when I want, without asking, and I'll do it right. But my brother treats you like you'll break. That is when he's not actually beating the shit out of you." Kol growls heatedly._

_I wince painfully,_

_"Don't use shit like that against me Kol."_

_"So just admit the truth," Kol says, he pops open my trousers and starts to pull them down. "You like me because I'm not scared to get rough and nasty with you."_

_The outrage is back._

_"You son of a bitch-that is not at all-" My indignation is cut off when Kol's hand starts to pump my cock. All my thoughts become liquid nothing, and I can't concentrate on anything but Kol's hand on my erection._

_I attempt one last time to get my shit together enough to end this before things go too far. Again._

_"This is a terrible idea..." I start to say._

_"I can feel you...already leaking for me, Sin." He whispers huskily, his lips brushing my skin._

_His words make my cock jerk and a groan leaps out of my mouth. My eyes roll back into my head and I start canting into his hand._

_"We really need to...to stop..." I say breathily._

_"You want it," Kol says, "You want me."_

_"You know I do, Kol." I manage to get out between harsh breathes, "But Nick is going to come back soon and I-"_

_Kol covers my mouth with his other hand, and I start to lose myself in the sensation of being taken so completely by another person. That feeling has always been my downfall._ _His touch feels so damn good that I ache from it._

_When I feel the bare hardness of his cock against my ass, I realise that Kol's taken off his trousers. I wonder madly for a moment if he's been inside anyone else tonight. It's quite possible. Kol gets around more than anyone I know._

_I grit out a curse, but I need him too much right now to really fight him off._

_Even though Nick is supposed to be home really soon, I turn my neck just enough to slant my lips across Kol's. Kol takes my mouth in an almost furious kiss, his tongue invading my mouth and taking possession of it._

_I gasp in surprise when Kol suddenly hefts me up and carries me swiftly to the bed. He presses me over the end of it so my face is pushed into the material of the duvet. His hand slides into my hair and he grips it tight enough to hurt._

_Kol reaches over to his nightstand and grabs a bottle of oil. I feel ridiculously impatient and needy as Kol gets his cocks ready to fuck me deep and hard. I expect more pain, but I feel none as Kol pushes his cock into the tight, hot, hole of my ass._

_Kol's dick, the thick pulsing length, slides in and out of me with all the power and control of a piston. I can't imagine stopping, its too much._

_Kol wants me. I can feel him all around and inside of me. I can feel his need and desire for my body in the way he touches me. He knows without me having to say it that I need to be taken this hard, that I crave the feeling of being taken so fucking badly that nothing else seems to exist outside of our own little bubble of sin._

_I attempt to keep my noises to a minimum, but that fucks up pretty early on when Kol gives me a thrust powerful enough to shove me across the bed. My face presses even harder into the mattress._

_Kol's fingers are still tight in my hair as he holds me down. His muscled arms are unyielding, and his hips are punishing in their constant assault on my ass. When he hits my prostate I cry out, and Kol then proceeds to hammer that one spot over and over and over again until I'm almost sobbing with pleasure._

_Quite suddenly Kol pulls out and flips me over. He lays down on the bed and yanks me up, indicating quite clearly that he wants me to ride him. I move quickly to do as I'm told, and a loud moan rips out of my mouth as I guide Kol's cock back inside my body._

_I bounce up and down on Kol's cock a few times before Kol sits up. Our fucking slows down then and he takes my mouth once more. I let his tongue explore my mouth as he rolls his hips. His cock slides in deeper and deeper every few thrusts_

_It feels like we've been kissing for hours, with Kol's dick buried in my body, when I finally come. Bright lights explode behind my eyes and a supernova of pleasure consumes me completely. A few frantic thrusts later and Kol comes inside me. He growls against my throat and bites me hard enough to break the skin. I feel his fangs on my neck, but I'm too blissed out to care._

_Kol has just swallowed a mouthful of my blood and his cock is still buried inside my body when he whispers that he loves me. I know I'm still half out of my head, completely fucking insane, when I whisper back the words,_

_"I love you too."_

_..._

"So, tell me about Jeremy." Kol says, his handsome face settling into something distantly curious.

I've settled my 'mission' and I've reaped the soul of a man. That soul has been turned over to Death, and I've done my best to put it out of my mind. Hopefully forever.

Now Kol and I are on our way back to Mystic Falls. We haven't been gone that long, so maybe Klaus won't be too pissed about me leaving without him.

"Why are you so interested in my love life all of a sudden? First Ever, now Jeremy." I eye Kol from the drivers seat.

Kol is slumped down in his seat, his legs propped up on the dash despite my continued protests. He's such an asshole when he wants to be.

"Well, we could talk about Elijah and Klaus but they're my brothers, so that would be...weird." Kol scrunches up his perfect little nose and I contain the urge to laugh. I really don't want to encourage Kol in any way, shape or form.

"You're weird." I say, shaking my head at him, "But yeah, lets keep the conversation away from Klaus and Elijah for now."

Kol smirks and I instantly regret engaging him in conversation at all,

"Fine, we'll stick with Jeremy."

I roll my eyes, but I figure Jeremy is a relatively safe topic of conversation. Ish.

"What about Jeremy?"

Kol shrugs them and says,

"I think he's hot. And I also think he's good for you. Way better than Niklaus ever was."

I put the big wooden spoon down and force myself to look over at Kol. He has his serious face on. I feel a sense of doom. Yeah, this is definitely a doom for all humanity kind of moment right here.

"Are you shitting me?" I say, although I think I'm too stunned to talk properly, so those probably weren't what the words sounded like to any normal people. Luckily there are no normal people around right now.

To bad for them, because this whole thing just got even stranger.

"I'm serious, you tosser." Kol whacks my leg and I scrunch up in my seat like a disgruntled spider.

I give my old friend an injured look and say,

"You're a very violent individual, you know that right?"

"Thank you, Sin, that's really nice. Like for real, that right there is the best thing I've heard all day." Kol replies snarkily. But even through the fog of my fucked up and confused brain I can tell that Kol is actually attempting to have a proper discussion with me. God only knows why, we don't really have real conversations with each other. Although we seem to be having a lot of them very recently.

I gather all the coherency I can muster and say,

"When you say you think Jeremy is good for me...what do you mean?"

Kol frowns at me,

"I mean he makes you less of slutty arsehole. Obviously."

I wave a hand airily,

"Oh yeah, of course. Thanks for noticing. Less of a slutty arsehole was what I was going for this season."

Kol gives me a look then that clearly states 'you're an idiot, why am I talking to you'. To be fair to him, I feel exactly the same way.

"Jeremy, despite his almost cringeworthy nievaty, seems brave and honest and kind-hearted. I get why you'd want that after so many years of bullshit with my family."

I stare at him some more.

"Why are you saying all this? I feel like the other shoe is about to drop."

Kol shakes his head in what can only be described as stark disbelief. His dark eyes spark with irritation.

"For goodness sake, is your life really so fucked up that you can't have one normal conversation without assuming the other person has ulterior motives."

"Yes." I say with a half hearted shrug. "My life has always been that fucked up, Kol. You should know that better than most. I'm not in my most stable form of mind at the moment."

"That's becoming more and more obvious to me with each passing second." Kol mutters. He wipes a hand down over his face and sighs.

Ok, well, now I just feel bad.

** Ever's P.O.V **

Grief crushes me.

No...that's not right.

Grief doesn't crush me. It infects me. Like a virus. It invades my blood and my bones and my skin and my heart. It splinters my mind and then shatters those shards into even tinier pieces.

My brother is dead. And I will never be the same.

The Ever of before is gone. What remains is burnt out and hollow.

We travelled to the island to find the cure. So much bullshit happened between all that and this moment, but none of it matters anymore. Not the cure. Not the fact that Klausy Wousy still wants us incinerated for killing Rebekah. Not Silas being alive and gone. Not Bitchzilla apparently making her second comeback. Not Shane kidnapping Bonnie and Trick, or whatever the hell happened.

All of that is true.

But none of it is **_important_**.

When we get in through the front door of our family home...what used to be our family home, Lyna is there, along with Caroline. Both of them are supposed to be babysitting Klausy Wousy since he's still technically trapped inside this house.

Stefan is carrying Jeremy, although I can barely stand to look at either of them. Elena is still working under the assumption that Jeremy will wake up due to his fucking immortality ring. But the cave where Jeremy was murdered, because it was nothing less than that, prohibited the use of magic. Our baby brother is gone, and there is nothing anyone can do right now.

That knowledge burns like acid through my veins. It feels like losing Elena did. But somehow worse, not because I love Jeremy more, but because he's our little brother. It was meant to be our job to protect and we failed. I don't know if I'll ever stop hating myself for that. I don't think I even want to.

This is meant to hurt. It's meant to hurt so badly that I may never recover from it.

All I can make myself feel at the moment is this static type of numbness that I've experienced only once before. When my parents died. It feels even worse now because of my enhanced emotions. This is the first time I've ever hated the fact that I'm a vampire.

It's pain. It's _agony_. But it's also somehow **numb.**

I'm not even sure how that works. Being alive feels too complicated sometimes. Or being semi-alive. And yes, I'm using this train of thought to stop myself from losing my shit all over the fucking place. But I need some kind of buffer because Elena's making it clear that I'll have to be the strong one in this.

"Hey!" Lyna says brightly, her azure blue eyes shining, "we were trying to get the scorch mark out where Rebekah-"

Lyna's words die off when she sees us. Really sees us. Her gaze darts between Jeremy and me. I see confusion and shock on her face, but I'm not sure what else to do but shake my head slightly in answer to whatever questions she might have.

Caroline comes up behind Lyna and stops so suddenly that she almost knocks Lyna right over. Caroline's starts talking, but it's almost white noise to me.

"We couldn't get the black mark out." She says uselessly. Like the words were compelled to come out against her will.

I can feel him. Klausy Wousy. I can feel his eyes on me. On Jeremy. All of us. But he blissfully says nothing.

I don't turn to look at him. I know all I'll see is silent violence waiting in his eyes.

This moment isn't about him. It isn't really about anyone. Even Jeremy. This moment is too big to name. Too agonising to describe. It's everything and nothing at the same time, and I just can't deal with anything else.

I wish Sinbad were here. He would know what to do. What to say. He's seen and experienced too much death not to know.

I've shut off my connection to Damon and my bond with Stefan. I know they hate that fact, I can see it in their eyes, feel in in the dynamic between us. But right now I just need to be alone inside my own head.

I need space to breathe and feel whatever the fuck it is that needs feeling. I have to do that or I'll crumple like a piece of tissue paper on fire.

"Come on, lets get him upstairs." Elena says, her voice so monotone that I can barely decipher the words themselves.

Damon touches my shoulder as I go to follow Elena upstairs, and for a few seconds I stop. Our connection pushes at my mind, begging me to let Damon in. I push back forcefully, but I also allow Damon to slide a hand down over my arm. On any other day, a touch like that from him would make me shiver. But today is not any other day.

I let Damon take my hand in his, and without a word to each other we follow Stefan and Elena. I catch Lyna's eye and I don't look away until I can't see her anymore.

Stefan lays Jeremy out on the bed gently and Elena immediately takes up residence at his side. She grips Jeremy's hand and stares hard at his face, like she's trying to find something that just isn't there.

Damon stands on my left, and Stefan moves to stand at my right shoulder. He appears to have clocked my allowing Damon to touch me so he takes the opportunity to do the same. I feel slightly more secure with both of them touching me skin to skin. I need it like oxygen these days.

It isn't alright. In fact it's so far from alright that we're in a completely different universe from 'alright'. But I'll take whatever comfort I can get right now.

"Do you need anything?" Stefan asks Elena, his voice calm and sober. He's hurting too. He cared about Jeremy, and not just because he's my brother.

I think I'm getting my tenses mixed up already.

Elena shakes her head without looking back,

"No, I'm just gonna stay here with him until he wakes up."

My heart quakes in my chest and I almost wish someone would rip it out.

Damon sucks in a harsh breathe. He must of heard that one through the cracks in my mind. I feel Damon and Stefan look at each other over my head. I don't reassure them like I usually would because I'm not sure how to.

Elena does turn back then, as if something suddenly occurred to her,

"Let me know if you hear anything about Trick and Bonnie."

I tilt my head and say,

"I will."

** Evan's P.O.V **

I check out our original camp site first.

I have no idea where Trick and Bonnie might have gotten off to, but it couldn't hurt to retrace our steps from the last day and a half.

So far I haven't found any sign of them.

Part of me wishes I hadn't volunteered to stay behind instead of going home with Elena. But the Salvatore's made it clear that their first priority is Ever. That it always will be. They'd never leave her. Especially not after her brother just died.

I suppose I'm more of a selfish bastard than I thought. I can't stand the thought of seeing Elena so distraught. I watched her cradle Jeremy inside that cave, whispering to him over and over again that he would be ok.

Jeremy Gilbert will not be ok. Maybe nothing will be ok again after all this is done.

I suddenly hear a noise from somewhere beyond the trees surrounding the clearing. I turn in a semi circle, trying to see anyone who might be hiding out there.

"Unless you're a Bennett witch or a Warlock in leather, I suggest you do me the honour of pissing off. I am not in the mood to play hide and seek." I call out to whoever it is sneaking around out there.

There's a stutter of breathe from behind me, and I turn around just in time to see Bonnie come stumbling out of the woods, her side bleeding. My eyes widen and I quickly run to her. She practically collapses into my arms.

"What the bloody hell happened to you?" I ask, keeping Bonnie steady as she sways against me.

"Shane...he tried to take me but...I got away...he still has Trick though...we need to find Trick!" Bonnie says, sounding very panicked.

My browns furrow,

"What? Why did he try and take you and Trick?"

Bonnie shakes her head rapidly,

"I don't know. I have no idea what's going on anymore."

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us." I mutter, looking over Bonnie shoulder to double check that no one else is gonna come tumbling out of the woods.

Bonnie grasps my uppers arms and squeezes hard. I look back down into Bonnie's face, and I'm almost taken aback by the vehemence in her eyes.

"He has my brother, Evan. We _need_ to find Shane before he does anything to Trick."

My jaw sets and I nod once,

"Yeah, ok. Do you need to sit this one out or can you-"

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch, lets go." Bonnie interrupts, determination lacing her tone.

Far be it from me to argue with a Bennett witch.

** Trick's P.O.V **

When I wake up my head feels like its attempting to murder me.

Or to commit suicide, depending on how you look at it.

I'm led on the dirty ground of this fucking forest, and I am not pleased about it! I am never going to trust a creepy Professor again.

I look around for Bonnie, but it seems like my sister escaped at least. My side still burns from where I was stabbed, but it's no longer bleeding, so maybe I won't die today. I'm gonna go ahead and call that a win.

"Don't touch it!" Shane shouts at me. He stalks up to me with a look of crazed determination on his face.

I'm not gonna lie, that worries me a tiny bit.

"I used some of Island's herbs to help treat the wounds." Shane tells me. He kneels down far too close to me and adds, "But not being an actual witch, I can't guarantee much."

I give him the driest look I can conjure and say sarcastically,

"That makes me feel so much better. Thank you. I'm glad you and your non-skills were around to help me...no wait I think _kidnap_ is probably the better word!"

I take note of Shane's bleeding leg. I hope the shithead loses it.

But then he moves slightly and I see that it's just his trousers that are bloody. His wound is no longer gaping open.

"How did you heal?" I ask him.

Shane gets that earnest look again, and I shuffle backwards ever so slightly. I do not appreciate being this close to so much crazy. It's bad for my health.

"It was Silas. He helped me." Shane says.

Gross.

"You and Bonnie did it, Trick. He's risen." Shane moves closer to me, his hand outstretched.

I slap at his fingers (in a very manly way-ish),

"Do not touch me you insane motherfucker."

Shane sighs, like I'm the one being unreasonable.

"Look, I know you're angry at me. But now you'll see that everything I did, all those lives lost, were not in vain. Silas is gonna bring them back."

Well, someone's clearly been drinking the kool aid lately.

"Oh really, and this all powerful Silas prick...he wants to bring back the dead, which is so completely unnatural by the way, because...?" I wave hand, gesturing for Shane to fill in the blank.

"You'll change your mind now about helping him." Shane says, with too much confidence. It makes me feel uneasy.

"First of all, thank for ignoring my question completely," I glare at him, "Secondly, what do you mean 'now'?"

Shane lets out a long breathe and shrugs,

"Silas needed blood when he woke up."

"Goodie for him," I snap prissily, "What does that have to do with-"

"Jeremy. He was there..."

Anger and panic rises up inside me and shove Shane's shoulder,

"What happened to Jeremy?"

Shane looks up at me, seemingly cautious,

"He drained Jeremy of all his blood. He's dead."

Something inside me crumples, like a broken autumn leaf.

I can barely breathe past the pain and shock. No. This can't be happening. Not Jeremy.

No.

** Lyna's P.O.V **

"How long has she been like that?" Caroline asks Stefan.

I think about the look in Elena's eyes...and the expression on Ever's face. They've both lost so much already...and even though that pain wasn't really mine, I still know how much strength it took for Ever to move forward after her parents died. I have my memory of her emotions locked away inside my mind, and seeing her so broken down and hopeless, it made me feel more determined than ever to be a real part of my new family. I want to help them through this in any way that I can.

"Ever since we got back," Stefan says, his eyes communicating his discomfort with the situation. He isn't sure how to help Elena right now. He's not exactly the best person to be comforting her either. Evan should be here.

"Where's Evan?" I ask, attempting not to sound too accusatory.

Damon leans forward on the counter and says,

"He stayed behind to look for Bonnie and Trick."

Ah. I bet that was the perfect excuse for him not to come home with Elena and deal with her pain over losing Jeremy.

Wow, that sounded a lot less judgemental a second ago.

"All Elena's said is that she's waiting for him to wake up." Stefan says, looking even more pensive.

Damon reaches over and wraps his hand around the back of Stefan's neck. It's a gentle, yet protective, touch, and Stefan leans into it with ease. I see Caroline shift awkwardly from foot to foot.

I know Caroline still isn't completely comfortable with the Salvatore's becoming lovers along with Ever. It doesn't bother me, but maybe that's because my concepts of normality are screwed.

"But he's not going to wake up." Caroline says with a note of exasperation in her voice. She's gotten more and more frustrated ever since the rest of them left for the island. We've been stuck here vampsitting Klaus, and none of us know where Sinbad is. According to Ever he's gone off the grid for some reason, along with Kol.

At least we don't have to deal with both Kol's wraith and Klaus' at the same time.

Klaus has been raging for days about Rebekah and Sin going missing. He doesn't handle having no control very well at all. Not that I blame him exactly, but it seems to particularly grate on Klaus that he can't control the situation at all. He is not a man who enjoys being helpless.

"She knows that deep down," Stefan says, "But I think Elena just needs some time to...process what's happening."

"I'm gonna go call Matt," I say to no one in particular, "He would want to be here."

Matt cares about Jeremy, and I know it'll break his heart a little to find out about Jeremy's death. I want to be the one to tell him.

Damon nods at me, but apart from that my declaration isn't acknowledged at all. I leave the kitchen and go out onto the porch. As I go past the living room, Klaus watches me. I stop for a moment to meet his eyes. I wonder if he feels glad about Jeremy's death. It's going to kill Sinbad when he finally comes home. But Klaus might see it as a good thing because now he won't have to worry about Sin leaving him for Jeremy.

It makes me sick to even think about it.

I frown at Klaus. He gives me a questioning look, like he isn't sure why I would be upset with him. I shake my head and continue to walk outside. I don't want to deal with Klaus right now. He's a confusing man. I can see why he would have Sin all tied up in knots.

Matt picks up on the first two rings.

_"Hey, Lyna, is everything ok, have you heard from-"_

"No, Matt, everything is not...it's not ok." I try not to let my voice hitch.

Matt sounds instantly concerned,

_"Why? Has something happened with Klaus, did he escape or something?"_

I shake my head even though he can't see me. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I mean, how are you supposed to tell someone you care about that another person you both care about is dead. I have no experience with this kind of thing. All I have are vague feelings left over from when my soul was attached to Ever's.

"Matt...Jeremy's dead."

Silence on the other end of the phone.

"Matt, did you hear me? I said that Jeremy is-"

 _"I heard you Lyna."_ Matt's voice is stone cold, and it shocks me. I've never heard him sound like that before. At least not when talking to me.

Since I came into being, Matt has been the one person who's always been kind and friendly to me. It's strange to hear him sounding so upset that he can't control his emotions.

I never realised how much I counted on his steady support until now.

"We're at the Gilbert house...Jeremy's body is here and...Elena isn't handling it very well...maybe you could-"

 _"I'll be there in ten minutes."_ Matt says, a bit of warmth leaking back into his tone.

I feel beyond relieved. I'm going to need Matt to get though this, even if Elena and Ever don't.

** Ever's P.O.V **

"He's not dead!" Elena screams me.

"Elena please-" I try to grab onto my sister but she shoves me away. I crash hard into the wall.

Damon and Stefan are back upstairs in an instant, both of them looking angry and protective. I wave a hand at them. The last thing I want is to put Elena even more on the defensive. She's messed up enough as it is right now.

"Stop it!" Elena yells at me, "We need Bonnie and Trick, they can fix this. Magic can bring Jeremy back!"

My heart clenches so painfully that it almost takes me to my knees. I hate this, I hate this so much. I don't want to be strong right now, I want to cry and scream and shout, just like Elena is, but I can't. Too many people need me, my twin sister being just one of those people.

"Oh my God." I turn to look at the door. Matt is standing there with Lyna right behind him. The expression on his face breaks me apart just a little bit more. Lyna pulls Matt into a hug and grasps onto her like a child, his eyes still trained on Jeremy.

Elena is holding herself and shaking almost violently.

I don't even know what to do for them. For anyone. It's taking all I have just to keep standing.

I can feel my bond with Stefan reaching out for me desperately, the warmth and heat of his concern and love is attempting to wash through my body. My connection to Damon is also growing restless inside my head, and I can see from the anguished expression on Damon's face that he craves that kind of closeness with me right now.

Matt moves away from Lyna and comes to me. I take his hand and he whispers,

"I'm _sorry_."

A sob threatens to force it's way up my throat, so instead I look away from Matt. He pauses to kiss my forehead before going to Elena and enveloping her in a tight embrace. Matt's learnt by now not to touch me too much in front of the Salvatore's. Especially with all our emotions so heightened at the moment, it probably wouldn't end well if I let Matt comfort me and not them.

I know my guys.

"Are Jenna and Alaric still over at the boarding house?" I ask.

Stefan nods,

"I think so."

Alaric and Jenna went to stay at the boarding house whilst Klaus was trapped in our living room. It took a lot to convince them not to come to the island, but in the end it was decided that Jenna was way too pregnant to come and Alaric should stay with her.

"Come on," I say to the Salvatore's, "Let's go downstairs."

Thankfully, Matt convinces Elena to come down with us and we all sit at the kitchen table. Caroline has gone off to talk to her mother, probably to arrange some kind of cover story for Jeremy. I don't want to think too much about that.

"Where's Evan and Bonnie and Trick?" Matt asks once we're all seated at the table.

Damon and Stefan take up their posts one of either side of me. I would have to love them for their protectiveness, otherwise it'd drive me absolutely batshit crazy. Damon places hand on my leg and I clasp my hands with Stefan's on the table. It feels outrageiously good to let them touch me. I need their unwavering support now more than ever.

"Evan stayed behind to find Trick and Bonnie." Elena says tiredly.

It wasn't a decision I was all that fond of to be honest, but I didn't want Stefan or Damon to stay behind either. Which is the most selfish thought ever. But I'm not feeling all that selfless at the moment.

...

"We can't kill twelve people and bring everyone back from the other side. It's wrong." I whisper, mostly to myself. If I keep repeating it to myself, then maybe at some point I'll actually mean it.

The truth is I would kill a thousand people to get Jeremy back. But it's not just my call. Elena says no...so we say no.

Evan found Bonnie and brought her back home. She has this crazy plan to complete some whacko ritual and destroy the 'other side' so that all the supernatural creatures can come back. Matt and Lyna are taking Bonnie home so she can get some rest. Maybe tomorrow she'll see how insane that plan is. Maybe tomorrow I will too.

We'll have to tell Alaric and Jenna soon. I don't want to, but I don't want to put Elena through it either. She's gone to the boarding house with Evan. So that probably means Elena will end up telling Alaric and Jenna anyway. My mind is all over the place at the moment.

I'm staying behind to...take care of Jeremy.

"You don't have to be so stoic," Stefan says. We're sitting outside on the porch steps.

"If you need to lose your shit...we'll be here to pick up the pieces Ev's," Damon adds. His blue eyes flash with unwanted emotion, and I lean my head on his shoulder.

"I don't have enough energy to go insane right now," I tell them, "Maybe later."

A part of me still feels numb to the situation, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. But then I got a text from Sinbad, saying that he'd be home soon, and then I knew.

I need Sinbad. He's the only one who will understand.

Damon picks me up suddenly and lifts my body onto his lap. I'm used to being randomly manhandled by the Salvatore's by this point so I don't protest the action. Damon pulls hard on Stefan's jacket and Stefan shifts closer to both of us. Damon wraps his arm around my waist and uses his other arm to drag Stefan's forehead to press against his.

I watch the two men as they take comfort in each other. It makes me feel more settled to see that than for them to be offering the same thing to me. They know that, and that's why they aren't pushing for more from me.

It might seem strange, but I feel somehow more balanced when Stefan and Damon show their love for one another. The intimacy between them stokes a fire inside me like nothing else that exists in the world.

My bond with Stefan thrums to a gentle beat, and I let Damon have full access to my thoughts. He sifts through them carefully, but doesn't comment with words. Instead I just feel the shadow of his emotions.

Damon takes Stefan's mouth in a tender kiss. It's how they communicate best. Stefan kisses Damon back and cups the back of Damon's neck, holding him in place more firmly.

Damon slides his lips down over Stefan's jaw until they brush Stefan's throat.

"I love you." Damon whispers against Stefan's skin.

It's a declaration meant for me as well.

"We'll make it through this." Stefan declares with no hesitation or doubt in his voice. I need that certainty from Damon and Stefan. The men I love with all my heart and mind and body and soul. Everything.

I need their strength to survive losing Jeremy. It feels agonising even to think of Jeremy's death.

I feel more than see Elijah coming, but I'm too lost in my grief to care all that much. Damon and Stefan however are immediately on high alert.

Elijah stands tall and intimidating as usual in front of us. I look up at him and say,

"Feel free to state your intent at any time, we have all night."

Elijah raises an eyebrow at me, but otherwise his expression remains neutral. Although that doesn't really mean anything when it comes to Elijah.

"I've come for my brother. You've kept him captive long enough."

God fucking damn it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading and please review!
> 
> A/N-Cliff hanger! How will Sin react to Jeremy's death?!


	97. Bring it on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special shout out to-CyanideSun,Kiodragon,Amber-THANK YOU MY UNICORN BRETHREN!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-seventh chapter.  
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would have been the beginning and endgame!  
> Review please, thank you x

**Sinbad's P.O.V**

"Maybe I can convince my brother not to kill everyone you know if you let me talk to him." Kol says. I don't trust the expression on his face at all. He looks genuine. That usually means the opposite with Kol. He's one hell of a sneaky shit.

"You?" I say in disbelief, "Right, because you and Nick never clash about anything. Ever. Your relationship is so mellow and easy-going. _Not_. If anything you'll probably just make it worse."

Kol, far from sounding offended, simply nods.

"Maybe on purpose even."

I roll my eyes, but decline to comment.

Ever texted, telling me to come over to her house. I don't know why since she'd hardly ever there herself these days. She might as well just move all of her stuff into the boarding house. My brothers very rarely let her out of their sight. It'd be creepy if...no, actually, it's definitely creepy. But they love her, and she loves them, way too much if you ask me. I'd call their three way relationship worryingly co-dependant if it weren't for the fact that I have an even more unhealthy relationship with...pretty much everyone in my life.

Nick especially of course. For years he chased me and loved me and hurt me and I took it all because my love for him consumed every part of me that mattered. Or at least I thought so at the time. Even when the pain and the double edged hatred became even more powerful than the love, I still bore it. I still went back to Nick again and again. I let him drag me back into our hell hole of a relationship.

I loved him, and I knew I would always love him. But I learnt the hard way that sometimes love...just isn't enough. Not when literally _everything else_ is working against you.

I can't remember exactly when, not anymore, but at some point loving Nick became a punishment. A curse. Even worse, it was a curse I put on myself. A curse that can only be broken by Nick, and Satan knows, that's never going to happen.

I don't even know how he'd do it anyway. If beating the shit out of me, threatening me and the people I love, actually killing my friends, and mentally torturing me isn't enough, then I have no idea what would be.

I pull up outside Ever's house and freeze when I see Elijah standing there on the pavement. He looks bored. Bored and tense. That's never a good combination for any of the Mikaelson's. Eli looks good though. Handsome and strong as always. I know he can handle anything, take on any challenge, fight back against any adversary. And, somehow, always rise victorious.

Elijah makes everything he does and says seem easy. That silent air of complete confidence he wears around himself like a cloak shields him from the outside world. It was what drew me to him when we first met. After everything that happened with Nick, I craved someone who could maintain his composure no matter what I threw at him.

I remember testing Elijah's patience on purpose, just to see if he'd hurt me. The way Nick did at the slightest provocation. By the end. I couldn't blame Nick entirely for it, as much as Elijah may have wanted me to.

I deserved Nick's ire. Hell, I _earned_ it.

No one, _no one_ , could piss Nick off like I could. Back when I didn't have my humanity, the fact that I could control him so easily felt like an accomplishment. As much as you can really _feel_ anything when your humanity is non-existent. Every time Nick would lose his shit because of me, it was a reward.

I pushed Elijah in every way I knew how. Every way I'd learned from loving Nick.

But Elijah never raised a hand to me. He never cut me to pieces with his words. He never broke me apart with his actions. Elijah cared for me. He was kind and generous and understanding. He made me feel safe, which is sort of ridiculous considering how dangerous the man actually is. Despite their differing temperaments, Nick and Eli are both equally as violent, and should be feared by anyone with half a brain.

But despite Elijah's penchant for vindicated violence, he never once made me feel as if I deserved destruction. His anger, definitely, his disappointment, of course, but never his hunger for violence. He loved me, and Elijah's love meant acceptance and patience, very much unlike the obsessive desire that sparked dangerously between me and Nick.

I realise I've been staring at Elijah for far too long when Kol's voice penetrates my bubble of self-reflection.

"How long are you going to keep pretending that you don't love Elijah?"

Kol's question rattles me, far more than it should. I want to snap at him, but I know that would only make things worse. Kol always latches on to weakness. All of the Mikaelson's do. Despite the viciousness and untamed rage of their father, I believe it's their mother who they gained that natural gift from. Manipulation is a Witch's game after all. Brutal force is that of vampires.

I grit my teeth and say,

"I do love Eli. He knows that. Nick knows. You know. What else is there to say?"

Kol puffs out a frustrated breathe, giving me a look so full of scorn that it makes me want to curl up in my seat and die just a little bit.

"I meant," Kol sighs as if he just can't even believe he's bothering to deal with me, "that you would rather be with him than Nick. Or Jeremy. Or whoever the fuck else you've ever met in your harem contaminated life."

I shake my head slowly, denying it to Kol, myself, the whole fucking world itself.

"No. What Eli and I had was over a _long_ time ago-"

"Yeah, because of Niklaus." Kol says with a derisive snort. "Even I know that you would never have left Elijah if you hadn't found out he was Niklaus' brother. I'm not an _idiot_ , Sin. Neither are my brothers. For the most part."

I hate it, I hate even thinking it, but there is a lot of truth in that. Eli and I broke away from each other, or at least I broke away from him, because of Niklaus. I was afraid what Nick would do. To Elijah. To me. To anyone in the immediate vicinity when he discovered the truth about me and Elijah. Because of course he would figure it out. I followed Elijah around like a devotion struck teenager. Nick would have needed to be blind not to notice.

I didn't know what Nick would do if he found out I'd fallen in love with his brother. It wouldn't matter that I'd had no idea Elijah was Nick's brother when I met him, or that all the time Eli and I spent together was after I left Nick. Nick would just see it as another betrayal. He would blame Elijah and me, accuse us of scorning him on purpose. I didn't want Elijah and Nick to hurt each other because of my stupidity. Despite all their fighting and threats over the years, I knew they loved each other.

I understood the bond of family. I had my own brothers to deal with. Which is another reason I couldn't afford Nick's wraith. He might have taken it out on my own brothers. Maybe that would have been the thing to finally break me out of his hold, who knows? I could never allow it to happen, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.

I turn to look at Kol, fixing him with a harsh scowl.

"Back off Kol. Mess with me all you want, but leave Elijah out of it. He doesn't deserve any more bullshit in his life because of me."

Elijah was the calm to my storm all those years ago. He knew how to ground me, keep me sane, even when I thought I was cracking apart inside. My love for him ran deep. Unlike my love for Nick, it didn't spark with raw electric energy. It was a different kind of love. Stronger. Kinder. It felt incredible to be loved by Elijah. I knew I could always count on him to take care of me. Not that I needed to be taken care of necessarily, but sometimes that isn't the point. Sometimes it's just important to know that there's someone out there who thinks what you want and feel matters.

Leaving Nick destroyed me. It broke me into jagged pieces that cut into my soul every time I even thought Nick's name. Leaving Elijah took those jagged pieces and splintered them. It made me numb. I bled for Nick. I shut down after Eli.

Those two men had such a massive impact on my life. I couldn't forget them even if I actively tried. They're too much a part of me.

Sometimes I wish I could let go of them. I wish I could move on. With Jeremy, preferably. I wish I could live the normal(ish) human life he thinks we could have together. But as much as I love Jeremy, and as much as I want that life, I know it will never be mine. Because the Mikaelson's will forever own me, in the most brutal and unyielding way possible. I would only ever be free if they released me. Somehow I don't see that ever happening.

"You can't keep lying to yourself, Sin." Kol says, sounding more serious than before. "Lie to my brothers, to me even. But be honest with yourself at least." Kol's expression creases into something pained. "I'm afraid of what will happen if you keep going like you are."

I'm starting to think there will be nothing left of me. Kol might be right about the lying. I look into the eyes of my former best friend. This man knows me. He knows a part of me that I tried very hard to bury. The Sinbad Kol knew is supposed to be dead, salted, and burned to ash. But that's the funny thing about your past. It comes back to haunt you whether you give it permission to or not.

I take a deep breathe and get out of the car without another word to Kol. He understands, I wish he didn't, but he does. Words aren't always needed. Not for people like me and Kol. We know the dark spaces that exist in every corner of the world. We were created there, and those dark spaces are where we will one day go to die.

When Ever sees me, something in her eyes tells me instantly that there's a problem. She looks like part of her world has imploded and I recognise the grief on her face. It's the same way she looked when Elena died.

Ever gets up off the porch step, completely ignoring everyone else but me. Damon and Stefan are looking at her with concern and worry etched into their faces, but that barely even registers. Elijah turns to me as well and his eyes speak of something entirely different. He looks scared. He looks like he does after every fight I have with Nick. Scared. Not because of me. But _for_ me.

"Ev, what's wrong? Tell me, did something happen on the Island?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I feel choked, even though I don't know what's going on yet.

Ever's face crumples, and my heart squeezes tightly in my chest. She forces out one word. Just one word.

Just. One. Word.

" _Jeremy_..."

_No._

My world shatters, and everything turns to shadow.

I don't even realise I'm on my knees until Ever is in front of me, her arms wrapped around my neck as she whispers against my neck to let go. To just let go and feel it. Feel it all.

I crush Ever to me and open my mouth. A sound like no other I have ever made escapes from my throat. It's the sound of a wounded animal. Or a broken man.

Many men and women before him have tried to break me. They all failed. Even Katerina. Even Nick. Even Elijah. I was damaged by them. Torn, scorched, splintered, but never did I break because of them. _For_ them.

Jeremy Gilbert is dead.

I am broken.

**Ever's P.O.V**

Sin allows me to hold onto him whilst he breaks apart in my arms. But not for long. After only a few soul annihilating minutes, Sin yanks himself out of my embrace. I'm too stunned to do anything but watch as Sin gets back into his car. He looks back at me, still kneeling on the pavement. His eyes are dead, his expression blank.

But still, he says,

"Coming?"

I don't even have to think about it.

I get up off the pavement and go around to the passenger side door. Kol got out at some point, but I don't really care anymore about him, or Elijah, or even Klausy wousy. Let those assholes do what they want tonight. My friend needs me, and I know I need him too.

I climb into the car, despite unspoken, but felt, protests from Damon and Stefan through our bonds. I reassure them as much as I can and then cut off my connections with them completely.

Sin starts the car and drives away before anyone can stop us. His focus is on the road, but I know he can't possibly be concentrating for real.

Grief is like...well, it's not really _like_ anything. I can't speak for everyone, because people will always be people, and that means feeling whatever they're gonna feel, regardless of the consequences. All I really know is that grief forces me to become someone else. It seeps into my bones and my blood and my mind and it turns my soul to ash. Grief doesn't rip me apart. It doesn't burn me up inside. It doesn't even hollow me out until there's nothing left.

Maybe it should. Maybe grief is supposed to work that way and I just missed the memo.

But for me, grief is an elixir. It consumes my very being and morphs me into a heartless bitch.

After my parents died, I was angry. So angry. The kind of angry that makes you think and say and do things that would have horrified you Before. Hell, Before, I wouldn't have even considered them. But rage, a rage that burns bright and yet somehow still feels ice cold. An icy chill, flickering and dancing in the dark corners of your mind.

I remember going to church for their funerals and thinking how genuinely envious I was of the people who actually belonged there. My parents never showed an interest in religion. Elena, Jeremy and I weren't brought up with any kind of faith. I'd never felt myself at a disadvantage because of that. But at my parents' funeral I realised how much I wish I had something to hold onto.

What must it be like to have so much hope? To think you know the answers. It must be nice to have something to believe in. Maybe even something to blame.

I didn't have anything. Just two dead parents and a life ahead of me that felt bleak at best, and unforgivingly numb at worst.

Eventually the anger faded, because it had to. I had to _make it_ fade, because there were people in my life who needed me. Even if Elena would never admit it, she needed me to be the bouncy, risk taking, weird twin. She needed that, because despite our differences, or possibly because of them, we were each others ultimate balance. I could only be the crazy twin if Elena was the sensible twin, and vice versa. We needed each other to at least pretend to be what we were Before.

Jeremy was different. He could never be what he was Before, not even a pale shadowed version. He was too young and too lost and too...just different. He fell into a hole of grief that I was constantly afraid would destroy him. I watched as the monsters of his own making took bites out of him again and again and again. They ripped and tore at Jeremy until he became a stranger to me.

I looked into my baby brother's eyes and saw nothing but pain. And anguish. And so much fury. He wanted to make the world stop turning just for a single second so he didn't have to exist. Existing is hard, you add in living and you make it impossible to survive. Or at least seem that way.

I've always imagined that most people think of death as something horrifying and violent, especially when it's because of murder. But the truth is, death is far worse than anything imaginable. It's silence. Nothing more complicated or complex than that. Death is silence. An endless silence that will never, ever, stop. Dying, yeah, that can be painful and loud and agonising. But death is pure nothingness.

What could possibly be more frightening than Nothing? Just nothing. Forever. It's what nightmares are afraid of. That's why they exist in the first place, to protect us all from the worst thing there is. Oblivion. I suppose you could argue that oblivion might be peaceful, but I think that's bullshit. Nothingness is only peaceful to those who don't know what it is to be lost and alone.

I don't think anyone who has experienced true loneliness, who has felt the icy grip of it slide down their spine, could ever spurn the chance to survive surrounded by fire. Being lost is almost worse than being alone, because you can feel lost even when there are people all around you.

When Elena died, it was different. I watched my sister die at the hands of the greatest monster in the world. He could smile. I hate monsters who can smile. Even as a child I hated it. Picture books full of grinning monsters. It felt wrong. Monsters aren't supposed to smile. They aren't supposed to have any concept of happiness.

Being a monster should be miserable and unnatural. That's the way the world is supposed to be.

Then I discovered that it isn't just monsters from story books who can smile. I met real monsters. Then I became one. And we can all smile.

Elena died and I lost the other side of our coin.

My sister was part of me, as she is again now, in a way that no one else ever could be. Losing her was losing part of myself that I thought I would never get back. And I didn't just lose her. She was ripped away from me. Vicious and cruel. My sister and I had everything taken from us one night on a slippery rain soaked bridge. Then we were taken from each other and turned into monsters by men who didn't give us a choice.

Sin drives. He drives and drives and drives. We are silent, but only on the surface. The words we don't speak out loud are screamed in our every movement, our every breathe, our every thought.

Do you know what it is to feel your mind **scream**? Not hear. _Feel_.

Sin's expression is stone cold. I've never seen it look quite like that before. For once I don't know what's going on inside his head. Part of me wishes I could read his mind, connect with him the same way I can with Damon. But then, some things aren't meant to be heard by anyone else. Some things you think about because you have to. Those kinds of thoughts circle around and around. They never stop. Or at least that's the way it seems at the time.

Even when Sin went off the grid as a psycho soul ripper, there was something in his eyes. A spark of recognition. That's gone now.

Sinbad stops the car on the bridge. My bridge. He gets out of the car without a word and goes over to the railing. I follow after him, slowly. The night air chills my bones, or maybe it's the coldness emanating from Sinbad that I can feel.

Either way it expands and wraps around us, creating a bubble of time where everything seems to stop. For just one moment, the whole world is still.

When someone you love dies, you expect that to happen. Somewhere inside your mind you expect the world to stop turning. You expect the universe to react to that person's death like it's the first one. The first death there ever was and the last there ever could be.

But that isn't what happens. When people die, they die. Silence is a curse. But everything else continues the same way it did before. Not even a blip on the radar.

You know logically that the world needs to keep moving. If the universe stopped for every death then nothing would ever happen again.

I cross my arms and let them rest on top of the bridge railing. I can feel the heat of Sin's body so close to mine. I can hear his breathing, which is surprisingly steady. We both look out over the moon lit water and for not the first time since we met, I know Sinbad and I are thinking the same crap and feeling the same shit.

"What happened?" Sin asks into the silence. He doesn't look at me, or even away from the water below us.

It takes a moment for my mind to catch up. I don't want to think about. I don't want to replay that moment in my mind. The moment I found my brother lying dead inside a fucking cave. It still seems surreal to even contemplate, let alone actually put into words and then force those words to come out of my face.

"Bitchzilla. She fed Jer to Silas."

Nothing else will come naturally, so I keep my mouth shut.

There's another long silence, and I wonder if Sin will want to tear the world apart for daring to let Jeremy die. I think I feel the same way.

"I should have been there." Sin says, his voice quiet and carefully controlled.

It's such a stupid thing to say. But I had the exact same thought myself. That doesn't make it any less stupid.

"No. Wrong. You're **wrong** Sin." I reach over and place my hand over Sin's. He tries to pull away, his movements jerky. But I hold on tight.

"I can't-I want... _shit_! _Fuck_!" Sin snarls, pain and frustration lacing every word, turning them into weapons.

Sin yanks himself away from me and stumbles backwards until he hits the car. I watch in growing horror as Sin turns around and starts kicking the car door. His head is bent and he doesn't make a sound, except for the occasional grunt, which eventually turn into half growled sobs.

I take a step towards him. I don't know why he thinks beating a car door to death will make a difference, but anger is weird, people are weird, and people who are weird unleash their anger in weird ways. It's been that way since humankind took it's first breathe on this earth and I imagine it will always be that way to at least some extent no matter how sophisticated we're supposed to be.

Sin stops assaulting the car when I touch his back. He hangs his head and just breathes, his pants of exertion loud in the stifling silence that traps us on this bridge.

I hate this place. I hate this bridge. But what I hate more than anything is having to watch my best friend break. My parents are dead. My brother is dead. Most of the people I know and love are vampires, or at least supernatural adjacent. Death and murder follow us all around like a contagious disease and I'm all but certain that it will continue to be that way for the rest of our undead lives.

Sin leans his forearms against the car, his hands tightened into fists. I wrap my arms around him from behind and press my cheek against his back. I can feel him trembling even through his clothes. Emotions wash through us both as we stand there together.

After a while Sin turns in my arms and folds me up into a real embrace, with mutual arm actions going on. Sin presses a kiss to my temple. They feel soft, but his dark stubble is rough against my skin.

I tell Sin all about Nick and Rebekah. Sin tells me about his job as personal assassin to Death. I think it's the most depressing catch up session we've ever had. For more than just the obvious reasons.

"I don't know what to do, Ever." Sin's arms tighten around me. He whispers, his voice cracking on every word. "God- _damn_ , I just don't know what to fucking _do_ anymore."

"You knew what to do before?" I ask, genuinely surprised.

"No." Sin says with a sigh, "But I could pretend."

"Play bullshit, you mean." I say, tilting my up to look at him.

Sin's pale blue eyes, eyes that look so much like his older brother's, are full of confusion and more torment than ever before.

"Yeah, yeah, I played all the bullshit. I made a fucking album out of pure bullshit." Sin gives a humourless laugh. I squeeze him, enough that it should hurt. His ribs quake and Sin flinches violently.

I frown, immediately on alert.

"Sin, what the hell is-"

I'm cut off when a pain unlike anything else I've ever experienced before slices through. My head feels like's going to explode and fire courses through my veins. My nerve endings get their own fucking heartbeat and I can't-but-what-no-NO!

Damon.

Always.

Stefan.

Love you.

I need-I'm sorry-just-I love-please...

I will find you.

We will find you.

** Sinbad's P.O.V **

I suck in a sharp breathe when Ever collapses.

"Ever?" I pick her up, holding her still body in my arms. "Ever!"

I don't know what to do. What's happening? What the fuck is _happening_?

My senses pick up something before I even hear my name being called.

"Sin! Fuck, Sin!"

I turn to see Kol running towards me down the road. My heart sinks even further down into the pit at the expression on his face.

Kol stops about five feet away from me.

"Nick? Is it Nick? Has he done something?" I ask, I don't know if I sound frantic or dead, but either way Kol look freaked out as hell.

"We have to go." Kol says hurriedly, "Elijah got them to let Nick out. We thought everything would be alright, Nick seemed...calm-"

"You fucking _what_?" I snarl at him. How could they be so stupid? When I get a hold of my brothers I'm going to-

"My brothers," I narrow my eyes on Kol,"What the fuck did Nick do to my brothers, Kol?"

"They not dead." Kol says, and somehow that doesn't reassure me even a little bit.

"I'm gonna need more details here Kol or I'll fucking lose it." I snap at him.

Kol takes a breathe. He makes a pained expression.

"When he got out, Nick turned on Elijah and snapped his neck. He knew Elijah would try and stop him."

"Stop him from doing what?" I ask, my heart beats erratically inside my chest.

Kol shakes his head a little, as if shaking something off, but he continues anyway,

"He killed Blondie and Teen wolf-"

Caroline. Tyler.

"Then he did something to Damon and Stefan. I don't...I didn't know what he was doing...said he was going to break something...something between your brother and her-" Kol gestures at a still unconscious Ever. "-Niklaus has lost it, Sin. Seriously. He was muttering about you and Jeremy and your brothers and this bloody connection-bond-whatever-the-fuck it is between them and your girlfriend over there."

I close my eyes, calling on all my patience and willpower, mostly to stop myself from crumbling to pieces at the mention of Jeremy's name.

"Kol, tell me. What did he do to my _brothers_?"

Because whatever he did to them, it's clearly affecting Ever too. But Kol says they aren't dead.

"He..." Kol's jaw clenches ever so slightly, "...he compelled them. He compelled them to forget."

"To forget _what_?" I don't understand what he's getting at.

" _Everything_." Kol growls impatiently, "He compelled them to forget every single fucking thing. Even their names. He compelled them to forget that they're brothers. You. This town. Their entire lives. He compelled them to forget Ever. That took a lot longer than the rest. But Nick...well, you know Nick. He threatened to kill Ever if they didn't stop fighting him. When they finally let go...there was this burst of light, it shined out of their fucking _eyes_ and they _screamed_. The windows smashed and the house practically tore itself apart-"

"Where are my brothers now?" I can't even fathom what I'm going to do when I find them but...we'll work something out. Clearly Nick is honouring our deal for him not to kill my brothers, but he still wants to hurt them. And Ever. For what they did to Rebekah...and maybe just because he can. Making one of them forget wouldn't have severed their three-way bond thingy, but taking away both Damon and Stefan's memories had at least damaged it quite substantially. They might never be able to repair it.

But I can't think about that right now, or how it will destroy Ever.

Kol looks momentarily anguished again, his face creasing into something akin to an apology.

"When it was...over...he sent them away. He told them to leave, to run away in opposite directions. They've probably left town by now."

Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me with this shit.

"Where's Nick?" I demand, anger building up inside my like an inferno.

"Elijah woke up, he took Niklaus out before our brother could go full on crazy-pants." Kol says, rolling his eyes.

"I need to find my brothers." I say absently.

"You need to leave." Kol says urgently, "You need to get in your bloody car and drive away as far and as fast as you can. Elijah and I will keep Nik off your back for as long as we can. But you have to leave. Now. Take your girlfriend and _run_."

He's right. I need to get Ever the fuck out of here. She'll want to kill Nick when she wakes up and I can't have her going off the rails right now. We need to get away.

I nod at Kol and he comes over to help me get Ever into the passenger seat. She's still unconscious, but I know she's alive. Or at least as alive as a dead person can technically be these days.

Kol looks at me, and our eyes lock for a brief, intense, moment. His eyes become two burning coals.

"Don't look back Sin. Don't you _dare_."

I take a step towards Kol and press my lips to his. It's a chaste kiss. A thank you. Kol shivers under my touch and I pull back. I cup his face and say,

"I'm sorry. Tell Eli...tell him..."God, there are so many things I need to tell him, and I won't get to say any of them. "I want him to know...that if things had been different...if I could have...I would...just tell him I'm sorry."

"Don't. Die." Kol replies firmly.

"No promises." I say dryly.

"There never are with you." Kol says.

We stare at each other for another long moment. But then it's over. It has to be.

I let him go and get into the car. Kol is gone by the time I start the car.

I drive away from the bridge and out of Mystic Falls. It's another hour before Ever finally gasps awake.

I want to pull over, but I know I can't. Not unless I want Nick to catch up to us.

Ever blinks her eyes open, and she looks at me. Her expression is...complex. It's not one I've seen on her face before.

"Hey, Ev's, how are you feeling?" I ask worriedly, trying to keep one eye on her and another on the road.

Ever opens her mouth, still staring at me in what has to be genuine confusion. She asks a question then that almost has me tail spinning all over the empty road.

"Uh, hi. Don't take this the wrong way, Catwalk, but who are you again?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N-I'm so sorry everyone! I know it's been AGES. I wish I could say I was too busy dying and then coming back to life (a very strenuous task I'd imagine) but I can't use that as an excuse. Just know that I'm sorry and that I haven't abandoned this story, I promise! x


	98. I know What You Did Last Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (A/N-Pre-warning for you all, I have decided to skip forward in time. Like a lot. Sort of. This chapter will be starting from season 5 episode 1. I've done this because the rest of season 4 bored the crap out of me, and I knew I'd never finish it if I just kept going on like I had been. Don't worry, I'll explain everything within the chapter so there will be no confusion. Ever and Sinbad will be experiencing a storyline that is completely separate from the season 5 TVD story arc that will VERY LOOSELY follow The Originals storyline. Again, all will be explained within, so please bear with me.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the ninety-eighth chapter.  
> I own nothing but what I have created myself. If I did own the vampire diaries then...Bamon would have been the beginning and endgame!  
> Review please, thank you x

** Trick's P.O.V **

I honestly never thought I'd end up going to college. Seriously, I figured, considering how many bad decisions I've made in my life, that I would quit high school at the earliest opportunity. I wasn't sure exactly what the rest of my life would entail, or even what I wanted to happen. I knew I liked the idea of pursuing my art, and eventually working with tattoos. Maybe have a tattoo parlour of my own someday. But that seemed like just a wayward dream. College isn't something I even regarded as an option.

But then Bonnie and Ever came into my life like a tornado and tore my carefully constructed world view world apart. I moved to Mystic Falls, met WAY too many vampires, fell a little bit in love with a boy named Jeremy Gilbert, and actually graduated high school with my sister. I even let Bonnie drag me to college alongside her, Elena, Evan and Lyna. Not that I fought her very hard.

After everything we'd been through, it felt wrong not to be together.

A lot has happened since Jeremy died. Since Tyler and Caroline were murdered by Klaus. Since Damon and Stefan were compelled to forget and leave town. Since Sinbad and Ever were forced to go on the run. Since the original vampire brothers packed up their shit and left Mystic Falls. I can only guess that they mean to chase Sin to the ends of the fucking earth, the poor bastard. I've actually started to sympathise for Sin, against my will.

When Elena first found out that Ever was missing, she wanted to go after her sister. She couldn't seem to stand the idea of losing another sibling. But we all knew it would be safer for both Ever and Elena if we didn't kick up a fuss. Finding Ever would only have put her in danger. It still would. In the end, Elena was had no choice but to concede. She just has to believe that one day Ever will come home.

It was actually Alaric who managed to convince Elena not to go off on a mad Ever-hunt. He told Elena that Jenna needed her here, that they both wanted her to be around the new baby. Alaric knew what we all knew; that Jenna couldn't handle losing another family member. Losing Jeremy wrecked her enough that everyone was afraid for the baby. Pregnant woman+stress=big no no.

So Elena stayed, and she mourned Jeremy, Caroline and Tyler. She leaned on Evan, and he let her. Elena graduated high school without her twin sister, and we all helped rebuild the Gilbert house. Whatever Klaus did to Stefan and Damon caused it to practically cave in on itself. But we were determined to help rebuild the house for Elena sake. And for Alaric and Jenna.

Now Elena is at college with her werewolf boyfriend, who has also been forced to sign up for classes. I'm pretty sure Evan getting into Whitemore had a lot to do with compulsion on Elena's part, since Evan graduated from high school ages ago and has been dead for far too long for it to look natural if he gave his real details to the college HR department. Not that that's a problem for me.

I'm actually pretty glad about Evan being here, since he and I will be sharing a room this year. I didn't want to have to deal with some random stranger being all up in my space constantly, even if they wouldn't mean to be. At least with Evan, I know he'll respect my boundaries and not give a single fuck about me being gay (since, hello, bisexual), or be bothered by my penchant for witchcraft (because, hello again, werewolf).

After a lot of deliberating on Elena's part, she took the cure we'd gotten from that God forsaken island. So at least some good came out of all that bad. She only took it about a week ago. For some reason Elena hesitated for months. I wasn't really part of that discussion, so I can only assume that her reluctance had something to do with either worrying that Klaus would come back and try to use her for Hybrids, or something to do with Ever. But Elena took the cure in the end and now she's human again.

I'll be honest, I think humanity suits Elena the same way vampirism suits Ever.

We still don't know where Katherine or Silas are. If it hadn't of been for Jenna, I think Elena might have waned to seek out revenge on Katherine. Silas on the other hand is another story entirely.

Silas tried to get Bonnie to use her new dark magic powers to do some bullshit with the other side. Luckily for all of us, she had me to set those thoughts on fire. I refused to let Bonnie destroy herself for Silas, even if she could use the situation to save Jeremy. As much as I'd come to care for Jeremy, and God did I ever wish I was selfish enough to let Bonnie do it, I could not allow my twin sister to risk her life that way.

Neither of us ever told Elena what could have been, it would have been too cruel.

When Silas realised he couldn't force or manipulate Bonnie into helping him, he disappeared. Just like that. By no means do I think he's gone for good. Personally, I'm almost positive that he's just waiting for the right moment to strike. Whatever the right moment will turn out to be.

Comparably, things have been pretty quiet this summer. The only big event was Jenna giving birth to a baby boy. They named their son Jeremy Alaric Saltzman. That was painful for everyone. But in a strange way it also seemed to give us all hope for the future.

"You seriously need to get laid soon, Trick, your no-sex-ever brooding has sky rocketed." Evan says, smirking at me suggestively.

Elena thwacks him on the arm.

"You're an idiot. Leave Trick alone. He'll meet a nice guy when he's ready."

Like hell I will. I don't want to meet a 'nice guy'. I want to meet a guy who I can have no strings sex with. This is college, so you'd think that would be a relatively easy thing to find. But my self imposed isolation means practically zero human contact beyond Evan, Lyna, Elena and my twin sister. I can't help it though. I just don't like most people.

"Couldn't you join one of those gay college group thingies?" Matt suggests peering at me from behind his beer cup.

Despite the fact that we're in college, instead of being at some frat party tonight like normal people, we have actually come back to Mystic Falls for the evening. It's the end of summer party in the towns square, not exactly a college frat, but there's still beer, so it kind of counts. We're here for few reasons. One, Lyna wanted to visit Matt. I'm pretty sure those two are dating, but like, covertly or something. Its cute I suppose, if you like that kind of crap. Lyna and Matt seem happy anyway, so that's probably all that matters.

Two, mine and Bonnie's Dad wanted us here because he's taking over as Mayor of Mystic Falls. My father and I haven't spoken much. It's not like he's a very hands on parent in the first place, so our familial distance feels pretty normal to me. Even Bonnie isn't that close to him, and she was actually raised by our Dad. To be far, I don't see Mom all that often either. She came for mine and Bonnie's graduation, which was cool. But apart from that we only keep in contact by the occasional text or short, stilted, phone call. And I'm fine with that. I have Bonnie and my friends; that's enough for me.

Anyway, Dad's supposed to be giving some kind of speech that he asked me and Bonnie to be here for. We agreed only because we couldn't think of a good enough excuse to use to get out of it.

"I'm not joining a LGBT club." I say firmly, with more hostility than is probably warranted.

"Why not?" Bonnie asks, frowning at me speculatively.

Oh Christ, are we really doing this?

They all stare at me expectantly.

Yes, I think we really are. Alright then.

"Because I don't need to join a club to get laid." I say snappishly.

Lyna sits forward, her blue-purple eyes full of curiosity. She's sitting quite happily in Matt's lap.

"What's an LGBT group?" Lyna asks.

Before anyone else can answer, I say dryly,

"It's a place for people who think just because they like to fuck the same sex means they all automatically have some kind of bond. Being gay or bi or transgender or whatever else you identify yourself as, isn't a personality trait. It doesn't mean you'll like or get on with someone who also identifies that way."

Evan barks out a very real laugh. Elena hits him again in scolding.

Bonnie doesn't look very amused either. She just rolls her eyes at me and says,

"You are such a sexuality scrooge." She raises her fist and shakes it mock angrily, "Bah humbug to gay pride!"

I scowl at my sister.

"Oh yeah, right, just because I don't feel the need to go frolicking through fields of flowers holding hands with other non-straight people, that somehow makes me anti-gay." I mutter.

"Nah, you're just an unsociable weirdo." Evan says, his smirk still firmly in place, like he finds this whole conversation ridiculously amusing.

I gesture at him,

"Yes, _thank you_ Evan."

"I got your back, mate." Evan holds up his fist for me and I bump it.

"Oh hell, don't encourage him." Elena says, giving Evan a fondly exasperated look.

"I could take you out," Evan offers, "We can hit some clubs. Find you a hot guy to screw in the bathroom."

" _No_!" Bonnie and Elena both exclaim at the same time.

"There's no way you two can be trusted out alone together in a gay club." Bonnie says with absolute certainty.

"Yeah, you'd probably end up getting arrested or having a threesome with a random guy who secretly video tapes it and then blackmails you by threatening to send the tape to me if you don't work for him selling doing amateur porn movies." Elena says flatly, and I honestly cannot tell if she's joking.

Evan turns on his girlfriend with a gleeful light in his eyes.

"Ok, two things. First if all 'video tape'? How old is this hypothetical third in mine and Trick's potential three way? Secondly, you have a very dark mind Elena Gilbert."

"It just seems like something that would happen to you." Elena says to Evan with a shrug.

Evan just smiles and leans over to kiss Elena on the nose.

"I very much enjoy when your brain accidentally reveals how crazy you secretly are deep down."

"Shut up, you big freak." Elena says, but she's smiling too. "Besides, you're the one talking about helping pimp Trick out."

"That would definitely be ironic." Evan says, nodding at me.

I arch an eyebrow furtively,

"What, because of my name, or because I'm already enough of a whore without actually getting paid for it?"

"Why can't I mean both?" Evan replies drolly, his face slipping back into his usual passively-amused expression.

"Should I be offended?" I ask to no one in particular.

"Only if it's not true." Matt says.

" _Ah_ , well, fair enough then." I wave a hand and lean back on my elbows in the grass.

"I'm still confused about the LGBT group thing." Lyna suddenly interjects before either Evan or I can get any more bitchy.

"I'll take you to a meeting sometime." Bonnie tells Lyna, smiling at the other girl kindly.

"Oh no, be careful Matt," Evan says warningly, "Lyna might decide to fully embrace the college experience and give girl-on-girl sex a try."

Lyna looks confused again. Matt just shakes his head and says,

"Don't project your own fears onto me, Night."

"I'll have you know that Elena has my full permission to experiment however she likes in college. I'm not the type of boyfriend to hold my girlfriend back from having fun." Evan says.

Elena narrows her eyes at him dangerously.

"Oh so it's your permission I need now is it?"

Evan doesn't even look a bit panicked when he replies,

"No, of course not El. You can do whatever you want...although...I wouldn't put up a fight if you decided to let me watch-ow!"

Elena has pinched Evan's nipple through his t-shirt. She looks satisfied when Evan's hand flies up to cover his nipple. He throws her a betrayed look.

"And just so we're clear," Elena says sternly, "I do not give you permission to 'experiment' with anyone, guys or women."

"Bit late to start calling it 'experimenting'." I say.

"Ok, can we stop talking about our sex lives now. Or lack thereof" Bonnie says, her brow creasing into a frown.

"Starting to feel left out?" I ask jokingly.

Bonnie throws an empty beer cup at me.

"Yes, actually. I'm the only one who hasn't had a big, epic romance yet. Ever had Damon, and then Stefan. Elena had Stefan, and now Evan. Sin had Jeremy, then Elijah, then Klaus, and then...Kol? Or maybe they all came first...whatever. Matt and Lyna have each other. So what about me? When do I get my great love affair?"

At the mention of Ever and Jeremy, Elena's face darkens a bit. Bonnie clearly notices and she cringes.

"I'm so sorry Elena, I wasn't thinking."

Matt and Lyna both look upset too. They appear to draw each other closer without seeming to actually move at all.

Elena shrugs, but her jaw is clenched hard enough that it ticks. She eventually sighs though and says,

"It's ok Bonnie. We should be able to talk about them. I don't want to pretend like they were never here. Jeremy is...he's gone. But I can remember him, and all that he was. And Ever isn't dead. She's very much alive, and I know one day we'll see each other again. I have to believe that."

None of us have anything to say in response to the naked hopefulness in Elena's voice. Evan shifts much closer to Elena and wraps his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. She leans into him, allowing him to hold her.

After a very long and even more awkward pause, I turn to Bonnie and say,

"You'll fall in love, sis. You're a college girl now. There's a whole sea of guys out there. Good, decent, human guys who will treat you right."

Evan actually snorts out a laugh at this.

"What exactly would you do if some guy didn't treat her right?"

That stumps me a bit.

"Um...I would...uh...fight him."

"You?" Bonnie says incredulously, "Fight? Like, with your fists and stuff?"

"Oh alright fine." I huff at her, "I'd get Evan and Matt to beat him up for you instead."

"That sounds about right." Bonnie says with no small amount of satisfaction.

"Hey, I think your Dad's about to make his speech." Lyna points over at the stage that rests in the middle of the square.

"Looks like it." Bonnie says.

We all get up and wander over, getting closer to the stage whilst staying on the outskirts of the crowd.

Dad stands on the small stage in front of the microphone and begins speaking once he catches sight of me and Bonnie.

"I hope everyone enjoyed the party tonight."

Cheers ring out through the crowd.

"It is truly great to have an end of summer tradition. I'm also very pleased to have both of my children here tonight. Hopefully I won't embarrass them by tripping off the stage or something."

Laughter spreads throughout the audience.

"They've both recently started college, and I'm so proud of them. Things have been difficult for my kids. Their mother and I didn't make it easy. But despite the troubles of our families past, they decided to stay together. To be there for each other. And they've both come to support me when I asked them to."

Bonnie moves closer to me, and I drop my arm around her shoulders, tugging her against my side. Dad is right about one thing. Bonnie and I have fully embraced our relationship as brother and sister. Even though we spent years apart, I feel more connected to her than I ever have to anyone else in my life.

"Family is one of our core values here in Mystic Falls." Dad goes on. "Family as community-"

I just about choke when Stefan freakin' Salvatore walks on stage. What the hell?

"Stefan?" Dad eyes Stefan warily.

"Do you mind if I say a few words?" Stefan asks.

"Maybe when we're done here." Dad says dismissively.

"What's going on?" I turn to Bonnie, but she looks just as shocked as I am. Elena, Evan, Lyna and Matt looks equally as perplexed.

Stefan says something else quietly to Dad and-oh holy shit!

Its him. It has to be HIM!

"Oh my God." Bonnie takes a step back, horror dawning on her face.

Silas takes a step up to the microphone and smiles at all of us. He catches sight of me and winks. Bastard.

"Hello everyone. Now, I thought I would have to go through some big speech where I tell you how I've spent the summer drinking blood and expanding my powers so I could better control all of you. Maybe even make you do something very important for me. But, fortunately for all of you, the person I would have needed you to find is actually here tonight." Silas's eyes flicker to Elena, his mouth twisting into a cruel smirk. "Please everyone give a big round of applause for miss Elena Gilbert!"

Oh son of a bitch, we're in trouble.

* * *

Day One: When Ever Met Ian

** Ever's P.O.V **

"Sin, are you ready yet? We're gonna be late for work! Your hair looks fine, stop fussing with it." I call out from outside the bathroom.

My best friend and roommate has been in the bathroom for the last hour getting all primped and sexified. I swear he takes double the amount of time that I do just doing his hair, let alone everything else.

But tonight we both have a shift at ' _Rousseau's_ **'** , an old style, and quite popular bar. We were lucky to get the jobs since the bar is so close to the University of New Orleans. Loads of college students wanted to work there. Luckily Sin is a charming bastard and convinced the bar manager to take us both on. That was over a month ago.

I didn't originally intend to actually go the college whilst we were here, but since we'd moved into an apartment that was so close, I figured I'd give it a go. I compelled the school into letting me sign up for classes. I probably won't be here long enough to even get half way through the year, but at least it will be something to do when I'm not working.

Sin thought I was mad, but he's a major slacker anyway. Sin spends most of his time outside of work either drunk or high on something. He's dealing with a serious case of grief though, so I don't push him too hard about moving forward. We've carved out our own lives here together in the last few months, and despite Sin's obvious pain, we still have a lot of fun.

I know it's hard for him though, especially since I can't remember a damn thing about why I should be just as upset as he is.

See, the thing is, my very first memory is waking up in Sinbad's car just a few months ago. Anything before then is just a big black hole of nothingness. It terrifies me to think about all the things I don't know.

Of course I still remember how to walk and talk, and all the information I've gained during my life is still there. I just don't remember any people or places or conversations I might have had. For example, I don't remember who my parents were, but I know I had parents. I didn't remember who Sin was when I woke up in his car, but he felt very familiar. It's confusing inside my head. I have no memories, but I still know certain things. I'm not sure how else to explain it to anyone who can't see what I see, or feel what I feel.

Over the last few months, Sin tried to fill in the blanks for me. But when the blank is literally your entire life, things become a bit more difficult.

Sin told me that I grew up in a town called Mystic Falls. He told me I have a sister. And that I had a brother who recently died. Sin refused to talk about Jeremy at first. It was too painful for him. But he did tell me about my parents, both adopted and biological. He described my friends. He told me the story of how he and I met and all of the terrible things that happened with Nicklaus. Sin explained why we need to run from him.

I do feel, however, that Sin is purposefully leaving out key bits of information. During his story, he kept almost accidentally saying names, and then backtracking with a look of panic on his face. He once let it slip that he has two brothers, but when I asked he refused to tell me anything else about them. I figured maybe they were dead and he didn't want to talk about them because it would hurt too much.

There was something about Sin that I felt instantly connected to, despite having no memories of him. He told me that I become his best friend, and that he became mine. He said he loves me like family. I could already feel myself caring for him after just one day together, so I was sure he couldn't be lying about that at least.

I kind of have to trust my instincts at the moment. I don't really have anything else to rely on.

I have no memories at all before waking up in Sinbad's car. But, I do feel...there's a sense of...loss...inside me. Like I have a gaping wound across my soul, with no way to repair it. At first I thought maybe it was because of losing my memories, but the more I think about it, the more I'm certain it's something else. I feel as if two parts of me have been viciously ripped away, and I desperately want those parts back. But at the same time I have no idea what has actually been taken from me.

It's frustrating as all hell.

Sinbad has told me story after story about Nicklaus. And Elijah. And Kol.

The Original family.

Or what's left of it at any rate.

I was horrified to hear about Nicklaus' abuse of my only (in my mind) friend. It disgusted me to think of Sin being treated in such a way. He's been so very kind to me, and I'd hate for him to be hurt by anyone, let alone a monster like Nicklaus.

But Sin also told me about the softer side of Nicklaus. And all the good times they had together. I still don't think it overrides the terrible things he's done to Sin, but at least it helps me understand.

I was more interested to hear about Elijah. He apparently treated Sin far better, and from what Sin's told me, I wouldn't mind meeting Elijah Mikaelson. He sounds gorgeous and every bit a gentlemen, whilst at the same time being the ultimate predator.

Sin and I travelled around from state to state for a while before settling in New Orleans. Sin said that there's no way Niklaus will ever think to look for us here because apparently Nicklaus and the original family have a bit of a past connected with New Orleans. Nicklaus won't come back here without a valid reason to do so.

From what Sin's told me I think he seriously underestimates Nicklaus' obsession with him. But Sin's the one with actual memories, so I'm pretty much letting him take the lead with most things.

The door to the bathroom suddenly swings open and reveals a slightly deranged looking Sinbad. He has a toothbrush in one hand and some eye liner in the other. His eyes are blown wide, and he looks a little bit panicky.

I arch an eyebrow at him and ask,

"Are you struggling with deciding which one is meant for your eyes and which one is meant for your teeth? I'll give you a hint, the bristly one will probably end up blinding you if you use it for your eyes."

Sin's expression immedietly drops it's mad edge and he says,

"Go drop dead in a puddle, wench, I'm dealing with an actual crisis here."

Sin waves the eye liner at me.

"Ok, I'll bite. What's the big emergency?" I reach out and take the eye liner from him.

Sinbad sighs heavily and leans against the doorframe. Our new apartment is a nice two bedroom place with a balcony. It's also very old town New Orleans, and I personally love it to bits. I could live here. Like, properly live here, not just temporarily. But I suppose that kind of thinking will have to wait until I'm not on the run from a big scary (and by scary I mean creepy-as-fuck) original Hybrid.

"I can't put this damn eye liner on without poking myself in the cornea and I have been ordered by our lord and master Marcel to wear it or I lose my job." Sin makes a disgruntled face. His perfect bow string lips turn down in a slight pout.

Now I know he's just being ridiculous.

I flick him on the nose.

"Marcel would not fire you. He can't fire you. He doesn't own the bar."

"He owns New Orleans, so, same thing." Sin snaps, making a grab for the eye liner. I move it out of his reach.

"I'm pretty sure he was joking, Sin." I say patiently. "Don't get all pissy just because Marcel thinks you're hot."

"He does not." Sin argues, but it's weak.

"Of course he does, he has eyes." I say with snort. "But if he really does fire you then no worries. We'll just have to vampnap him and annoy Marcel, a.k.a the vampy princess of New Orleans, to death until he gives it back to you. Simple as."

Sin thinks that over a minute, then nods and points his tooth brush at me.

"Right, good. I like that plan."

"Ok then." I say with a grin. "I could put the eye liner on for you if you really want it."

Sin eyes me warily,

"You're not going to draw things on my face like last time are you?"

I smirk at him,

"I guess that's a risk you'd just have to take."

Sin groans loudly, but he pulls me into the bathroom so I can apply the eye liner.

Now we're really going to be late and we might actually be fired. At least Sin is dressed this time though. Last week it took me an hour of conjoling to get Sin off the sofa and into some fucking pants.

We don't exactly have a uniform at Rousseau's, but the theme is tight and sexy, always. Tonight I'm wearing a simple black lace dress that fits my form like another layer of skin and barely covers my thighs and ass. I don't know why, but it feels like I can wear anything around here and not be self conscious at all. New Orleans has a certain wild magic about it that I can't help but be drawn to.

Sin is in his usual work clothes. Tight black jeans. Even tighter black t-shirt. And black army boots. He looks like a runway model who's just stumbled out of a fashion shoot. Or a very high end porn star. Sin usually prefers the porn star connotation.

Of course we also wear our nametags. We don't use our actual names though, just in case word got back to Nicklaus somehow. I'm not sure how the super spy vampy network thing happens, but I figure it's a good idea to use aliases anyway. I didn't even know my name was Everlyna Gilbert until Sin told me, so it's not that big of an adjustment to go by the name 'Rory St Clair' instead. Sinbad's fake name is 'Caspian Prince'. We chose each others new names, which is why they're both a bit flashy.

I help Sin with the eye liner and then we're ready to go.

...

"Hey guys." Camille calls out when we walk through the door. "You're late."

"Yeah sorry, Cami." I say, and jerk a thumb at Sin. "Drama prince over here had a makeup emergency."

Sin hops over the bar in one swift, and far too graceful for a human, leap. He bumps his hip against Camille's and says,

"I was just doing my best to look good for your, Cami. Don't listen to Rory, she gets jealous."

I scoff at him.

"In your dreams, pretty boy."

"See, your heard her, she thinks I'm insanely attractive." Sin says with flourish, his voice taking on a teasing note that he only ever uses when out in public.

"Oh my Satan, he's delusional, quick Cami, run away before he sucks you into his web of crazy. It's too late for me, but you still have a chance." I take the scenic route around the bar to stand on the other side of Camille.

"So. Fucking. Rude." Sin says in mock disgust.

"I don't know how you two live together without killing each other." Camille says, an amused smile playing about her lips.

Camille O'Connell is a very attractive woman who also works at the bar. She moved here only a little while after us.

"We show our undying love through mean taunts and unapologetic name-calling." Sin smirks playfully.

"Ah, so when you two start being horrible to me, I'll know I've passed the friendship test." Camille says with understanding.

"Exactly. We're only very polite to people we detest." I say, slapping a hand down on the bar in front of me.

Camille laughs and moves away from the bar.

"Ok guys, well, have fun tonight. I'm off home. See you tomorrow, yeah." Camille grabs her stuff from the back and heads towards the exit, leaving me and Sin alone in the bar. Luckily it's not so busy at the moment, but as the night goes on it will definitely pick up.

Just as I thought, after about an hour, the bar becomes a lot more full of people. Sin and I work side by side, making drinks and joking around with customers. Sin usually covers the flirty side of things, whilst I fulfil the role of pseudo psychiatrist.

Sin is in the back hunting around for some bottles since we're running low on a few spirits when a new customer walks into the bar. He's definitely new. I haven't seen him before, and I'd absolutely remember if I had, because the moment I catch sight of him, my heart feels like it might burst out of my chest. The unexpected reaction throws me off for a few long seconds, and I almost drop the bottle of liquor I'm holding.

My heart hammers almost painfully as I watch the new guy come striding towards the bar. His eyes catch mine, and he literally stumbles over his own feet. Recognition flares to life inside his eyes, but just as soon as it came, the flicker of remembrance is gone. I wonder if I just imagined it, letting my fevered reaction to him take my very vivid imagination for a spin.

The new guy is still staring at me though. He eventually starts moving towards the bar again and I have to beat down the urge to reach out and touch him. He's a vampire. I can tell by the way he moves. But I don't remember seeing him with Marcel's lot, and they're really the only vampires allowed around here. Maybe he just got into town and doesn't know the rules yet.

Marcel only lets me stay because I'm friends with Sin, and whatever bullshit Sin might tell himself, Marcel has a big thing for him. I've seen many people, men and women, be completely ensnared by Sinbad over the last few months. I've watched people go out of their way to be near him, talk to him, touch him. It's a bit disturbing after a while. But I do get it. Apart from the fact that Sin is almost unrealistically attractive, he also has a unique charisma about him that is completely undeniable. It's impossible not to notice Sinbad when he's in the room.

I have to say though, I think this new guy might be even more attractive, to me anyway. Funnily enough, he actually reminds me of Sin a bit. He's shorter and more sinewy, but he has the same raven black hair and powder blue eyes. New guy is handsome, bordering on sinfully beautiful, with a strong and stumbled jaw, and perfect cheek bones.

New guy sits on a stall directly in front of me, and a feeling of intense excitement bubbles up inside my stomach. I try to tell myself not to be stupid, he's just some stranger, but I can't help but feel like I...know him. From somewhere. But of course that's just ridiculous. I have no memories, and I already know that I haven't seen him around here before.

Whilst still locking eyes with me, new guy says in a voice I'll be thinking about all night long,

"I'll have a bourbon...Rory." His eyes momentarily flicker to my nametag.

I have the sudden insane urge to tell him my real name, mostly just so I can hear him say it. I want to hear how it sounds coming out his mouth, those soft lips of his mouthing the word.

But of course that's ridiculous, so I just nod somewhat tightly, and turn to make his drink. I put a glass of fine bourbon down in front of the blue eyes stranger. He still watching me with a fixation that would seem creepy on anyone else. But not him.

"So, then, devil in disguise, what's your name?"

He reminds of a devil from a gothic romance story. Devastatingly beautiful on the outside, but sinful within.

New guy's mouth switches up into a smirk that has my heart flipping over inside my chest. He leans over the bar just a bit, purposefully moving closer. He reaches out as if to touch me, but then pulls himself back at the last minute. His smirk is still firmly in place though when he says,

"Hello to you, pretty girl. I'm Ian."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR COMMENTING, I WUV YOU ALL! X

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first chapter. Might edit a bit more later. Hope like hell that you like it! Let me know what you think! xxx


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